For Borders

Paeonia 'Cora Louise' is an impeccably refined Itoh (intersectional) peony, valued for its generous, saucer-shaped blooms in the most flattering palette: pale pink petals with a richer magenta ring and a warm yellow centre. Lightly scented and held proudly above handsome, finely cut foliage, it brings a composed elegance to borders and the cutting garden alike.

Supplied as a bare root division for autumn planting, this fully hardy perennial settles in steadily, then rewards patience with a truly distinguished display in late spring to early summer.

• Flowering: May–June
• Colour: Pale pink with magenta ring and yellow centre
• Form: Bowl-shaped, saucer-like blooms
• Foliage: Dark green, bronze-tinged in spring and autumn
• Habit: Upright, compact
• Best in: Borders, cottage & informal gardens, city & courtyard gardens, cutting gardens

Camassia 'Caerulea' is an elegant, statuesque bulb for late spring, sending up refined spires of star-shaped violet-blue flowers above fresh, linear foliage. It has a wonderfully natural poise—equally at home threaded through meadow-style grass, used in generous drifts at the woodland edge, or brought forward in mixed borders where its height adds calm structure.

Plant in autumn and allow it time to settle; once established, it returns faithfully and can gently increase over the years. For the most effortless look, weave through grass and let the stems rise like a quiet flourish in May and June.

• Colour: blue-purple
• Flowering: May–June
• Height: 100–150cm
• Best for: naturalising, borders, woodland gardens, cottage & informal planting, cut flowers
• Pollinator friendly: yes

Camassia 'Maybelle' is a beautifully mannered choice for naturalistic planting—compact in character yet wonderfully luminous in flower. Fresh, linear green foliage rises into neat, upright spires of clear blue blooms with the softest purple nuance, bringing a poised lift to late-spring borders and meadow-style schemes.

Equally at home threaded through grass or grouped in informal drifts, it settles in with quiet ease and returns year after year, offering reliable colour and a welcome pause between early bulbs and summer perennials. The flower spikes also make an elegant cut stem for simple, airy arrangements.

• Refined late-spring colour in clear blue with a gentle purple tint
• Ideal for naturalising through grass, meadows and relaxed borders
• Fully hardy and easy, thriving in moist but well-drained soil
• Pollinator friendly and pleasantly useful as a cut flower

Fritillaria imperialis ‘William Rex’ brings a wonderfully architectural note to the spring border. Each tall stem carries a rich crown of bronze-red to orange, nodding bells, finished with a crisp tuft of leafy bracts—formal enough for a structured scheme, yet perfectly at ease in a relaxed cottage planting.

Plant in autumn and allow this crown imperial to settle in; once established it makes a refined statement among tulips, early perennials and fresh green foliage, and it is also valued for being pollinator friendly and deer resistant.

• Why we love it: statuesque, theatrical spring flowers with a beautifully tailored silhouette
• Best for: borders, naturalising, cottage and informal gardens, and smart city plots
• Seasonal moment: a confident flourish from early to late spring

Fritillaria ‘Yellow Beauty’ brings a poised note to the spring garden: tall, upright stems carrying soft yellow, bell-shaped blooms above glossy green foliage. It is particularly handsome threaded through mixed borders, and equally at home naturalising in well-drained ground where it can settle in and return with quiet regularity.

• Colour & form: soft yellow, bell-shaped flowers with fresh green foliage
• Garden use: borders, naturalising, and cutting
• Season of interest: spring flowering (March–May)
• Bulb size: 18/20
• Hardiness: fully hardy

Plant in autumn and allow two seasons to properly establish; the resulting spires are wonderfully architectural among tulips, late daffodils, and early perennials.

Ranunculus 'Elegance Pastello Striato Mix' brings a quietly sumptuous air to spring planting schemes, with generous, rose-like blooms in a refined pastel mix. Each flower is lightly striped and delicately contrasted, creating a painterly effect that reads beautifully in pots and lends a polished touch to the cutting garden.

Part of the Italian Elegance® range, this selection is valued for sturdy stems and a neat, clump-forming habit—ideal for tucking into containers by the door or threading through the front of a border where the detail can be admired up close.

• Colour palette: pastel mix with subtle striping
• Flowering: March to June
• Height: 25–40cm
• Perfect for: pots & containers, borders, and cutting

Ranunculus 'Picotee Café' is a particularly refined ranunculus, celebrated for its richly toned, picotee-edged blooms in deep, coffee-and-caramel shades. Whether planted in smart pots by the door or woven through the front of a border, it brings a composed, curated look—and the stems are equally at home in a cut-flower arrangement.

For best results, choose a sheltered position with moist but well-drained soil and steady moisture while in growth. In colder spells, protect from hard frosts, as this variety is Half Hardy.

• Ideal for: Borders, containers and the cut flower garden
• Colour: Burgundy red with warm orange-gold tones
• Flower form: Double
• Height: 40–60cm

Tulipa 'Negrita Double' is a richly coloured, peony-flowered tulip with generous, double blooms in a deep, velvety purple. In April and May it brings a quietly luxurious note to spring containers and borders, and it is equally at home in the vase for elegant, full-bodied arrangements.

Plant in autumn for a composed display the following spring—best in well-drained soil, with bulbs tucked neatly at the front to middle of the border or arranged en masse in pots for maximum impact.

• Colour: Rich purple
• Flower form: Peony Flowered (double)
• Ideal for: Pots & containers, borders, and cut flowers
• Hardiness: Fully Hardy
• Skill level: Easy

Tulipa 'Blue Diamond' is a decidedly refined Double Late tulip, opening in a deep, velvety purple and softening to handsome grey-silver nuances as the blooms mature. The flowers are generously petalled with a quietly luxurious presence—particularly effective in smart pots, or threaded through spring borders where richer tones are welcome.

For best results, plant in a sunny, sheltered position in fertile, well-drained soil, and avoid winter waterlogging. At around 40cm tall, it brings polished structure to late spring planting schemes without ever feeling showy.

• Colour progression: rich purple, ageing to grey-silver tones
• Form: Double Late (double flowers) with an elegant, full finish
• Best for: pots & containers, and spring borders

Anemone coronaria ‘Levante Rosa Double’ brings a composed touch of romance to early spring—compact plants carrying rose-pink, semi-double blooms with a warm golden centre. Exceptionally pretty in pots by the door or terrace, and equally at home threaded through spring borders, this free-flowering anemone lends itself beautifully to cutting for small, elegant posies.

• Colour: Rose-pink with a golden centre
• Flowering: March–April
• Height: 25–40cm
• Best for: Pots & containers, spring borders, cut flower garden

Autumn planting, spring reward. Plant the corms from September to December in moist, well-drained soil. Choose a sheltered position in full sun or partial sun for the tidiest growth and best display.

Anemone 'Lipsiensis Nemorosa' is a quietly distinguished woodland anemone, offering soft yellow-white, single blooms as spring begins to stir. Ideal for weaving through shaded borders and beneath deciduous trees, it settles into humus-rich ground and, in time, forms an elegant, low carpet of fresh green foliage and flowers.

Plant in autumn and allow it to establish at its own unhurried pace; the effect is particularly lovely when naturalised in drifts, or used to soften the edge of a woodland path. It is fully hardy and well-suited to pots and containers where light is dappled and the soil stays gently moist.

• Flowering: March–April
• Colour: pale yellow to yellow-white
• Habit: ground cover, perennial
• Best position: woodland edge; under deciduous trees and shrubs

Anemone coronaria 'Mistral Salmone' brings a quietly luxurious note to spring planting schemes, with refined single blooms in a beautifully softened salmon tone. Neat, clump-forming and wonderfully versatile, it slips easily into borders, cutting beds and smart containers—ideal for adding composed colour from early spring onwards.

Plant the corms in autumn for a fresh display through March to May. The flowers sit neatly above mid-green foliage, making an elegant companion for tulips and other spring favourites, and a dependable choice for cutting.

• Colour: Salmon
• Flowering: March–May
• Form: Single
• Perfect for: Borders, pots & containers, and cut flowers
• Position: Sheltered; full sun or partial sun

Scilla hyacinthoides ‘Blue Arrow’ is a wonderfully architectural spring bulb, sending up tall, airy spires of pale violet-blue, star-shaped flowers above neat, strap-like foliage. It’s the sort of plant that looks perfectly at home threaded through gravel, rising from a sunny border, or quietly naturalised through grass—an elegant way to extend the season into late spring and early summer.

Once settled, ‘Blue Arrow’ returns reliably, forming a clump with an upright habit and a refined, contemporary silhouette. Plant in generous drifts for the most assured effect.

• Flowering: May–June
• Style notes: tall, starry spires in a poised violet-blue
• Ideal for: naturalising in grass, gravel gardens, sunny borders

Hyacinthus orientalis 'White Pearl' is a quietly luxurious spring hyacinth, carrying dense, bell-shaped florets in a clear, creamy white. Its perfume is richly traditional—perfect in pots by the front door, and equally poised when woven through the front of a border.

For an elegant scheme, let it glow against evergreens and dark foliage, or soften it with gentle blues and pale pastels. It also makes a refined cut flower, bringing a little spring ceremony indoors.

Why we love it

• Classic white spires with a clean, polished look
• Richly scented—ideal close to paths, doorways and seating
• Excellent in containers, yet naturally at home in borders
• Pollinator friendly in spring

Narcissus 'Salome' is a quietly glamorous large-cupped daffodil, prized for its gentle colour journey. Creamy petals frame a cup that opens warm yellow, then softens into an elegant peach-pink flush—an especially flattering note in early spring borders and refined container displays.

Plant in autumn and allow it to settle in; by its second season it forms neat, clump-forming drifts that look equally at home threaded through grass for naturalising or arranged in generous groups for a more formal effect. Fully hardy and pleasingly straightforward, it’s a classic choice with a subtle twist.

• Large, cup-shaped blooms with a mellow, shifting palette
• Ideal for borders, pots and naturalising in grass
• Excellent for cutting, bringing a soft, luminous tone indoors
• Pollinator friendly

Anemone blanda 'Mixed' is one of spring’s most charming little luxuries: a low, naturalising drift of starry, daisy-like flowers in jewel shades of blue, purple and pink, each finished with a neat golden centre. Thread it through borders, underplant deciduous shrubs, or tuck into pots by the door for early-season colour with a light, effortless air.

These fully hardy corms settle in quickly and, in the right spot, will return to form a fresh carpet year after year—particularly lovely in rock gardens, at the front of borders, and dotted through lawns for a quietly romantic look.

• Flowering: March–May
• Height: 10–15cm
• Spread: 10–15cm
• Position: Full sun or partial sun (sheltered)
• Soil: Moist but well-drained loam; any pH
• Type: Perennial corm (Fully Hardy)

Narcissus 'Quail' is a refined jonquil-type daffodil, valued for its richly coloured, deep yellow blooms and a pleasing fragrance that feels wonderfully at home in spring. The flowers are carried in small clusters on neat stems, making this an excellent choice for patio pots, borders, and for naturalising through grass where it will settle in gracefully over time.

With a clump-forming habit and an easy disposition, it’s a quietly confident performer—tidy in the garden, charming in a vase, and particularly handsome when planted in generous drifts.

• Flowering: March to May
• Height: 40cm
• Bulb size supplied: 12/14
• Scent: Fragrant
• Perfect for: containers, naturalising, cottage-style borders, and cut flowers

Ranunculus ‘Elegance Cioccolato’ is a notably refined choice for spring, offering richly toned, layered blooms with a beautifully tailored finish. The colour sits in a warm, rusted orange, deepening towards a burgundy-red centre—exactly the sort of nuanced shade that elevates borders, pots, and cutting beds with quiet sophistication.

Part of the Elegance Series, it makes a charming, clump-forming plant at a neat height, ideal for threading through the front of a mixed border or planting in generous drifts in containers. Cut a few stems for the house and you’ll find the palette works effortlessly with creams, soft pinks, and plum tones.

• Botanical name: Ranunculus asiaticus ‘Elegance Cioccolato’ (Elegance Series)
• Form: Double flowers
• Colour: Rust orange with deep burgundy/red centre
• Height: 30–40cm
• Spread: 15–25cm
• Ideal for: Borders, containers, cut flower garden

Tulipa 'Apeldoorn's Elite' is a distinguished Darwin Hybrid tulip, prized for its generous, open goblet blooms in rich red, finished with the lightest pastel-orange edging. Planted in autumn, it rises in early spring with an assured presence—excellent for giving borders a polished sweep of colour, and equally handsome in pots and patio containers.

• Colour: Rich red with soft pastel-orange edging
• Flower form: Goblet
• Flowering: March–April
• Height: 40–60cm
• Best for: Borders, pots & containers

For best results, plant into moist but well-drained soil in a sheltered position, allowing the foliage to die back naturally after flowering to feed the bulb for the following season.

Tulipa 'Blushing Apeldoorn' is a beautifully mannered spring tulip, offering a classic goblet outline and a softly blushed palette that sits effortlessly within refined borders and stylish container displays. Plant in autumn for an elegant April–May performance, particularly effective in generous drifts where the colour can read as a calm, coordinated sweep.

With an upright habit and mid-green foliage, it also makes a dependable choice for cutting—bringing a poised, clean line to simple, understated arrangements.

• Colour: Soft pink, deepening to rose with a warm base
• Flower form: Goblet
• Best for: Borders, pots & containers, and cut flowers
• Hardiness: Fully Hardy

Fritillaria imperialis ‘Sunset’ is a wonderfully architectural crown imperial, prized for its glossy green foliage and a ring of burnished orange, bell-shaped flowers, finished with a jaunty tuft at the top. It brings a composed, statuesque note to spring borders and looks equally at home threaded through naturalistic planting.

Plant in autumn into fertile, well-drained soil in a sheltered position, and allow space for its upright, clump-forming habit. As the stems rise in spring, ‘Sunset’ provides height, colour and a confident vertical accent—particularly effective repeated in small groups.

• Botanical name: Fritillaria imperialis ‘Sunset’
• Common name: fritillary (crown imperial)
• Flower colour: Orange with green foliage
• Flowering: March–May
• Height: 50–100cm
• Bulb size: 24/26

Camassia quamash ‘Orion’ is a quietly striking choice for naturalistic planting, sending up poised spires of deep blue, star-shaped flowers above fresh green foliage. Flowering from May to June, it brings an effortless, meadow-like elegance to borders and lightly shaded edges—particularly where the soil holds a little moisture without becoming waterlogged.

Plant in autumn and allow it to settle; over time it will form handsome clumps and can seed around gently if left undisturbed, lending a relaxed, established feel that suits cottage gardens and contemporary meadow schemes alike.

Hyacinthus orientalis ‘Gipsy Queen’ is a beautifully composed spring hyacinth, prized for its richly scented, salmon-peach bloom. Each sturdy flower spike rises neatly above glossy green foliage, bringing a warm, flattering note to pots by the front door and crisp definition to the very front of the border.

Plant in autumn and allow the bulbs to settle into well-drained soil; come March and April, you’ll be rewarded with a polished display that feels both classic and quietly distinctive.

• Colour: Salmon peach
• Flowering: March–April
• Height: 30cm
• Position: Front of border, containers
• Scent: Richly fragrant

Allium 'Aflatunense' (hollandicum) is a standout plant for borders, cottage gardens, cut flowers, naturalising, offering A stately ornamental allium for late spring, forming neat clumps of strap-like foliage topped by bold, spherical flowerheads on upright stems. An excellent choice for threading through tulips and cottage-garden perennials, and invaluable for adding height and structure to borders..

Best grown in full-sun, partial sun with moist but well-drained soil, it suits gardeners who want clear structure, dependable flowering, and easy planting plans.

Use it in borders, cottage gardens, cut flowers, naturalising and pair with complementary varieties to build a fuller seasonal display.

Camassia 'Cusickii' is a wonderfully refined naturaliser for those parts of the garden that hold a little moisture. In late spring it rises on upright stems with neat, starry flowers in a clear, azure-blue—an elegant way to thread height and colour through borders, meadow-style planting, and naturalised grass.

Plant in generous drifts for a quietly impressive display that returns each year, settling in steadily and looking increasingly at home as it matures.

• Colour & form: star-shaped, blue-purple flowers held in stately spires
• Where it shines: borders, naturalised grass, meadow-style schemes
• Garden value: pollinator friendly and reliably perennial