Pinks & Purples

Tulip 'Menton' is a tall, single late tulip of particular refinement, carrying poised goblet-shaped blooms in rose pink gently warmed with apricot tones. It brings an effortless elegance to spring borders and is equally at home in generous pots, where the colour reads soft and luminous in evening light.

Planted in autumn, these premium 12/+ cm bulbs settle in quickly and flower in May, creating a polished, classic finish whether used in drifts through herbaceous planting or cut for a well-mannered vase arrangement.

• Colour: Rose pink with apricot tones
• Flower form: Goblet
• Height: 55–65 cm
• Best for: Borders, Cutting Garden, Pots & Containers

Oxalis triangularis is a small treasure for pots and sheltered corners, prized for its distinctive, clover-like foliage in sumptuous purple. Through summer it lifts itself with dainty, funnel-shaped flowers in soft white to the palest blush—an effortlessly elegant pairing against the dark leaves.

Ideal for patio containers, rock gardens and an alpine house, it forms neat clumps and settles in quickly, bringing a refined note wherever you place it. Best in a sunny, sheltered position with well-drained compost or soil.

• Foliage first: rich purple, triangular leaves for season-long interest
• Summer flowering: June to September blooms in white to pale pink
• Perfect in pots: a charming choice for containers, alpine settings and sheltered borders

Cyclamen hederifolium is a quietly luxurious woodland cyclamen, admired for its ivy-shaped leaves brushed with silver marbling and its poised, pink, nodding blooms. Flowers often arrive ahead of—or alongside—the foliage, bringing a refined lift to late summer and early autumn, just as the garden begins to soften.

Equally at home naturalised beneath deciduous trees and shrubs or arranged in a handsome pot near the doorstep, it settles into a neat clump over time and returns with reassuring regularity.

• Seasonal flourish: pink flowers from August–October
• Foliage interest: green leaves with elegant silver marbling
• Placement: ideal for woodland edges, underplanting and containers
• Reliable character: fully hardy, easy to grow, and pollinator friendly

Cyclamen coum is the sort of quietly exquisite plant that earns its keep when the garden feels at its most spare. Nestled low to the ground, it forms neat, clump-forming colonies of rounded, dark green leaves, often handsomely silver-marbled, followed by nodding, starry flowers in pink to purple-pink from mid-winter into early spring.

Superb for naturalising in a woodland-style setting, tucking beneath shrubs, or bringing a little refinement to pots by the door. Given a sheltered position in dappled shade and reliably well-drained soil, it will return each year with increasing presence.

• Season of interest: late winter to early spring
• Perfect for: naturalising, woodland gardens, underplanting shrubs, pots & containers
• Foliage: rounded green leaves, often silver-marbled
• Flower colour: pink to purple-pink (mixed shades)

Paeonia 'Red Sarah Bernhardt' is a handsome, traditional peony with indulgently full, double blooms in rich deep pink-red tones. It brings a wonderfully composed grandeur to the border, with lush mid-green foliage and a generous, clump-forming habit that looks elegant from spring onwards.

Planted in autumn as a bare root, this perennial settles in quietly and rewards patience—taking a couple of seasons to reach its best. In May through July, the flowers are superb for cutting: generous, romantic heads that sit beautifully in a vase and lend a classic note to arrangements.

• Ideal for: borders and the cutting garden
• Flowering: May–July
• Height: 80–100cm (with a spread of 60–90cm)
• Position: sheltered; full sun or partial sun
• Soil: moist but well-drained loam; any pH
• Hardiness: fully hardy

Paeonia lactiflora 'Sarah Bernhardt' is the sort of herbaceous peony that never goes out of fashion. From late spring into early summer, it produces generously double, rose-pink blooms with a gentle fragrance—sumptuous in the border, and utterly proper in a vase.

Plant bare roots in autumn and allow this clump-forming perennial time to settle; it rewards patience with increasingly impressive flowering over the years. Best in a sheltered spot with deep, fertile, humus-rich soil that holds moisture without becoming waterlogged.

• Flower: Double, rose pink, lightly fragrant
• Season of interest: May–June
• For: Borders, cottage gardens, cutting gardens; charming beneath roses and shrubs
• Position: Full sun to partial sun, sheltered