RHS

The "Giant Allium" is the species that started the craze for these incredible plants. Allium giganteum was one of the first giant ornamental onions to be introduced to European gardens from its native Central Asia. It produces wonderful 6-inch globes of bright lilac-purple flowers on towering stems that can easily reach 5 feet. While newer hybrids may be larger, giganteum has a classic, reliable charm and a slightly more open flower structure that gives it a softer, more airy feel than its dense hybrid cousins. It is a true garden heirloom and a must-have for creating that classic, vertical cottage garden look.

A late-summer marvel, the Drumstick Allium is a master of transformation. It begins as a slender green bud, slowly developing its signature oval head that transitions from green to a rich burgundy-claret, starting from the top down. Planted in generous drifts, these tightly packed, egg-shaped blooms sway on wiry stems, creating a mesmerizing, rhythmic dance in the breeze. They are perfect for weaving through perennial borders, adding a pop of deep, jewel-toned colour and dynamic texture long after other flowers have faded. Their slender profile allows them to mingle effortlessly without overcrowding neighbors, making them an exceptional choice for naturalistic and prairie-style plantings, bringing your garden composition to a beautiful crescendo.

Allium 'Purple Sensation' is certainly sensational in its popularity among gardeners as well as its absolutely striking good looks, and you’ll be thrilled to have it. At the end of a fairly short stalk, 100 or more lavender purple stars shoot out in a circle of superb symmetry and seemingly painted-on colour. Any great artist would be proud to have designed these flowers, and a cluster is a breath-taking sight. Plant several Allium 'Purple Sensation' bulbs (commonly known as Dutch garlic) close together and see for yourself why this is one of the trendiest plant species to have in your garden. They also smell divine and butterflies flock to them. Just fabulous!

The long-lasting, sweetly scented blooms of Allium hollandicum 'Purple Sensation' last well in the vase, and even the spent flowers look striking with their structured flower stems precisely arranged in their spherical pattern. All in all, it’s a gorgeous plant, with a sculptural yet airy appearance, and it’s pleasant to see it finally winning gardener’s hearts as it deserves.

An outstanding and aptly named variety, 'Ruby Giant' is a cultivar of Crocus tommasinianus and is celebrated for its larger-than-average flowers and rich, vibrant colouring. The blooms are a stunning shade of deep, iridescent reddish-purple or amethyst, which seems to glow in the low spring sunlight. The flowers open wide on sunny days to reveal a bright orange stigma at their heart. 'Ruby Giant' is one of the earliest crocuses to flower, often pushing through snow to provide a welcome splash of intense colour. It is exceptionally vigorous and an excellent naturaliser, quickly multiplying to form substantial, beautiful drifts. It is more resistant to squirrel damage than many other crocus types, making it a reliable choice for gardeners. Its slender, grass-like foliage appears with the flowers, creating a neat and attractive clump.

A plant of exceptional grace and subtle beauty, the Sicilian Honey Garlic is a true garden aristocrat. From a tall, upright stem, a fascinating firework-like head emerges, bearing up to 30 enchanting, bell-shaped flowers on long, gracefully drooping pedicels. Each bloom is a complex combination of creamy-green flushed with pink and maroon, creating a soft, antique tapestry of colour. As the flowers mature, the pedicels turn upwards, completely changing the shape of the bloom head into an upright candelabra. This dynamic, mobile-like structure provides weeks of interest and is a magnet for bees. It’s a perfect choice for adding movement, elegance, and a touch of the unusual to both formal and informal garden settings.

Arguably the world's most popular miniature daffodil, 'Tête-à-Tête' is a small but mighty harbinger of spring. Each bulb produces multiple stems, each carrying one to three perfectly formed, bright, sunshine-yellow flowers. The blooms have slightly swept-back petals and a neat, trumpet-shaped cup. Its short stature makes it incredibly robust and weather-resistant, perfect for even the most exposed gardens. It is an exceptionally reliable perennialiser, quickly forming dense, cheerful clumps that multiply year after year. Winner of the prestigious RHS Award of Garden Merit, it is a versatile and indispensable variety for bringing an early, welcome burst of colour to pots, rockeries, window boxes, and the very front of garden borders.

When it comes to making a statement, 'Globemaster' is in a class of its own. This magnificent variety boasts some of the largest flower heads available—enormous, 8-10 inch globes packed with thousands of star-shaped, purple florets. What makes 'Globemaster' truly special is its incredibly long bloom time; as new florets open from the center, the flower head continues to expand, maintaining its perfect spherical shape for weeks on end. It’s a living sculpture for your garden, providing a powerful focal point that commands attention and inspires awe. Even after the colour fades, the dried seed heads provide architectural interest well into the winter.

A jolt of electric, azure-blue for the summer garden, Allium azureum is a gem of startling intensity. Unlike its paler relatives, this allium delivers a spectacular splash of vivid, cornflower-blue, a colour that brings an unparalleled energy to the border. It forms dense, tightly packed globes of star-shaped florets, each held aloft on slender, upright stems that rise above withering, grass-like foliage. This trait makes it a perfect candidate for interplanting, where its brilliant flower heads can float magically above a sea of lower-growing perennials and grasses.

Native to the windswept steppes of Central Asia, it is perfectly at home in full sun and sharply-drained soil. For a truly breathtaking effect, plant in generous, tightly-packed drifts where its collective power can create a dazzling, vibrant haze of blue. Pair it with the contrasting fire of orange geums or the cool silvers of artemisia and eryngium for a display that is both dynamic and sophisticated. A plant of pure, unadulterated colour, Allium azureum is guaranteed to stop onlookers in their tracks.

An exceptionally long-flowering and charming perennial, Mexican Fleabane is a must-have for adding a soft, frothy, and informal touch to the garden. It produces a seemingly endless succession of small, delicate daisy-like flowers from late spring right through to the autumn frosts. The blooms are magical, as each one opens pure white before gradually ageing to shades of soft pink and then purplish-rose, meaning all three colours are present on the plant at once. It has a low, trailing habit and a remarkable ability to self-seed and thrive in the tiniest cracks and crevices, softening hard edges and creating a beautiful, cottage-garden feel. It is incredibly tough, drought-tolerant, and beloved by bees and butterflies.

Behold the celestial firework of the plant world, the Star of Persia. This allium produces an enormous, airy globe, often reaching up to 10 inches in diameter, composed of as many as 100 individual, star-shaped florets. Each metallic, silvery-lilac flower has a remarkable amethyst sheen, creating a sparkling, ethereal sphere that seems to hover in the garden. It blooms a bit lower to the ground than its giant cousins, making it a perfect statement piece for the front or mid-border. After flowering, the architectural seed heads are just as stunning, drying to a beautiful silvery-tan that persists for months. Use them to add long-lasting structure to the garden or bring them indoors for magnificent dried arrangements that capture their starry magic.

The quintessential large, golden-yellow daffodil, 'Dutch Master' is a world-famous Trumpet variety that has become a modern icon of spring. It is celebrated for its huge, robust flowers, which feature broad, rich golden-yellow petals (perianth) and a magnificent, flared, and ruffled trumpet of the same pure, uniform colour. Standing tall and proud on exceptionally strong, weather-resistant stems, this variety is a reliable and vigorous performer, blooming with incredible impact in early to mid-spring. 'Dutch Master' is the go-to choice for creating bold, classic swathes of colour in borders, for naturalising in lawns, and for a long-lasting, traditional spring bouquet.

A true garden royal and an RHS Award of Garden Merit winner, 'Prinses Irene' is a hugely popular Triumph tulip for very good reason. It commands attention with its vibrant, glowing orange petals, each marked with a stunning, deep purple flame that licks up from the base of the flower. This combination of colours is both fiery and regal, creating a rich tapestry of tones in the mid-spring garden. As a shorter, incredibly sturdy tulip, it stands up brilliantly to unpredictable spring weather, making it a reliable and low-maintenance choice. Its compact stature is perfect for the front of borders, edging paths, rockeries, and is particularly spectacular when planted en masse in containers. It pairs famously with deep purple tulips or violas, which echo its flames and make the orange appear even brighter.

A spectacular and incredibly fragrant variety, 'Bridal Crown' is a celebrated Double Tazetta daffodil that produces a beautiful bouquet from each stem. Each strong stem carries a cluster of 3-5 exquisite, fully double flowers. The blooms are composed of multiple layers of creamy-white petals, with a central ruff of shorter, honey-orange segments, creating a rich and opulent appearance. The fragrance is powerful, sweet, and musky, making it a garden superstar and a florist's dream. It is a reliable and vigorous grower, perfect for adding a touch of romance and an abundance of perfume to the mid-spring garden. 'Bridal Crown' is also an excellent choice for forcing indoors for a fragrant winter display.

A particularly striking and beautiful variety, 'Night Eyes' is a Grape Hyacinth that offers a dramatic and intense colour contrast. Each flower spike is composed of densely packed, deep cobalt-blue florets. What makes this variety so special is that each individual bell is neatly and distinctly rimmed with a crisp white edge, making them look like a cluster of tiny, watchful eyes. This RHS Award-winning cultivar is a selection of Muscari armeniacum and is very easy to grow. It is a fantastic choice for adding a touch of jewel-like detail to the spring garden and is perfect for containers where its unique beauty can be admired up close.

Welcome a flurry of early spring cheer with Puschkinia libanotica, the exquisite Russian Snowdrop or Striped Squill. These charming bulbs produce clusters of star-shaped, ice-white flowers, each petal delicately painted with a fine, porcelain-blue stripe. Holding the prestigious RHS Award of Garden Merit, you can be sure of their reliable performance. They are perfect for creating shimmering carpets of colour at the front of borders, in rockeries, or naturalised in lawns under deciduous trees. Plant them in generous drifts alongside early crocuses or winter aconites for a breathtaking spring awakening. Easy to grow and loved by early pollinators!

A truly regal and timeless beauty, 'Jeanne d'Arc' is one of the largest and most impressive of the spring-flowering crocuses. It stands out for its exceptionally large, goblet-shaped flowers of the purest, shimmering snow-white. Each pristine bloom has a classic, elegant form and is held on a strong stem, creating a bold statement in the garden. Upon closer inspection, a delicate, faint purple blush can be seen at the very base of the petals, adding a touch of sophisticated detail to its otherwise immaculate appearance. A vibrant orange stigma glows from the centre, attracting early pollinators. As a Dutch Crocus (Crocus vernus), it flowers slightly later than the botanical types, bridging the gap to early tulips. It is an outstanding choice for naturalising in lawns, where its large white flowers create a breathtaking display against the green grass.

Prepare for a botanical firework display! Allium schubertii is one of nature's most spectacular and architectural creations. It produces an enormous flower head, up to a foot wide, with an explosive, open structure. The bloom consists of dozens of tiny, pinkish-purple, star-like florets, each borne on a pedicel of a dramatically different length. Some are short, clustered at the center, while others radiate outwards on long stems, creating a stunning, starburst effect. When the flowers fade, the resulting seed head is an even more impressive architectural skeleton that looks like a tumbleweed. It is a sensational centerpiece for a gravel garden or sunny border and makes an absolutely magnificent dried flower that will last for years.

Also known as Rosy Garlic, Allium roseum is a charming and carefree wildflower that brings a touch of the Mediterranean countryside to any garden. It produces loose, delicate clusters of pretty, bell-shaped, soft pink flowers on slender stems. Unlike the formal globes, these have a relaxed, informal habit that is perfect for naturalising in gravel gardens, sunny banks, or wilder parts of the garden. It multiplies readily, creating larger and more impressive drifts each year. It's a low-maintenance and subtle beauty that provides a gentle wash of colour and attracts pollinators in droves.

Ring in the new year with the delightful Double Snowdrop 'Flore Pleno', a cherished heirloom that brings intricate beauty to the late winter garden. Each nodding head unfurls to reveal a packed cluster of pure white, petal-like segments, creating a frilly, petticoat effect marked with delicate green at the centre. This RHS Award of Garden Merit winner is incredibly tough and reliable, quickly forming dense, spreading clumps. Perfect for naturalising in lawns, underplanting deciduous trees, or creating charming pot displays. For a classic winter scene, partner them with the cheerful yellow of Winter Aconites or early flowering Crocus.

Welcome the new year with the cheerful elegance of Galanthus woronowii, the Giant Snowdrop! This variety is a true garden treasure, celebrated for its broad, glossy, bright green leaves that create a lush carpet long before other plants stir. From this foliage emerge delicate, nodding white flowers, each marked with a distinctive green horseshoe on its inner petals. A proud recipient of the RHS Award of Garden Merit, it's a reliable and beautiful choice. Plant them in drifts under trees, along pathways, or in pots with winter aconites and crocuses for a breathtaking early spring display. They naturalise beautifully, promising a bigger and better show each year.

An exquisite botanical crocus, 'Blue Pearl' is cherished for its delicate beauty and luminous, pearlescent colouring. The flowers are not a strong blue, but rather a magical, soft, silvery sky-blue on the outer petals, which are often shaded with a deeper blue at the base. As the flower opens, it reveals a contrasting creamy-white to soft-yellow interior, with a base that glows a distinct bronzy-yellow. This complex and subtle combination of colours gives the bloom an iridescent quality, especially when it catches the low morning or evening light, making it shimmer like a precious pearl. It is an RHS Award of Garden Merit winner, a testament to its beauty and reliability. 'Blue Pearl' is one of the earliest to flower, and its gentle, glowing presence is a truly enchanting sight after a long winter, perfect for intimate plantings in pots or rockeries.

A vision of pure, bridal white, this allium brings delicate elegance and a fresh sparkle to the late spring garden. Often known as the Naples Garlic, 'Cowanii' is a select, more robust form that produces loose, airy umbels of pristine white, star-shaped flowers. Each floret features a subtle green eye, adding to its charm. Unlike the dense globes of other alliums, these blooms create a light, see-through effect, perfect for illuminating shady corners or weaving through bolder colours in a border. They are fantastic cut flowers, prized by florists for their long vase life and graceful appearance in bouquets. Plant them in generous sweeps to create a cloud of white that brightens the landscape and bridges the gap between spring bulbs and summer perennials.

Prepare for a spectacular spring display with Hyacinth 'Peter Stuyvesant', a variety famed for its breathtakingly deep, violet-blue florets. Each dense, spire-like bloom releases an intoxicatingly sweet fragrance that is the very essence of spring. Perfect for creating a dramatic statement in patio pots and window boxes, or massed at the front of a sunny border for an unforgettable river of colour. Its rich hue pairs wonderfully with crisp white daffodils or pale yellow tulips. Easy to grow and a magnet for early pollinators, 'Peter Stuyvesant' brings reliable performance and regal beauty to any UK garden.

The legendary and iconic 'black' tulip, 'Queen of Night' holds a unique place in the horticultural world. This Single Late variety is famed for its deep, sumptuous, velvety petals of a dark maroon-purple so profound that in shadow or on an overcast day, they appear almost black. The silky, single flowers sit atop tall, strong stems, giving them a dramatic and regal silhouette in the late spring garden. There is no other tulip that offers such depth and mystery. It is an essential ingredient for creating sophisticated and moody planting schemes, providing a stunning contrast when planted with pure white, soft pink, or vibrant lime green flowers or foliage. A drift of 'Queen of Night' is an unforgettable sight, bringing an element of chic drama and intensity that few other plants can match.

An icon of the spring garden, 'Negrita' is arguably the most famous and beloved deep purple tulip in the world. This Triumph variety boasts large, egg-shaped blooms of the most sumptuous and velvety shade of deep, royal purple. The colour is incredibly saturated and consistent, providing a sense of luxury and drama to any planting scheme. When touched by sunlight, the petals reveal a subtle, silky sheen and even richer violet tones. 'Negrita' stands on famously strong, weather-resistant stems, holding its noble blooms with pride through spring showers. Its reliability, intense colour, and classic shape make it a cornerstone of garden design, perfect for creating breathtaking mass plantings, as a dramatic counterpoint to lighter colours, or as a sophisticated cut flower.