Purples & Blues

With its sumptuous, fully double blooms in deep purple tones, Ranunculus ‘Purple’ brings a certain evening richness to spring and early summer displays. Each flower is neatly rose-like, held on upright stems above fresh, mid-green foliage—particularly striking in pots on a sunny terrace or in a sheltered border where the light can catch the petals.

A splendid choice for the cutting garden, too: pick just as the buds begin to loosen for elegant stems to enjoy indoors. For best results, plant into free-draining soil in a bright, sheltered position and avoid winter wet.

• Colour: Purple
• Flower form: Fully double, rose-like
• Best for: Containers, sheltered borders, cutting garden
• Hardiness: Half Hardy

Allium atropurpureum brings a beautifully saturated note to late-spring borders: deep purple-red, half-spherical flowerheads poised on slender stems above neat green foliage. It slips effortlessly through tulips and early perennials, adding height and quiet drama without ever feeling heavy.

A refined choice for modern planting schemes, it also makes a smart cut flower and is notably attractive to pollinators. Plant in autumn for an elegant show in May and June.

• Colour: Deep purple-red globes
• Flowering: May–June
• Height: 60cm
• Best for: Borders, containers and cutting

Crocus tommasinianus 'Ruby Giant' is a splendid little herald of spring, opening early with rich purple cups that soften elegantly to a paler base. Tucked into short grass, threaded beneath deciduous shrubs, or arranged in pots by the front door, it lends a quietly luxurious lift just when the garden most needs it.

A dependable tommasinianus crocus, it settles in happily and, in time, forms pleasing drifts—ideal for naturalistic planting where you’d like the display to feel effortless and established.

• Colour: Purple with softer, paler base tones
• Best use: Naturalising in lawns & meadows, under shrubs, or in pots and containers
• Flowering: February to March
• Growing skill: Easy

Anemone coronaria 'Mr Fokker' brings a note of quiet drama to the spring garden: velvety violet-blue, saucer-shaped blooms, each finished with a striking dark centre. It’s a refined choice for borders and containers alike, and particularly charming in the vase—cut a few stems and the whole room looks instantly more composed.

• Colour: Violet-blue with a dark centre
• Best for: Borders, containers and cutting
• Season of interest: Spring flowering

Plant the corms in autumn for a generous show from early to mid-spring, especially in a south-facing, sheltered position with light, well-drained soil.

Anemone nemorosa ‘Royal Blue’ is a quietly exquisite woodland anemone, offering refined lavender-blue flowers with a neat yellow eye from March to May. Low, carpeting and naturally graceful, it slips effortlessly beneath shrubs and deciduous trees, softening the spring garden with an understated, blue-toned haze.

Once flowering has finished, the plant retreats and becomes dormant, leaving space for later companions—an elegant choice for layered planting in shady borders and woodland-style schemes. Given time, it settles in and forms a pleasing colony for naturalistic drifts.

• Spring colour in shade — lavender-blue blooms with a fresh yellow centre
• Ideal for naturalising — rhizomatous habit suits woodland planting and underplanting
• Easy and dependable — fully hardy, and best in humus-rich, moist but well-drained soil

Anemone nemorosa ‘Robinsoniana’ is a quietly exquisite wood anemone, treasured for its soft lavender-blue spring flowers with a cool, greyish-cream reverse. Held neatly above finely cut, mid-green foliage, it creates that effortless woodland charm—natural, refined, and wonderfully at home beneath shrubs and deciduous trees.

Rhizomatous and fully hardy, it will settle in gently and broaden into a graceful drift over time—particularly in humus-rich soil that stays moist yet well-drained. An elegant choice for dappled shade, and a most becoming underplanting for spring displays.

• Colour: Lavender-blue with greyish-cream reverse
• Flowering: March–May
• Height: 20cm
• Position: Dappled shade (Partial Sun)
• Planting time: September–December

Allium hollandicum ‘Purple Sensation’ is an enduring favourite for a reason: statuesque stems topped with richly coloured, globe-shaped flower heads that bring poise and rhythm to late spring and early-summer borders. The grey-green basal foliage forms early, then quietly recedes as the blooms take centre stage—ideal for weaving through perennials and ornamental grasses.

Equally at home in generous pots, this fully hardy allium is particularly useful where soils are heavy; simply ensure excellent drainage and enjoy a refined, architectural display that also suits the vase.

• Colour & form: deep purple, globe-shaped flower heads
• Best for: borders, containers and cutting
• Wildlife: pollinator friendly; noted for deer resistance
• Season: plant in autumn for flowers in May–June

Allium 'Gladiator' is a statuesque choice for adding modern architecture to late-spring planting. Each bulb sends up a tall, upright stem topped with a perfectly rounded globe of soft lavender-purple flowers—clean, contemporary and wonderfully composed among grasses, nepeta and early roses.

Its grey-green foliage forms a neat base before the flowerheads rise above the border, lending height and rhythm without fuss. An elegant performer in mixed planting, and a fine option for large containers where drainage is assured.

• Large, spherical flowerheads in refined lavender-purple
• Excellent for borders and statement containers
• Pollinator friendly and notably resilient to deer
• Supplied as premium bulbs: 18/20cm

Allium cristophii (Star of Persia) brings a composed sense of theatre to the late spring garden. Each stem carries a broad, shimmering head of rosy‑violet, star-shaped flowers—architectural without being overbearing, and particularly handsome rising through fresh greens at the front of a border.

As the colour softens, the seedheads remain beautifully sculptural, lending quiet structure well into summer. A natural choice for gravel gardens and contemporary planting schemes, and a superb subject for cutting and drying.

• Large, starry flower heads in May–June
• Excellent for cut flowers and long-lasting dried arrangements
• Pollinator friendly and notably deer resistant
• Fully hardy perennial—returns with increasing presence over time

Allium 'Globemaster' is the sort of bulb that brings instant composure to a planting scheme. In late spring, tall, steady stems carry magnificent, perfectly rounded heads of rich violet-purple, each globe composed of countless starry florets. Rising above grey-green foliage, it adds architectural rhythm through borders and naturalistic drifts, while offering a welcome pause of structure amongst softer perennials.

A refined choice for cottage gardens and smarter city courtyards alike, and particularly valuable where you’d like planting that quietly supports pollinators.

• Flowering: May–June
• Height: 80cm
• Bulb size supplied: 18/20cm
• Position: Full Sun, Partial Sun
• Soil: Fertile, well-drained soil; improves with added grit on clay

Delivery: Order Today, Receive in September!

Allium 'Ostara' brings a composed, architectural note to late spring and early summer planting schemes. Neat, globe-shaped heads of rich purple, starry flowers rise on straight stems above handsome blue-green foliage—ideal for lending structure to borders, gravel gardens and the best-looking pots on the terrace.

As the flowers fade, the seedheads remain decorative, extending the display with a quietly sculptural finish. A refined choice for sunny positions, and particularly useful where you’d like dependable performance in containers (including on heavier soils, provided drainage is improved).

Why we like it

• Elegant purple globes with a clean, modern silhouette
• Mid-height presence at around 40–50cm—easy to place and layer
• Pollinator friendly and well suited to borders and containers
• Attractive seedheads for lingering interest after flowering

Allium 'Summer Drummer' is the sort of perennial that lends a garden instant composure. Towering stems carry tightly packed, spherical flowerheads in pale purple with lighter highlights, rising well above neighbouring planting for a clean, architectural finish in high summer.

Plant the generous bulbs in autumn and allow them to settle in; by their second season they begin to make a handsome, long-legged statement—ideal threaded through borders, cottage-style planting, or neatly designed city courtyards. The blooms are also excellent for cutting, bringing height and poise to arrangements.

• Bulb size: 18/20
• Habit: Clump-forming perennial with tall, upright stems
• Flowering: July–August
• Best for: Borders, cottage gardens, city & courtyard gardens, cut flowers

Muscari 'Night Eyes' is a particularly handsome grape hyacinth, sending up compact, bell-shaped flower spikes in rich violet-blue, each neatly finished with a crisp white tip. The effect is beautifully refined—ideal for threading through spring borders, edging paths with precision, or dressing pots where detail matters.

Plant in autumn and allow it to settle in; it will return reliably each spring and, in the right place, will naturalise into charming drifts. Its early flowers are welcome to bees and other pollinators, and it makes an elegant companion to tulips, narcissus and early perennials.

• Deep violet-blue bells tipped in white for a clean, tailored look
• Excellent for naturalising, edging and spring containers
• Fully hardy and straightforward to grow
• Pollinator friendly
• RHS Award of Garden Merit (AGM)

Triteleia ‘Queen Fabiola’ is a quietly glamorous choice for early summer: slender stems topped with neat, starry blooms in a refined violet-blue, each flower finishing in a subtle trumpet tip. Light on its feet and wonderfully composed, it slips beautifully into pots and sunny borders, and makes a particularly graceful cut flower.

Plant the bulbs in spring, allow them to establish, and you’ll be rewarded with poised clumps that return year after year. Best in a sheltered position with well-drained, sandy soil, it is an easy-going bulb with a distinctly elegant presence.

• Colour: Violet-blue
• Flowering: June–July
• Height: 40–60cm
• Perfect for: Containers, cutting, pollinator-friendly planting

Tulipa 'Queen of Night' is the tulip for those who prefer their spring planting with a little intrigue. In late spring, tall, elegant stems carry glossy goblet blooms in a near-black shade, richly washed with maroon and deep purple. It brings instant depth to borders and a beautifully tailored look in pots—particularly when partnered with paler tulips or airy grasses.

• Colour: Near-black with deep maroon-purple tones
• Flowering: April–May
• Height: 60cm
• Bulb size supplied: 11/12

Plant in autumn into fertile, well-drained soil, and choose a sheltered position to keep the long stems looking pristine. A quietly dramatic classic for refined spring schemes.

Hyacinthus orientalis ‘Pink Pearl’ is a spring-time classic with an unmistakably refined presence. Broad flower spikes in rich deep pink—softly edged with a paler blush—rise neatly above glossy green foliage, carrying a deliciously heady perfume that feels entirely at home by the front door, along a path, or in smart pots on the terrace.

Plant in autumn and let ‘Pink Pearl’ do the rest: a compact, upright hyacinth that brings poised colour to borders and containers, and a wonderfully scented addition to cut-flower posies indoors.

• Colour: Pink (Pinks & Purples)
• Fragrance: richly fragrant
• Best for: containers, borders & beds, and cutting
• Pollinator friendly: Yes

Allium 'Forelock' is a wonderfully characterful allium, admired for its rich maroon-purple, egg-shaped flowerheads finished with a playful tufted ‘topknot’. Held on elegant stems, it brings composed, architectural punctuation to late-spring planting schemes—equally at home in smart borders or in generous pots placed where the detail can be appreciated.

As the season moves on, ‘Forelock’ continues to provide structure, pairing beautifully with airy grasses, soft cottage perennials, and other spring bulbs. A refined choice for sunny, sheltered positions with good drainage.

• Distinctive flower form: egg-shaped heads with a charming tufted finish
• Colour: deep maroon-purple (Colour Group: Purples & Blues)
• Garden value: strong late-spring presence for borders and containers
• Wildlife: pollinator friendly
• Practical bonus: deer resistant

Allium schubertii is the sort of bulb that stops the eye mid‑stride. Each stem carries an open, starburst head of pinky‑purple, star-shaped florets, held on stalks of subtly varying length for an effortlessly sculptural effect. It is superb in sun-baked borders and equally compelling in a handsome container, where its architectural form can be admired up close.

Flowering in late spring into early summer, it brings a crisp, contemporary note to planting schemes and makes an exceptional cut flower. Left in place, the fading heads remain pleasingly structural, lending quiet drama long after the colour has softened.

• Colour: Purple (Pinks & Purples)
• Flowering: May–June
• Height: 60cm
• Spread: 30cm
• Position: Sheltered, sunny position
• Ideal for: Borders, Containers, Cut Flowers

Hyacinthus orientalis ‘Delft Blue’ is a spring classic: neat, glossy green foliage topped with a well-filled spike of softly scented, mid-blue bells. It brings a calm, composed note to the front of the border and is especially charming in pots placed by the door, where the fragrance can be properly enjoyed.

• Colour: mid-blue with a gentle violet cast
• Fragrance: softly scented
• Best for: pots and containers, edging paths, and drift planting for a serene wash of colour
• Hardiness: Fully Hardy

Bulb size: 15/16. Plant in autumn for a polished display in March and April.

Tulipa 'Negrita' is a richly coloured Triumph tulip, prized for its refined, goblet-shaped blooms in a handsome purple-magenta. Flowering in late spring on strong, upright stems, it brings a composed elegance to pots by the door, smart spring borders, and tidy courtyard gardens.

Plant in autumn and allow the fresh mid-green foliage to do its quiet work through winter; come April and May, 'Negrita' delivers a confident, jewel-toned display that pairs beautifully with soft creams, deep plums, and fresh greens.

• Colour: deep purple-magenta
• Flower form: goblet-shaped (Triumph Group)
• Best for: borders, pots & containers, city gardens
• Stems: upright and sturdy

Hyacinthus orientalis 'Blue Jacket' brings a wonderfully saturated note to early spring, with dense, fragrant spikes of deep blue, single bells. Each petal is neatly traced with a darker purple stripe, creating a poised, tailored look above fresh, rich green foliage.

Ideal for borders and pots alike, this is a compact hyacinth that looks particularly smart planted in generous drifts, or placed near paths and doorways where the perfume can be properly appreciated. It also makes an excellent cut flower for small, elegant arrangements.

• Colour: Deep blue with dark purple stripe
• Flower form: Bell-shaped, single blooms on sturdy spikes
• Scent: Fragrant
• Best for: Borders, pots and containers, cutting

Hyacinthus orientalis 'Woodstock' brings a quietly dramatic note to early spring: densely packed, bell-shaped florets in a deep plum-purple, carried on sturdy stems above rich green foliage. The perfume is classic hyacinth—sweet, familiar, and wonderfully welcoming near a doorway or along a path.

Plant in autumn for a refined show in March and April. This variety is particularly handsome in pots (where its colour can be appreciated up close), yet equally poised threaded through borders in small drifts. The flower spikes also make excellent, fragrant cut stems for small indoor arrangements.

• Colour: Deep plum-purple
• Scent: Sweetly fragrant
• Style notes: Striking in containers; elegant in borders; excellent for cutting

Allium ‘Hair’ is the sort of plant that makes a border feel instantly more considered. Neat stems rise to curious summer umbels: compact purple centres surrounded by fine, green, hair-like tendrils. It’s delightfully architectural—perfect for contemporary schemes, gravel gardens, and adding a light, witty note among softer perennials.

• Distinctive purple-and-green flowerheads for a modern, design-led look
• Excellent in smart mixed borders, pots, and through gravel planting
• Pollinator friendly and generally left alone by deer

Plant in autumn in free-draining soil and let it settle quietly; by early summer it delivers its memorable silhouette with minimal fuss.

Anemone coronaria 'Levante Wine Double' is a wonderfully refined spring-flowering anemone, with fully double blooms in rich wine tones—deep magenta-purple lifted with pale highlights and finished with a near-black centre. Held on neat, upright stems, it brings early-season polish to pots, borders and the cutting garden alike.

Plant the corms in autumn for a poised display from March to May, and let the clump-forming habit weave gently through spring planting schemes. Particularly handsome in containers by the door, where the velvety colour can be appreciated up close.

• Colour: Deep magenta-purple with white highlights and a near-black centre
• Flower form: Double
• Ideal for: Pots & containers, cutting garden, borders
• Season: Autumn planting for spring flowering

Muscari latifolium 'Grape Ice' is a quietly striking grape hyacinth, sending up neat, densely packed spring spires with a most pleasing two-tone finish: deep purple at the base, graduating to a crisp white tip. Lightly scented and eminently well-mannered, it slips beautifully through the front of borders, under shrubs and trees, and into pots where its detail can be appreciated up close.

Plant in autumn and allow it to settle; by spring it forms a tidy clump of fresh green foliage and elegant bell-shaped blooms—excellent for threading amongst tulips and other spring companions, and charming in small cut posies.

• Colour: Purple & White (bi-colour)
• Flowering: March to May
• Height: 20cm
• Habit: Clump-forming perennial
• Best for: Borders, containers and underplanting