Romantic Pastels

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

Paeonia 'Bartzella' is an exquisitely composed peony, bringing a quietly luxurious air to the late-spring and early-summer border. Its lemon-yellow flowers, gently warmed with a soft red-pink flare at the centre, sit above handsome, mid to dark green foliage with a pleasingly shrubby, clump-forming habit.

Long-lived and dependable once settled, this fully hardy perennial makes a refined partner for roses, nepeta and early summer perennials, and is particularly fine for cutting—fresh stems lending a considered elegance to the house.

• Colour: Lemon-yellow with soft red/pink flare
• Habit: Clump-forming, bushy
• Best for: Borders and cutting gardens

Paeonia 'Coral Sunset' is a beautifully mannered herbaceous peony, prized for its scented, semi-double blooms and effortlessly sophisticated colouring. The flowers open in a poised coral-pink, then mellow with age to softer, creamy tones—an elegant transition that brings a flattering light to late spring and early summer borders.

With deep green foliage and a neat, clump-forming habit, it settles into the garden with quiet assurance and becomes more impressive with each passing season. Plant in a sheltered spot with fertile, humus-rich soil and allow it the time it deserves—peonies are wonderfully long-lived once established.

• Fragrant, semi-double flowers with a refined colour shift from coral-pink to cream
• Fully hardy and well-suited to UK gardens
• Excellent for borders in cottage and courtyard settings
• Pollinator friendly when in bloom

Paeonia lactiflora ‘Duchesse de Nemours’ is an enduring favourite: a herbaceous peony of great poise, producing sumptuous, fully double white blooms with the faintest greenish nuance and a refined perfume. In early summer the flowers rise above handsome, deeply divided dark-green foliage, bringing quiet luxury to borders and cutting gardens alike.

Once established, it settles into a long-lived clump and becomes more generous with each passing season. Particularly lovely when threaded through roses and shrubs, where its sculptural flowers feel perfectly at home.

• Flowering: May–June
• Height: 80cm
• Spread: 50–100cm
• Position: Sheltered
• Supplied as: Bare root

Paeonia 'Red Sarah Bernhardt' is a handsome, traditional peony with indulgently full, double blooms in rich deep pink-red tones. It brings a wonderfully composed grandeur to the border, with lush mid-green foliage and a generous, clump-forming habit that looks elegant from spring onwards.

Planted in autumn as a bare root, this perennial settles in quietly and rewards patience—taking a couple of seasons to reach its best. In May through July, the flowers are superb for cutting: generous, romantic heads that sit beautifully in a vase and lend a classic note to arrangements.

• Ideal for: borders and the cutting garden
• Flowering: May–July
• Height: 80–100cm (with a spread of 60–90cm)
• Position: sheltered; full sun or partial sun
• Soil: moist but well-drained loam; any pH
• Hardiness: fully hardy

Paeonia lactiflora 'Sarah Bernhardt' is the sort of herbaceous peony that never goes out of fashion. From late spring into early summer, it produces generously double, rose-pink blooms with a gentle fragrance—sumptuous in the border, and utterly proper in a vase.

Plant bare roots in autumn and allow this clump-forming perennial time to settle; it rewards patience with increasingly impressive flowering over the years. Best in a sheltered spot with deep, fertile, humus-rich soil that holds moisture without becoming waterlogged.

• Flower: Double, rose pink, lightly fragrant
• Season of interest: May–June
• For: Borders, cottage gardens, cutting gardens; charming beneath roses and shrubs
• Position: Full sun to partial sun, sheltered

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 ‘Aviv Picotee Pink’ is a rather refined choice for spring, with soft pink petals finished with a crisp picotee edge in white. Neat, romantic and wonderfully well-mannered in pots by the door, it also makes an elegant cut flower—perfect for bringing a little spring composure indoors.

Plant the corms in autumn for flowering from early spring into early summer, choosing a sheltered position and soil that drains beautifully. At 30–40cm tall, it sits neatly at the front of borders and in containers, where the blooms can be appreciated up close.

• Colour: Pink & White
• Flowering: March to June
• Height: 30–40cm
• Spread: 15–20cm
• Planting months: September to December
• Best in: Borders, pots & containers, and for cutting

Ranunculus asiaticus ‘Elegance Bianco Striato’ brings a clean, tailored note to the spring garden: crisp white blooms neatly striped for a softly decorative, almost porcelain finish. Part of the refined Elegance Series, it sits beautifully in pots by the door, edges a border with quiet charm, and is a particularly smart choice for cutting.

Expect a compact, clump-forming habit with mid-green foliage and bowl-shaped flowers held at a pleasing height—ideal for mixing through cottage-style planting, or for a more formal palette of whites and creams.

• Colour: White with striped markings
• Flower form: Bowl-shaped
• Height: 30–40cm
• Spread: 15–20cm
• Position: Sheltered
• Best for: Borders, Containers, Cutting Garden

Ranunculus ‘Elegance Cioccolato’ is a notably refined choice for spring, offering richly toned, layered blooms with a beautifully tailored finish. The colour sits in a warm, rusted orange, deepening towards a burgundy-red centre—exactly the sort of nuanced shade that elevates borders, pots, and cutting beds with quiet sophistication.

Part of the Elegance Series, it makes a charming, clump-forming plant at a neat height, ideal for threading through the front of a mixed border or planting in generous drifts in containers. Cut a few stems for the house and you’ll find the palette works effortlessly with creams, soft pinks, and plum tones.

• Botanical name: Ranunculus asiaticus ‘Elegance Cioccolato’ (Elegance Series)
• Form: Double flowers
• Colour: Rust orange with deep burgundy/red centre
• Height: 30–40cm
• Spread: 15–25cm
• Ideal for: Borders, containers, cut flower garden

Ranunculus ‘Elegance Pastello Mix’ is a beautifully judged pastel blend from the refined Italian Elegance® series. Expect generous, exquisitely double blooms in softly contrasting tones—ideal for bringing a calm, romantic note to spring pots, borders, and the cutting garden.

Best grown in a sheltered position with moist but well-drained soil, these corms reward a little care with armfuls of handsome flowers from early to late spring.

• Colour: pastel mix (Multi-Color)
• Flowering: March–June
• Height: 25–40cm
• Perfect for: pots & containers, borders, cut flower garden

Ranunculus 'Elegance Pastello Striato Mix' brings a quietly sumptuous air to spring planting schemes, with generous, rose-like blooms in a refined pastel mix. Each flower is lightly striped and delicately contrasted, creating a painterly effect that reads beautifully in pots and lends a polished touch to the cutting garden.

Part of the Italian Elegance® range, this selection is valued for sturdy stems and a neat, clump-forming habit—ideal for tucking into containers by the door or threading through the front of a border where the detail can be admired up close.

• Colour palette: pastel mix with subtle striping
• Flowering: March to June
• Height: 25–40cm
• Perfect for: pots & containers, borders, and cutting

Soft, pale rose-pink and beautifully composed, Ranunculus 'Elegance Rosa Chiaro' brings a couture finish to spring pots and early cutting beds. Each corm produces generously filled, double blooms held on sturdy stems above neat, mid‑green foliage—perfect for arranging, and equally handsome en masse in containers.

As a half hardy ranunculus, it appreciates a sheltered position and well‑drained soil. Plant in autumn for flowers from March through June, and enjoy a refined, romantic note that sits effortlessly with tulips, narcissi and delicate spring greens.

• Colour: Pale rose‑pink
• Flower form: Double
• Best for: Pots & containers; cut flowers
• Position: Full sun, sheltered

Ranunculus asiaticus ‘Elegance Rosa Striato’ is a wonderfully refined choice for spring colour, with rose-pink blooms brushed and striped with deeper magenta. Part of the coveted Elegance Series, it brings a tailored, couture finish to pots, and a gracious lift to the front of borders.

Planted in autumn in a sheltered spot, these top-size corms produce clump-forming plants with mid-green foliage and beautifully bowl-shaped flowers—ideal for cutting when the buds are just beginning to loosen.

• Colour: Rose pink with magenta striping
• Flowering: March to June
• Height: 30–45cm
• Best for: Cutting, containers, beds & borders

For a touch of sun-warmed colour with a decidedly refined air, Ranunculus 'Orange' is a splendid choice. Its richly saturated blooms open in generous, layered rosettes—beautifully poised in pots and truly invaluable for cutting, where the colour lifts both simple and formal arrangements.

Plant the corms into a bright, sheltered position with sharp drainage. In colder spells, a little winter protection is well judged; this variety is Half Hardy and appreciates being kept safe from hard frosts.

• Colour: Orange blooms over mid-green foliage
• Best for: Pots & containers, and cutting
• Habit: Clump-forming, upright—neat and well-mannered in the border

Ranunculus 'Picotee Café' is a particularly refined ranunculus, celebrated for its richly toned, picotee-edged blooms in deep, coffee-and-caramel shades. Whether planted in smart pots by the door or woven through the front of a border, it brings a composed, curated look—and the stems are equally at home in a cut-flower arrangement.

For best results, choose a sheltered position with moist but well-drained soil and steady moisture while in growth. In colder spells, protect from hard frosts, as this variety is Half Hardy.

• Ideal for: Borders, containers and the cut flower garden
• Colour: Burgundy red with warm orange-gold tones
• Flower form: Double
• Height: 40–60cm

Ranunculus 'Pink' brings a softly romantic note to spring displays, with neatly layered, rose-like blooms in a refined pink palette. Compact and clump-forming, it sits beautifully in pots and containers, and is particularly handsome in the cutting garden—best gathered as the flowers begin to open for the longest vase life.

Plant the corms in autumn in a sheltered position, with moist, well-drained soil. A simple, elegant choice for curated spring colour and charming indoor arrangements.

Ranunculus 'Red' brings a poised shot of colour to late spring and early summer, with neatly layered, rose-like blooms in a clear, confident red. Compact yet upright, it sits beautifully in sheltered borders and is equally at home in pots by the door—always ready to provide a well-cut stem for the house.

For best results, choose a bright, sheltered position in moist but well-drained soil. As a half hardy ranunculus, it appreciates a little protection from hard frosts and winter wet.

• Flowering: May–July
• Height: 40–60cm
• Bulb size: 6/7
• Perfect for: cutting, containers, borders

Ranunculus 'White' is a wonderfully poised spring-flowering ranunculus, producing lush, rose-like blooms in a clean, flattering white. It lends a quietly luxurious touch to pots and borders alike, and is particularly valued for cutting—perfect for crisp, elegant arrangements at home.

For best results, plant in a bright, sheltered position with sharp drainage. As a half hardy corm, it appreciates protection from hard frost, especially in colder gardens or exposed sites.

Why we love it

• Refined white, double blooms with a beautifully full finish
• Excellent in containers and a favourite for cutting
• Ideal for a bright, sheltered spot with well-drained soil

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

Tulipa ‘Acuminata’ is a wonderfully characterful tulip, prized for its long, finely pointed petals and painterly spring colouring. Each bloom combines warm yellow and red tones, often finished with a subtle green tinge, creating an elegant, slightly untamed look that suits both pots by the door and well-drained borders.

With an upright habit and grey-green foliage, it brings height and movement without fuss. Plant in autumn, allow it a sheltered position, and look forward to its distinctive, species-style presence from March to April.

• Distinctive shape: slender, pointed petals with a refined, flame-like silhouette
• Colour: yellow and red, often lightly tinged green
• Versatile planting: particularly handsome in spring containers and neat drifts through borders