Talbotia elegans

A bit of an obscurity this one - this is a member of the southern hemisphere family, the velloziaceae, and is probably the hardiest of them. They are particularly known for being among those plants that look dead during the dry season but miraculously revive when the rains come. (Sometimes included in the genus Xerophyta, meaning 'dry plant'.) 

This is a dense, tussock-forming plant with rather fibrous leaves – green above, purple under. Pretty white flowers appear on fine hair-like stems in summer. Probably best in an unheated greenhouse, but I've tried it outside with a canopy to keep it dry in winter, and although the leaves look dead they revive in spring, so don’t cut them off unless they get really tatty. For well-drained soil in sun.

£12