A - B

20cms. Masses of rosettes of light green leaves edged creamy-white, and slightly sticky. Keep frost-free in winter, and grow fairly dry - if too wet the roots will rot. Tender perennial.  Flower arrangers.  For sunny well-drained areas.  Evergreen.  Container plant.

60-90cm. Upright plant with sweetly aromatic foliage, and spikes of deep lavender-blue flowers in summer which are attractive to bees etc.. Enjoys full or part sun in fairly well-drained soil. Dead-head to prolong flowering. Good cut flower. Self seeds a little.

20-30 x 30cm. Smaller, neater version of Alchemilla mollis, with lime yellow flowers. Self seeds a little. Humus-rich soil in sun or part shade.

40 x 60cm. Clump of rounded soft leaves with yellow-green flowers in summer. Remove flower heads to prevent excess self-seeding. Sun or shade, in any soil except a bog. Flower arrangers  Shade loving/tolerant

20cm. Fine foliage with heads of purple-pink flowers in summer. This bulb comes from Asia, and seems to flourish in well-drained soil in a sunny position.  Attracts bees & butterflies. Just a few bulbs available this year.

10 - 60cm. Dense heads of light purple-pink flowers, mid to late summer, attracting bees and butterflies. Fertile, well-drained soil, preferably in full sun. A well-behaved allium! For sunny well-drained areas.  Attracts bees & butterflies.  Bulb.

20cm. Rosettes of slightly twisted, glaucous leaves, with rounded heads of mauve pink flowers later in summer. Well-drained soil in sun. Good for the rockery or front of border. Very attractive to butterflies. For sunny well-drained areas.  Attracts bees, butterflies etc.  Bulb.

3cm. Forms a mat of hirsute foliage, with sprays of dainty pink flowers in summer. For well-drained soil in sun. Not too wet in winter (though mine have all survived the extremely wet winter of 2015-16!)

10cm. Forms a mound of large rosettes, with umbels of pink flowers in early summer. Requires well-drained soil in a sunny position.

5-8cm. Spreading rosettes form a mat, with heads of dainty pink flowers in late spring. Well-drained soil in sun. Good in a trough or scree.

10cm. Forming a mat, with hairy rosettes of leaves, and sprays of deep pink flowers on short stems in early summer. Requires well-drained soil in sun. Alpine/rock garden plant

10cm. Green-tipped, double white flowers, and a ruff of green bracts. A spring-flowering, woodland plant.

10cm. Pale lemon flowers produced in spring, slowly spreading to form a carpet. Best in woodland conditions. Quickly becoming dormant after flowering. Shade loving/tolerant

10cm. Forms a low mat of silvered foliage, with small round heads of pink-red flowers in late spring. For a sunny, well-drained position. Suitable for a trough.  Alpine/rock garden plant

10cm. Forms an evergreen mat of grey-green rosettes, with long-lasting double white flowers in late spring. Usually flowers again later in the summer. Very well drained soil in full sun. Excellent tumbling down a scree or rockery.

20-40cm. Evergreen mat of foliage with bright pink 'thrift' flowers from late spring through the summer (dead-head to encourage repeat flowering). Attracts bees and butterflies. Happy on poor to moderately fertile, well-drained soils in sun. Tolerant of salt. Chalk loving/tolerant  For sunny well-drained areas  Attracts bees, butterflies etc.  Evergreen

  30cm. Beautiful dark green, shiny foliage, tinted bronze, with pink plumes in late summer. Moist soil or shallow water  Clay loving/tolerant. Astilbes thrive in moist, humus-rich soils in sun or part shade.  They tolerate more sun when wetter, and grow in boggy conditions too. The feathery plumes of summer flowers look good for months, flower spikes remaining attractive in...

60cm. White flowers with pink centres for a long period in summer, over an attractive mound of foliage. Attractive to bees, butterflies etc, and good cut flowers.  They prefer fertile, humus-rich soil in sun or part shade.

40cm. A hardy begonia, certainly in the South of the country, producing attractive foliage with a dark red reverse, and with white flowers. Shade loving/tolerant.

30-45cm. (trailing). Tuberous. Trailing stems bear light orange flowers all summer. Good in hanging container. Winter dormant. I've always kept it in a just frost-free greenhouse, but others told me it was hardy, and it has survived outside this winter!

30cm. Large,thick, rounded leaves, with ciliate margins, colour in autumn before disappearing.  Sprays of white flowers are produced in Spring, ageing to pink. Humus-rich, well-drained soil, best in part shade. Has been hardy with me for getting close to 20 years, and we've had some fairly cold weather in that time! The seed originally came from a Chris Chadwell expedition to the Himalayas.