Purples & Blues

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

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 ‘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.

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

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

Iris reticulata ‘Harmony’ is a small treasure for the earliest weeks of spring, bringing jewel-toned blooms when the garden is still politely waking up. Neat, clump-forming and wonderfully well-suited to close viewing, it is particularly handsome threaded through gravel, tucked into alpine pockets, or arranged in pots by the door for a refined seasonal welcome.

Plant in autumn and allow these diminutive bulbs to settle in; come late winter into early spring, ‘Harmony’ rewards with crisp violet-blue flowers, lifted and brightened by yellow and white accents. The effect is quietly dramatic, yet entirely elegant—especially when planted in generous drifts.

• Colour: Violet-blue with yellow and white accents
• Flowering: February–April
• Height: 10–15cm
• Ideal for: Pots & containers, rock gardens & alpines, naturalising, front of borders
• Helpful features: Pollinator friendly, deer resistant

Iris hollandica 'Purple Sensation' is a Dutch iris of impeccable poise, producing richly purple blooms neatly highlighted with sunny yellow markings. Rising above slender, bright green foliage on elegant stems, it brings a crisp, contemporary note to spring borders and is equally accomplished in pots.

It is also a superb choice for cutting—refined in a vase, and effortlessly smart when gathered into simple, tailored arrangements.

• Colour: Deep purple with yellow markings
• Flowering: May–June
• Height: 60cm
• Bulb size supplied: 7/8
• Position: Full sun; sheltered spot preferred
• Best for: Cutting, containers, borders and naturalising

Primula denticulata (Drumstick Primrose) is part of our winter & early-spring perennials collection.

Primula denticulata, commonly known as Drumstick Primrose, is supplied as bare roots in flexible pack sizes for individual planting or natural-looking groups.

Browse its linked perennial collection, sunlight and garden-use filters to find compatible planting companions for a more considered border.

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

Ranunculus ‘Elegance Milka’ is a particularly refined choice for spring—bearing richly coloured, double purple blooms held above neat, mid-green foliage. It’s a beautiful option for pots and sheltered borders, and a dependable performer for cutting when you’d like something elegant and saturated in tone.

Plant in autumn and you can look forward to flowering from April through June, with tidy, clump-forming growth that sits comfortably in mixed containers or a well-drained bed.

• Colour: Purple
• Flower form: Double
• Ideal for: Pots & containers; cut flowers
• Season of interest: Spring flowering (April–June)
• Height & spread: 40–60cm x 20–30cm

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

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