Purples & Blues

Puschkinia scilloides var. libanotica is the sort of small bulb that earns its place by sheer refinement. Low, neat and quietly pretty, it sends up slender green leaves followed by dainty, star-shaped flowers—white with the faintest pale blue striping—just as the garden begins to wake in early spring.

Ideal for naturalising, it weaves beautifully through grass, beneath deciduous shrubs, or at the front of borders. It is equally charming in pots, where its fine detail can be enjoyed up close.

• Flower: Star-shaped, white with pale blue stripe
• Best for: Naturalising, rock gardens, containers, underplanting shrubs
• Season: Plant in autumn for spring display

Tulipa 'Blue Spectacle' is a beautifully poised double late tulip, with sumptuous, peony-flowered blooms in polished violet-purple, touched with magenta and finished with a deeper, inky-blue glow towards the centre. At around 50cm, it brings height and composure to spring borders and looks particularly handsome in generous pots, where the layered petals can be appreciated up close.

Plant in autumn, allow winter to do its quiet work, and enjoy an elegant late-spring display that sits effortlessly alongside roses and shrubs, or in a more contemporary courtyard scheme.

• Flower style: Peony Flowered (Double Late) blooms with refined depth of colour
• Best for: Borders, containers, and underplanting roses & shrubs
• Reliable presence: Sturdy, upright stems to approximately 50cm

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 'Parrot Prince' is a wonderfully theatrical Parrot tulip, with generously frilled petals in bright pinkish-purple, delicately flushed with green. Planted in drifts through spring borders or styled in handsome pots by the door, it brings a touch of extravagance without ever losing its poise. A light fragrance completes the impression, and the blooms make a distinctive cut flower for indoor arrangements.

• Parrot-style, fringed flowers in pinkish-purple with a soft green flush
• Ideal for borders and patio containers; excellent for cutting
• Reliable spring performance from autumn planting

Bulb size supplied: 10/11

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 'Zwanenburg' brings a composed, meadow-style elegance to late spring and early summer. Upright, wand-like stems carry tiers of deep blue, star-shaped flowers—particularly handsome drifting through grass, beneath light-canopied trees, or weaving through the middle of a border where a natural, unforced look is prized.

Reliably perennial and wonderfully easy, this Camassia settles in quietly and improves year on year, offering height without heaviness and colour that reads as both cool and richly saturated.

• Flowering: May–June
• Height: 50–100cm
• Best for: Naturalising in grass, meadows, cottage & informal gardens
• Position: Borders, meadows & naturalising in grass; sun or partial shade

Muscari armeniacum 'Blue Spike' is a particularly refined grape hyacinth, admired for its densely packed, double flower spikes in rich blue, each neatly finished with the lightest white tipping. Lightly scented and quietly dependable, it settles in well as a perennial and looks superb naturalised through grass, beneath deciduous trees, or tucked into spring containers for close-up detail.

Neat, clump-forming and elegantly proportioned, it reaches around 20cm in flower—ideal for the front of borders and for weaving between later-emerging perennials. Plant in autumn and look forward to a poised, jewel-like display from early spring.

• Flowering: March–May
• Height: 20cm
• Bulb size supplied: 8/9
• Position: Front of border, under deciduous trees, naturalised in grass

Iris × hollandica 'Blue Magic' is a refined Dutch iris, offering rich blue-violet blooms neatly finished with a golden marking. It’s a quietly dependable spring bulb—excellent in sunny borders, smart in pots, and particularly good for cutting, where the clean, architectural lines sit beautifully in a vase.

Plant in autumn and allow it to settle into a free-draining position. In the right conditions it will return well year after year, forming elegant clumps that lift the late-spring garden with crisp colour and poise.

• Colour: Blue/Purple with Yellow
• Flowering: May–June
• Height: 60–85cm
• Best for: borders, pots & containers, cutting, naturalising

Hyacinthus orientalis 'Blue Pearl' PBR is a decidedly elegant spring hyacinth, sending up dense, upright spires of waxy, bell-shaped flowers in a vivid blue-purple, each bloom subtly refined with paler edging. As the fragrance unfurls, it brings a welcome sense of occasion to early-season borders and pots alike.

Plant in autumn for a poised display in March and April. Particularly handsome threaded through underplanting, or arranged in generous drifts where the colour can read as a cool, confident ribbon through the garden.

• Colour: blue-purple with lighter blue margins
• Flowering: March–April
• Height: approx. 25cm
• Position: borders, containers, underplanting
• Character: fragrant, pollinator friendly

Please note: This variety is supplied as bulbs for planting. Protect container-grown bulbs from excess winter wet and hard frost.

Hyacinthus 'Multiflora Blue' is a rather refined take on the classic hyacinth: richly coloured, beautifully perfumed, and notably generous in bloom. This multiflowering selection sends up elegant blue spires that feel perfectly at home in smart pots by the door, or tucked into the front of borders where the scent can be properly appreciated.

Plant in autumn and look forward to a polished display in April. With a naturally tidy habit and dependable performance in Full-Sun or Partial Sun, it’s an easy choice for spring containers and mixed bulb plantings alike.

• Colour: Blue / Purple
• Flowering: April
• Scent: Fragrant
• Best for: Pots & containers, borders, and pollinator-friendly planting

Crocus tommasinianus is one of the most graceful ways to welcome spring. Its lilac-to-rich purple goblet flowers open neatly above slender stems just as the first narrow leaves appear, creating a light, natural-looking display that sits beautifully in lawns, borders and pots.

Plant in autumn and allow it to settle; it will return each year with quiet reliability, offering early colour at ground level and a welcome source of interest in late winter and early spring.

• Colour: Purple (lilac to rich purple tones)
• Best for: Lawns & naturalising, borders, containers, rock gardens, under deciduous trees
• Style: Refined, naturalistic drifts with a delicate, early-season presence

Muscari 'Cool Blues' is a particularly refined grape hyacinth, valued for its cool-toned spring colour and neat, clump-forming habit. Slender green foliage rises to carry densely packed, bell-shaped flower spikes—an elegant detail at the very moment the garden begins to wake.

Thread it through the front of borders, edge a path with gentle repetition, or tuck into containers where the colour can be appreciated up close. It pairs beautifully with tulips and narcissus for a composed, early-season display, and also lends itself to naturalising in grass for an unforced, meadow-like finish.

• Colour: Cool blue
• Flowering: March–May
• Height: 15–20cm
• Spread: 10–15cm
• Bulb size supplied: 6/7
• Position: Borders, containers, rockeries; ideal for naturalising in grass

Muscari azureum ‘Blue’ is a particularly refined grape hyacinth, offering airy, light blue spires that arrive in the first true moments of spring. Neat, clump-forming and beautifully obliging, it threads a soft ribbon of colour through the front of borders, pots, rockeries and naturalistic planting beneath deciduous shrubs.

• Flowering: March–April
• Height: 25cm
• Spread: 10cm
• Position: Front of border, edging, under deciduous shrubs
• Bulb size: 6/7
• Pollinator friendly: Yes
• Deer resistant: Yes

Planted in generous drifts, it reads as quietly luxurious—cool blue notes with just enough freshness to lift mixed spring schemes. Allow around two seasons to settle properly, and it will reward you with a dependable return.

Ipheion uniflorum ‘Wisley Blue’ is a delightfully refined spring starflower, offering lilac-blue, starry blooms with a gentle fragrance. Sitting neatly above light green, strap-like foliage, it lends itself beautifully to informal drifts through borders, the gravel garden, and quietly charming containers near a doorway or terrace.

Compact and clump-forming, it is particularly well suited to underplanting beneath shrubs and at the woodland edge, where it will settle in and return reliably each year.

• Colour: Lilac-blue
• Flowering: February to April
• Height x spread: 10cm x 10cm
• Hardiness: Fully Hardy
• Position: Full-Sun or Partial Sun
• Soil: Well-drained loam, any pH
• Planting time: September to December
• Supplied as: Bulbs (5/6cm)

Camassia quamash 'Blue Melody' is a quietly distinctive quamash, prized for its refined, cream-edged foliage and richly coloured, starry blue flowers that arrive in late spring and early summer. Compact and clump-forming, it brings a poised, natural elegance to meadow-style planting, informal borders, and grass that’s allowed a touch of freedom.

Plant in autumn and allow it time to settle; by its second season it will begin to show its true character, offering graceful vertical notes and a fresh, variegated leaf presence even before the flowers appear. A charming choice for cutting too—small, considered posies with a natural air.

• Flowering: May–June
• Height: 30cm
• Habit: Clump-forming perennial
• Best for: Naturalising, borders, cottage & informal gardens, cut flowers

Scilla 'Bifolia Blue' is a small but beautifully poised spring bulb, sending up clear blue, star-shaped flowers on a neat, low habit. It is particularly well suited to naturalising—tucked through grass, beneath shrubs, or threaded into the front of borders—where it will quietly return each year with minimal fuss.

It is equally charming in pots and troughs, where the colour reads as crisp and fresh in early spring. Plant in autumn, then allow the foliage to die back naturally after flowering to build strength for seasons to come.

Why you’ll love it

• Refined, clear blue flowers with a star-shaped form
• Excellent for naturalising in lawns, under shrubs, and in borders
• Ideal for pots, troughs, and small-space planting
• Pollinator-friendly and fully hardy

At a glance

• Botanical name: Scilla bifolia
• Variety: 'Bifolia Blue'
• Bulb size: 5/6
• Flowering: March–April
• Height: 25cm
• Spread: 10cm
• Spacing: 5–8cm
• Position: Borders, under shrubs, lawns/grass, pots and containers
• Sun: Full sun or partial sun
• Soil: Well-drained soil
• Moisture: Moist but well-drained
• Hardiness: Fully hardy

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

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

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

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.

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

Muscari aucheri 'Blue Magic' is a most polished little grape hyacinth, sending up densely packed spires of rich blue, each tiny bell neatly finished with a fine white rim. It has a wonderfully composed look—ideal for threading through the front of borders, tucking into pots, or slipping beneath spring perennials and shrubs for a calm, well-dressed understory.

Compact at around 20cm tall, it’s perfectly scaled for small spaces and elegant containers, yet generous when planted in drifts. As a fully hardy perennial bulb, it settles in readily and returns with quiet reliability.

• Colour: Blue with a crisp white edge
• Best for: Borders, containers and underplanting
• Flowering: March to May
• Pollinator friendly: Yes

Fritillaria imperialis 'Rubra' brings unmistakable theatre to the spring border: tall, assured stems crowned with a whorl of glossy green leaves, then finished with a dramatic ring of rich scarlet, bell-shaped blooms topped by a jaunty tuft of leafy bracts. It is a wonderfully architectural choice for naturalistic planting as well as more formal schemes, rising confidently through fresh spring growth.

Plant in autumn in fertile, well-drained loam and choose a sheltered position to protect those statuesque stems. The bulbs are best handled with care and planted deeply for a secure, long-lived display. Once settled, 'Rubra' will reward you year after year, taking a little time to build to its full presence.