Perennials

Umbels of white, cow parsley, flowers. The leaves are a superb rich yellow and a large clump looks magnificent. Clump-forming and may seed about. To 120cm. May/June. Grows best in dry part shade but damper full sun could be tried. Leafs up over-winter and is good in early spring. Summer-dormant. New.

Double flowers in apricot to pink. The early flowers are more orange and the later ones pinker. Stout clumps of greyish-green leaves on purple stems. 60cm. This has the longest flowering season of any Chrysanthemum starting amazingly early in July and still in full flower in September. Well-drained soil in sun. Raised by joe Sharman from seed of the Rubellum types, in the 1990s.

Rich cherry-red very double flowers which are strongly scented. Greenish leaves. Clump-forming. 15cm. Well-drained soil in sun. July/ August. An old rare mule pink and surprisingly vigorous.

Rich dark red, strongly-scented flowers, not quite as dark as in 'Nigrescens'. The leaves are a rich dark black-purple significantly broader than in 'Nigrescens'. The rosettes are tighter and the whole plant is smaller and neater than 'Nigrescens'. Very vigorous and healthy leaves. 45cm. June. Any soil in sun. New. A clone, and not grown from seed. Selected from seedlings at Monksilver by Dr John Grimshaw and kindly named by him.

Rich silvery-blue, spiky flowers. Greeny-silver leaves. Dense clumping habit. 60cm. July. Full sun and dry. Selected by John Metcalf at Four Seasons and still one of the best. An E. bourgatii hybrid.

Large flat heads of many small white flowers. Imposing clumps of divided, feathery, grey-green, hairy leaves. 100cm. Sun or part shade. Any soil. Will flower from June to frosts if dead-headed. Very hardy. In the wild in Turkey is a woodland plant. Often confused with Tanacetum macrophyllum, which has much larger, coarser leaves, is clump-forming rather than semi-shrubby, with larger flat heads of a dull white and seeds over-enthusiastically.

Broadleaf semi-evergreen perennial or bulb with green foliage. In summer, it produces beautiful blue flowers. This plant features a grassy texture and attracts bees and butterflies, making it an excellent addition to pollinator gardens. As for the size, it typically reaches a height of around 60-90 centimeters (24-36 inches).

 unique form with many pure white flowers produced even on the laterals but with purple leaves and bracts at flowering time. The summer leaves are greener. Vigorous and spreading. 15cm. April /May. Any dampish soil in part shade. A superb combination of colours. New and discovered by Geoff Hitchens.

Spikes of pinky-mauve flowers over brown-highlighted, green leaves. Summer leaves greener. Vigorous and spreading. 15 to 20cm. April/May and can repeat. Any dampish soil in part shade. Named for, and found by, Julia Leslie. Very pretty.

Brilliant blue flowers on very short stems. Rich dark purple, but very small and crispy, leaves. Spreads much more slowly than the normal types. 5 to 10cm. April/May. Any dampish soil in part shade. One of our favourites.

Bright blue flowers on short spikes. Brilliant golden leaves, especially when growing strongly in Spring and early Summer. 15cm, April/May. Any dampish soil in part shade. Found by Ken Page.

Tubular flowers in red, black, white and green in terminal clusters. Leaves are dark green with a pure white margin. 75 to 100cm. From July to October. Rich, light soil, not too wet in winter, in part shade. Runs when happy. Plant deeply or pot culture.

Heads of coppery brown bracts surround the tiny flowers. A unique colour which is slightly more orange than in Tall Bronze. Sun preferred, but will do part shade. Clump forming perennial to 30cm and will seed around.

Very large dark blue flowers which are double but usually only with two sets of petals and therefore open in the middle. Typical leaves. Clumping and running when happy. Vigorous. 75 to 90cm. June /July. Sun or part shade. Joe Sharman named this one for its resemblance to old-fashioned ladies bloomers.

Many, pale blue, three-petalled flowers over a long period. Very narrow green leaves. 30cm. Late summer. Deciduous. Seems to be completely hardy. Makes small tubers. A selection made by Joe Sharman from the normal dark blue form. Beautiful and still surprisingly rare.

Flowers larger than usual and very sweetly-scented. However, the unique character is the leaves which are a rich golden yellow. Leaves are large, like its parent. Very vigorous and running when happy. To 30cm. May. Dryish soils in part shade. Too shady and it will go green, too sunny and it will bleach a bit. Selected from the polyploid 'Hardwick Hall' by Margaret Owen.

Medium-sized "Decorative" flowers in white and red. The flowers are sectorially variegated with areas or rarely whole flowers being one colour or the other. 1m. Any soil in sun. Will survive outdoors in light soils if mulched in winter. Late summer and autumn. Rare. We would welcome a name for this plant. Formerly sold as "unnamed cultivar".

Short-growing with very rich blue flowerheads over dark green, silver-backed leaves. Clump-forming. 80cm. Any well-drained soil in sun. July/August. Surprisingly rare. Our form is from Graham Thomas and is darker flowered and shorter than other forms we've seen.

Many white flowers in marble-sized heads on stiffly-branching stems. The pale green leaves are sword-shaped, arching and produced in rosettes. The margins are set with many bristle-like teeth. Upright to 75cm. July / August. Totally hardy. Very tough growing in dry sun or part shade.

Many blue-tinted flowerheads surrounded by silvery bracts, on very branched arching stems. Leaves distinctly three-lobed. Large clumps. 75cm. Any soil in sun. July/August. Still worth growing.

Spectacular purple, cream and green flowers in late summer. In short spikes to 40cm with a pineapple-like ruff of spotted leaves on top. Very distinctive rosettes with purple spots underneath. The hardiest species. Sun or part shade in a dry spot.

The flowers are pale yellow to green in 80cm long spikes, with a distinct pineapple-like ruff of leaves on the top. Huge rosettes of broad green leaves with distinctively serrated edges. To 150cm tall. Late flowering and has proved hardy with us, but plant deeply.

Many heads of yellow flowers. Makes wide-spreading mounds of many narrow blue-green leaves. Pinkish stems. Well-drained soil in sun. 30cm. June/July. A hybrid of E. nicaeensis and seguireana discovered by Tim Ingram.

Rich golden-yellow heads of flowers to 20cm across. Narrow, pale green leaves to 8cm long with paler midribs on beautiful, wiry, pinky-orange stems. To 1m high and 2m across. An established plant will flower a full 12 months of the year. Very dry, in full sun. Can be cut back by a hard winter but very rarely killed. Collected by John Raven in the 1970s in Sicily.

A very beautiful diminutive herbaceous plant with bright blue, yellow-centred flowers and dark green, daisy-like basal leaves. Very hardy to minus 14C. 15cm. Damper soils soil in sun. May/June.