Aconitum lycoctonum moldavicum

This is one of those species where the flowers have a tall narrow hood. The best-known forms have yellowish or off-white flowers but this is a very nice dusky purple form, to about 3ft tall and flowering in late summer. Easy and hardy

£8

Weigela sp. TCM 12-852

An unknown species  from Tom Mitchell. Early flowering with unusually broad fresh green leaves and soft rosy flowers. Rather choice. I like it a lot

in production

Abelia (Linnaea) umbellata

An extremely rarely offered hardy species related to mosanensis and triflora. The flowers are jasmine-like rosy white tubes backed with maroon sepals and the leaves are relatively broad and dark green. I’ve not been growing it long enough to know what it does long term but it looks promising.

Cuttings given to me by Peter Catt
£16

Salix bockii

A very unusual willow for its summer/autumn flowering - the catkins are creamy white up to 2ins long on long slender branches covered in small oval grey green leaves.

Frankly it looks nothing like a willow, but is an adaptable small to medium shrub suitable for any not-too-dry soils in sun or semi shade.
£10

Perovskia Filigran

A choicer, shorter plant than the P.atriplicifolia cultivars we normally see and probably a form or hybrid of P.abrotanoides, which is less easy to grow in moist mild climates.  The silver foliage is very finely cut, the stems are white and the flowers are intense blue.

I’ve not yet worked out how to get the best from it but a very dry site with maximum exposure is probably the key. Very cold hardy.
sold out for now

Viburnum cylindricum

An evergreen species grown for the unusual greyish cast to the foliage and panicles of creamy flowers in summer. Bloomy black fruits.  An uncommon large shrub – excellent on chalk. £16

Two plants for dry shade

Strobilanthes nutans

A really nice change from the better known upright purple flowered species – this one trails over the ground and is seen at its best in a shady raised bed (or a hanging basket? Why not?) with it’s pure white, hop-like inflorescences dangling over the side.

Hardy so far here and unusually classy.
£8

Euonymus fortunei Wolong Ghost

Very different to other forms of fortunei in cultivation – this is a creeping/climbing plant with relatively narrow dark green leaves, the veins picked out in white.

Makes an excellent ground cover in dry shade
£8