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ball sized flowers of A. 'Purple Sensation', the drumsticks of A. sphaerocephalon or the starry heads of A. christophii), I’m particularly fond of the greater subtlety of nectaroscordum.The fresh green leaves start appearing in late February - earlier

the drive and while I have been away it has burst into flower. Cow parsley (or Anthriscus sylvestris to give it its posh Latin name) is a pretty biennial* native plant that scatters itself along roadsides and hedgerows.I learned from reading a fine blog

There are so few plants that do well in my small, shady garden, but those that do thrive deserve a medal. This week, honesty is taking centre stage, with its tall spires of brilliant white flowers, towering above more subtle spring blooms.I love

More gardeners choose pansies and violas as their favourite bedding plant than any other flower.These brightly coloured flowers with their cheerful faces brave the very worst of our weather to put on displays during winter and spring, and voting

Picos Blue - I know, I have mentioned that one as well but this is a picture of the one in my garden.Eryngium padanifolium 'Physic Purple' - a South American variety that has very striking muddy red flowers. The leaves are fleshy and viciously spiked

there are not enough, because I bet you a shiny 20p piece that in a couple of weeks, when they have died back and other things have doubled in size, that you will have completely forgotten.I plant a lot of bulbs every year for various clients — last autumn I had about

, but prefers full sun, and can grow to a height of 8m.Eucalyptus niphophila, Snow gumThe Chinese redbud can be grown as a small tree or large shrub. It bears small, pink-purple flowers on bare stems in late-spring, before developing glossy, heart-shaped leaves

New plants at Chelsea 2008The plant marquee is packed with new, and often awe-inspiring cultivars. Here are some of our favourites from this year's show.Jarava ichu, or Peruvian feather grass, forms mounds of bright green foliage with showy, silver

combined with Phormium 'Bronze Baby' for height, along with nasturtiums and purple basil for good measure.Top container annualsCoreopsis tinctoria 'Mahogany Midget'The cottage-garden feel of these daisy-like flowers adds a sense of informality and movement

Flowers are not the only attraction in winter gardens. Biennial honesty (Lunaria annua) is a good example of a plant that keeps delivering after its flowers have passed. Once the petals have fallen, enchanting disc-shaped seed-pods are formed