Wildlife Friendly

Verbena bonariensis 'Vanity' is a new compact cultivar of a perennial favourite. This Fleuroselect Gold Medal winning variety has an open habit with gorgeous, intense purple-blue clusters atop branching thin, wiry stems. Its garden friendly, neat habit makes it sturdier and easier to maintain while you create a pollinator paradise in your garden.

Verbascum nigrum is one of the most reliable and long-flowering verbascum, it is also one of the truly perennial species. The variety ‘Album’ bloom profusely in late spring with masses of white flowers with attractive violet filaments, held on candelabra like branches. They bloom throughout the summer, with a few sporadic flowers still in September to early October.

Verbascum nigrum is one of the most reliable and long-flowering verbascum, it is also one of the truly perennial species. This European native bloom profusely with masses of golden-yellow flowers. First thing in the morning, the flowers are alive with bees getting on with their day’s work. Take time to stand and admire them for a few minutes. They will pay you no heed, they’re far too busy.

Verbascum are a wonderful plant for making a garden feel uncontrived, producing masses of flowers without taking up lots of space on the ground. ‘White Blush’ is one of the most popular varieties. Growing to just 100cm, the dark crimson buds open to reveal large white flowers with deep purple stamens.

Valeriana officinalis is a graceful wildflower that is native to Europe and Western Asia. The tall, branched flower stalks are held atop a low mound of foliage, the densely clustered flowers are sweetly scented and usually white with a hint of pink.

As they say, white goes with everything and among theme gardens, the white garden may be the most popular. The White Garden Flower Mix gives a selection of spectacular, bright white annual flowers. Calm, soft and serene this beautiful mix will carry borders into early winter with panache.

Thalictrum lucidum is a less well known species of meadow rue, it sports luscious deep green, fern-like foliage. In mid-summer the plant is festooned with a superb array of fragrant flower stems, topped with airy puffs of soft cream flowers each with bright yellow stamens.

Summer-blooming spiky flowering plants - in garden design parlance ‘the verticals’. We all need some, and there are lots of contenders, but a plant that can go just about anywhere in the garden, cope with almost all situations and bloom with copious plush spikes over several weeks is a very rare treat.

This pretty little wildflower is a slow growing, long-lived plant with attractive spikes of rich pink-mauve flowers that are very attractive to bees and butterflies as a nectar source. The flowers, which rise from dark green crinkly leaves, keep their colour throughout summer and look stunning when growing en-masse.

Setaria italica Red Jewel is a rarely-offered variety of annual grass with intensely coloured burgundy red foliage and dramatic foxtail-shaped flower heads. Suitable for growing in the garden or in containers the dark foliage is a great contrast in the garden or the vase.

Sedum ussuriense is at its best in late summer and through autumn, the blue-green succulent, rounded leaves are followed by a glowing display or carmine-red flower clusters. It even pleases the eye in winter when its seed heads turn into a stage for dew drops and ice crystals.

Hugely impressive in any garden, Sedum telephium ‘Emperors Wave’ boasts succulent, blue-green foliage and masses of star-shaped flowers in glorious shades of deep pink and purple. They are popular with late season perennials and ornamental grasses. The extreme contrast in flower shape enhance each other, adding to the textures and colours of the late season garden.

Our native Figwort is one of the most prolific nectar producers in the plant world, the long-lasting flowers attract more pollinators than any other plant around. The flowers, similar to tiny snapdragons ripen into egg-shaped seed pods, which are just the perfect bouquet filler for interest and movement!

The papery bracts of Scabiosa stellata is an example of perfect geometry. A delicate geodesic sphere of translucent papery, cone shaped bracts adds a new shape to the garden. The everlasting seed heads make excellent cut flowers and are perfect for dried arrangements.

Scabiosa atropurpurea is one of the longest-flowering and most glamorous of flowers that you can grow from seed. 'Purple Black' produces deep, dark flowers that give a beautiful intensity to the garden or the vase. They bloom consistently and attract many butterflies and bees to the garden.

This clump-forming plant produces pleasantly fragrant pincushion flowers when newly opened. Delicate white petals surround a domed, central cushion, and as the flowers mature, tiny white stamens emerge adding yet another beautiful detail. The flowers have the most delicious sweet perfume reminiscent of honey and marshmallows.

A prodigious bloomer and a tough, hardy garden performer Scabiosa atropurpurea grows quickly and is fast to flower. Rose-pink petals surround a domed, dark centred cushion, this invaluable plant will attract many butterflies and bees to the garden and would look as happy in a wildflower meadow as in a manicured border.

Scabiosa atropurpurea is one of the longest-flowering and most glamorous of flowers that you can grow from seed. Easy to grow and fast to flower, this invaluable plant will attract many butterflies and bees to the garden and the long, straight stems will supply you with cut flowers throughout the season.

One of the longest-flowering and most glamorous of flowers that you can grow from seed, Scabiosa 'Summer Fruits' is a fantastic, fruity blend of delicious colours including raspberry, plum and blackberry. For weekly inclusions in the vase keep the flowers cut to keep the production of flowers right throughout the season.

Boasting the most desirable of deep blue flowers, Scabiosa ‘Oxford Blue’ is a reselected form that stands out from other varieties, it boasts the most desirable of deep lavender-blue flowers. The large, domed, dark centred cushions with contrasting white 'pins', bob atop strong stems. A prodigious bloomer, they will supply you with excellent cut flowers.