Romantic Pastels

Cyclamen coum is the sort of quietly exquisite plant that earns its keep when the garden feels at its most spare. Nestled low to the ground, it forms neat, clump-forming colonies of rounded, dark green leaves, often handsomely silver-marbled, followed by nodding, starry flowers in pink to purple-pink from mid-winter into early spring.

Superb for naturalising in a woodland-style setting, tucking beneath shrubs, or bringing a little refinement to pots by the door. Given a sheltered position in dappled shade and reliably well-drained soil, it will return each year with increasing presence.

• Season of interest: late winter to early spring
• Perfect for: naturalising, woodland gardens, underplanting shrubs, pots & containers
• Foliage: rounded green leaves, often silver-marbled
• Flower colour: pink to purple-pink (mixed shades)

Cyclamen hederifolium is a quietly luxurious woodland cyclamen, admired for its ivy-shaped leaves brushed with silver marbling and its poised, pink, nodding blooms. Flowers often arrive ahead of—or alongside—the foliage, bringing a refined lift to late summer and early autumn, just as the garden begins to soften.

Equally at home naturalised beneath deciduous trees and shrubs or arranged in a handsome pot near the doorstep, it settles into a neat clump over time and returns with reassuring regularity.

• Seasonal flourish: pink flowers from August–October
• Foliage interest: green leaves with elegant silver marbling
• Placement: ideal for woodland edges, underplanting and containers
• Reliable character: fully hardy, easy to grow, and pollinator friendly

Erythronium 'D.C. Mixed' is a quietly beautiful, naturalising blend for early spring—each bulb producing poised, starry blooms in a gentle palette of white through to rosy purple, often set off by attractively mottled foliage. Tuck into borders, beneath deciduous shrubs, or drift through woodland-style planting for an effortless, established look that improves with time.

Best in a sheltered position with dappled shade, this refined mix is particularly charming when planted in groups, where the subtle variation reads as deliberately curated rather than busy. Fully hardy and pollinator friendly, it’s an elegant way to soften the season’s first weeks.

• Flowering: April–May
• Height: 1–25cm (Short)
• Position: Sheltered; best in dappled shade under deciduous trees
• Ideal for: Naturalising, woodland-style planting, borders, and underplanting deciduous shrubs

Erythronium d.c. 'Purple King' is a quietly distinguished spring-flowering bulb, prized for its poised, nodding blooms in polished purple-rose tones. It slips beautifully into lightly shaded borders and woodland-style planting, where it reads as wonderfully natural rather than ‘placed’.

In mid to late spring, slender stems rise above attractively mottled foliage, bringing a refined flourish beneath deciduous trees and at the edge of shrubs. Given a settled spot with moisture and good drainage, it will form graceful clumps over time.

• Flowering: April–May
• Height: 25–40cm
• Best for: naturalising, woodland gardens, shady borders
• Position: sheltered, lightly shaded sites; woodland edges and beneath deciduous trees

Erythronium 'White Beauty' is a quietly exquisite fawn lily for woodland-style planting, admired for its softly mottled foliage and poised, nodding flowers. In late spring, creamy-white, starry blooms open with a warm reddish-brown throat marking—an understated detail that looks particularly refined beneath shrubs, roses, and light-canopied trees.

Best in dappled shade and humus-rich soil that stays gently moist yet drains well, this clump-forming perennial settles in beautifully and will naturalise with time, bringing a calm, considered elegance to shady borders.

• Flowering: April to June
• Height: 30cm
• Spread: 10cm
• Position: Sheltered, Partial Sun
• Soil: Humus-rich, fertile, well-drained; moisture-retentive
• Hardiness: Fully Hardy
• Bulb size: Grade 1

Freesia 'Single Mixed' is a generous blend of single-flowered freesias in a lively palette—purple, yellow, white and red—chosen to bring a light, fragrant note to spring. Particularly charming in pots by a doorway or on the terrace, and equally at home indoors for a graceful, scent-filled display.

• Seasonal colour, beautifully mixed — a varied selection for a naturally effortless look
• Perfect for containers — ideal for refreshing patios, balconies and doorstep pots
• Cut-flower favourite — excellent for small, scented posies

Please note: Freesia is Half Hardy. In colder gardens, choose a sheltered position and protect from frost, or grow in pots that can be moved under cover.

Fritillaria meleagris ‘Alba’ is a quietly exquisite spring-flowering bulb, bearing pristine white, nodding bells on slender stems above grey-green foliage. It lends a refined, natural charm when threaded through grass, tucked into woodland-style planting, or placed neatly at the front of a border—an elegant alternative to the more familiar chequered forms.

Best planted in early autumn for a relaxed, naturalised effect, this fully hardy perennial settles in gently and rewards patience with an increasingly lovely showing year by year.

Why you’ll love it

• Pure white, bell-shaped flowers with a graceful, nodding habit
• Superb for naturalising in grass and weaving through spring borders
• Fully hardy and pollinator friendly
• Compact and refined at around 30cm tall

Fritillaria persica ‘Ivory Bells’ is a beautifully poised fritillary, valued for its tall, architectural spires of softly nodding, green-tinted ivory bells. Rising above cool grey-green foliage, it lends a composed, contemporary note to spring borders and looks equally distinguished when threaded through meadow-style planting.

Plant in autumn into fertile, well-drained soil and allow it a little time to settle; by its second or third season it will reward you with a statuesque presence from April through to June. An assured choice for gardeners who appreciate structure as much as flower.

• Quiet drama for late spring — elegant, bell-shaped flowers in refined ivory with a fresh green touch
• Superb vertical form — ideal for borders, naturalising and handsome containers
• Pollinator friendly — a welcome stop for spring-foraging insects

Fritillaria meleagris Mix is a wonderfully characterful spring bulb, prized for its gently nodding, bell-shaped flowers in a refined mix of rich purple, occasionally joined by the odd white bloom. Each petal carries an intricate chequered pattern that reads beautifully at close quarters and feels perfectly at home in lightly wild planting.

Thread it through grass, naturalise it at the edge of a woodland path, or tuck it into pots where its delicate detailing can be enjoyed up close. Given a consistently moist yet well-drained position, it will settle in quietly and return with poise each April.

• Distinctive detail: chequered bells in purple with occasional white
• Perfect for naturalising: especially elegant through grass and woodland edges
• Wildlife-aware choice: pollinator friendly and noted as deer resistant

Important: Fritillaria bulbs dislike drying out. Plant as soon as possible after delivery for the best results.

Fritillaria imperialis 'Orange Beauty' is a crown imperial of real presence: tiers of rich orange, bell-shaped flowers held beneath a jaunty tuft of glossy green foliage. It brings a composed, architectural note to spring borders and looks particularly handsome threaded through naturalistic planting where its strong vertical line can be appreciated.

Plant in autumn while the soil is still workable, choosing a sunny, well-drained spot. With a little patience as the bulbs settle, it will reward you with a reliably distinctive spring display.

• Colour: Orange with yellow accents
• Flower form: Bell-shaped
• Position: Borders, beds, rock gardens; also excellent in containers
• Habit: Clump-forming, upright
• Pollinator friendly: Yes
• Deer resistant: Yes

Fritillaria imperialis 'Red Beauty' brings a touch of old-world drama to the spring border: tall, upright stems carrying rich orange-red, bell-shaped blooms, finished with a crisp green crown. It is wonderfully architectural—perfect for adding height, rhythm and a little theatre amongst late daffodils and early tulips.

Best planted in autumn in a sheltered, sunny position with excellent drainage, this is a confident choice for gardeners who enjoy distinctive bulbs with presence. Given time to settle, it forms a handsome clump and returns each spring with increasing poise.

• Colour: Dark orange-red with green crown
• Flower shape: Bell-shaped
• Height: 50–100cm
• Ideal for: Borders; Naturalising
• Wildlife: Pollinator friendly

Pre-order for autumn planting.

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

Muscari 'Pink Sunrise' is a distinctive pink grape hyacinth with dense spring spires of small, urn-shaped blooms. Each spike opens soft blush pink and becomes paler towards the tip, creating a delicate two-tone effect that pairs beautifully with white muscari, hellebores, primulas and pastel tulips.

Compact and clump-forming at around 15-20cm tall, this fully hardy bulb is particularly effective in pots, rockeries, border edges and beneath deciduous shrubs or roses. Plant in a generous group for the strongest display, in full sun or partial shade and soil that drains freely.

• Flowering: March-April
• Colour: soft blush pink with paler, almost white tips
• Height: 15-20cm
• Best for: pots, rockeries, border edges and underplanting
• Hardiness: fully hardy (RHS H6)

Hyacinthus orientalis ‘Carnegie’ is a quietly luxurious white hyacinth, prized for its densely packed spring flower spike and beautifully clear fragrance. Neat, strap-like foliage keeps the planting looking polished, whether tucked into the front of a border or arranged in generous pots by the door.

Plant in autumn and look forward to a poised display in March and April—particularly elegant when paired with fresh greens and early spring pastels.

Why you’ll love it

• Pure white, bell-shaped florets held in a substantial spike
• Wonderfully scented for paths, doorways and terraces
• Equally at home in pots, borders, and beneath deciduous shrubs
• Fully hardy and easy to grow

Hyacinthus orientalis 'China Pink' is an impeccably mannered spring hyacinth, carrying dense, bell-shaped florets in a pale blush pink. Each compact spike rises above glossy, strap-like dark green leaves and brings that unmistakably rich hyacinth perfume—rather lovely by a path, at the doorstep, or in pots where the scent can be properly appreciated.

Plant in autumn for a poised display in early spring. The generous 14/15 bulb grade gives a satisfyingly full look in containers and makes an elegant underplanting beneath roses and shrubs.

• Colour: Pale blush pink
• Fragrance: Richly fragrant
• Perfect for: Pots & containers, borders, courtyard & city gardens
• Also suits: Underplanting roses & shrubs
• Pollinator friendly: Yes

Hyacinthus orientalis ‘Gipsy Queen’ is a beautifully composed spring hyacinth, prized for its richly scented, salmon-peach bloom. Each sturdy flower spike rises neatly above glossy green foliage, bringing a warm, flattering note to pots by the front door and crisp definition to the very front of the border.

Plant in autumn and allow the bulbs to settle into well-drained soil; come March and April, you’ll be rewarded with a polished display that feels both classic and quietly distinctive.

• Colour: Salmon peach
• Flowering: March–April
• Height: 30cm
• Position: Front of border, containers
• Scent: Richly fragrant

Hyacinthus orientalis 'Jan Bos' is a wonderfully classic spring hyacinth, prized for its richly coloured flower spikes in deep rosy cerise and a beautifully strong perfume. Compact and poised at the front of a border, it is equally at home in smart pots by the door, where its fragrance can be properly enjoyed.

With glaucous green leaves and an upright habit, it also makes a refined cut flower—just a few stems bring instant polish to a small vase arrangement. Plant in autumn and look forward to an elegant flourish from March into April.

• Colour: Deep pink-red
• Fragrance: Highly scented
• Best for: Borders, containers and cutting
• Flowering: March–April