Natural Meadow Style

A small treasure for pots, windowsills and sheltered terraces, Oxalis deppei ‘Iron Cross’ is grown as much for its foliage as its flowers. Each clover-like leaf is neatly stamped with a deep burgundy cross, creating a smart, graphic effect from the moment growth begins.

Come summer, slender stems lift dainty rose-pink blooms above the leaves, bringing a light, cheerful finish that suits container displays beautifully. A charming choice for indoor growing, and equally happy outside once nights are mild.

Why we love it

• Distinctive foliage: green leaves marked with a burgundy cross
• Pretty summer flowers in rose-pink
• Ideal for pots and compact spaces
• Easy to grow with minimal fuss

At a glance

• Botanical name: Oxalis deppei ‘Iron Cross’
• Type: Bulb (perennial)
• Height: 20–30cm
• Spread: 15–25cm
• Position: Sheltered; Full Sun or Partial Sun
• Soil: Well-drained; keep moist but well-drained
• Hardiness: Half Hardy

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

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

Scilla siberica 'Alba' is the quietly sophisticated, white-flowered form of Siberian squill. Each bulb produces neat stems carrying nodding, bell-shaped blooms above slender green leaves—an exquisitely simple way to brighten the first weeks of spring.

Superb for naturalising, it threads effortlessly through lawns, settles happily beneath shrubs, and looks particularly poised in gravel and rock gardens. Plant in generous drifts for a calm, luminous effect that returns year after year.

• Refined white, bell-shaped flowers for early spring elegance
• Ideal for naturalising in grass and informal planting schemes
• Fully hardy and easy to grow
• Pollinator friendly spring forage

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

Scilla siberica is one of those quietly brilliant early-spring bulbs that makes a garden look effortlessly considered. Its vivid blue, nodding flowers are carried on fine stems above narrow green leaves, creating a light, natural effect that sits beautifully in grass, beneath shrubs, or among gravel and stone.

Ideal for naturalising, this small bulb is best planted in generous drifts for a painterly sweep of colour just as the season begins to wake.

• Colour: Blue (Purples & Blues)
• Flowering: March–April
• Height: 20cm
• Best for: naturalising, grass, gravel and rock gardens, containers, underplanting shrubs
• Pollinator friendly: Yes

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 ‘Botanical Tulips Mixed’ is a delightful little assortment of botanical tulips, chosen for their naturally neat proportions and easy charm. Expect a lively blend of spring colour that looks particularly at home at the front of borders, tucked into rock gardens, or planted generously in pots for a refined, relaxed display.

These petite tulips are ideal where you want the look of tulips without towering stems—perfect for naturalistic planting schemes and smaller spaces, with a quietly elegant finish.

Why you’ll love it

• A mixed collection of low-growing botanical tulips in varied colours
• Excellent for pots and containers, and for weaving through the front of borders
• Fully hardy and straightforward to grow in well-drained soil
• Flowers through April–May for a fresh, bright spring moment

Tulipa 'Darwin Hybrid Mix' is a dependable, beautifully balanced blend of classic Darwin Hybrid tulips, chosen for generous goblet-shaped blooms in a bright medley of spring tones. Planted in sweeping drifts, it brings a confident, well-composed look to borders and beds; tucked into pots, it creates an instant, polished display by the doorstep.

With sturdy, upright stems and mid-green foliage, this mix performs reliably and makes a handsome cut flower too—ideal for those who like their spring arrangements to look effortlessly considered.

Tulip ‘Sylvestris’ (Tulipa sylvestris), the woodland tulip, is a graceful, lightly scented species tulip with nodding golden buds that open into refined, star-shaped flowers. It sits beautifully in borders and gravel gardens, and is particularly well-suited to naturalising—threading through grass or beneath deciduous trees with an easy, informal charm.

Compact and clump-forming, it brings a gentle lift in April and May, returning year after year when planted in well-drained ground. A fine choice for pots, too, where the elegant stems and bright, clear colour can be enjoyed up close.

• Colour: Golden yellow
• Flower form: Star Shaped
• Fragrance: Fragrant
• Pollinator friendly: Yes
• Best for: Borders, naturalising, rockeries & gravel gardens, pots & containers