Any Time of Year

Acoelorrhaphe wrightii is native to Florida and parts of the Caribbean, this striking fan palm is small to moderately tall. Hardy to -6°C (20°F) it is one of just a few palms that can survive in saturated soil conditions. A good outdoor palm for a milder areas and a very tropical alternative to a hedge of shrubs.

Agave mckelvyana is a small, relatively rare species of American Agave from western Arizona. This little beauty forms a tight rosette of broad, bluish green, fleshy leaves with small teeth. It is one of the hardiest agaves, it can take winter rain and is tolerant of drought and severe freezes to minus 15°C.

Agave xylonacantha 'Blue' is the beautiful blue-green leafed form. Rare in cultivation, this dramatic specimen is armed with the most bizarre large white teeth of all the family. One of its previous names, Agave carchariodonta was in reference to the teeth (odonta) of the Great White Shark, Carcharodon carcharias.

Commonly known as the Cat's Tail Aloe, Aloe castanea is one of the larger ‘shrub’ aloes available to the home gardener. The rosette gives rise to multiple, fuzzy, orange racemes which are held upright and curve like a cat’s tail.

The Cape Aloe is a distinctly handsome plant, with broad, lance-shaped, fleshy leaves and a large candelabra-like flower-head. There are usually between five and eight branches, each carrying a spike-like head of many flowers.

One of the most attractive and floriferous of Aloes of South Africa, Aloe microstigma, forms solitary or small clumps of beautiful rosettes of blue green leaves. The leaves are adorned with conspicuous white spots, which contrast nicely with the reddish teeth along the margins.

Aloe striata, commonly known as the Coral Aloe is one of the prettiest of all succulents. The smooth, blue-green leaves are edged with a pink or red margin and it blooms with coral coloured flowers. Grown with Agave, cacti or other succulents, they make stunning indoor displays.

Amsonia illustris is perhaps the boldest of the Amsonias, a little taller and showier with shiny green leaves and larger blue flowers. They flower reliably year after year, are not fussy about soil or situation and are very hardy. The foliage stays green through summer and turns a brilliant gold in the autumn. This is an extraordinary long lived designer perennial that deserves wider use.

Anemonopsis macrophylla is one of the most beautiful and elegant plants that you could wish for. Slow growing and rarely seen, it bears nodding, opalescent white flowers on slender elegant spikes, but this emphatic woodlander is not in fact difficult to grow if given humus-rich, semi-shaded conditions.

This pretty little wildflower is a slow growing, long-lived plant with attractive spikes of rich pink-mauve flowers that are very attractive to bees and butterflies as a nectar source. The flowers, which rise from dark green crinkly leaves, keep their colour throughout summer and look stunning when growing en-masse.

Brugmansia sanguinea is probably the most spectacular of the species and distinguished from all others by the abundance of vibrant fiery red blooms. The elegant, trumpet-shaped flowers starting out yellow blend into a burst of brilliant red and makes an exciting addition to any garden or conservatory.

These exotic beauties, native to South America, can transform a terrace or patio into a tropical paradise. Angel Trumpets are large shrubs with lush foliage and masses of delightfully fragrant trumpets. In the cool, moist air of evening, their fragrance is spellbinding.

This shrubby brugmansia is a heavy bearer of stunning pendulous yellow flowers, it is delightful when grown in a patio pot and may be grown indoors with bright light and warmth, where it can be pruned to desirable size. The flowers are especially fragrant in the evening.

Brugmansia versicolor, commonly called Angel's Trumpet is a tropical shrub, with exceptionally large, pendulous, trumpet-shaped, peachy-apricot flowers, 37cm (15in) long. It is delightful when grown in a patio pot, in the cool, moist air of evening, their fragrance is spellbinding.

Growing cacti is an addictive hobby and be much easier than commonly perceived. This premium cactus seed mix of a variety of species includes the famous and magnificent Saguaro Cactus. They germinate easily, grow slowly, but compared to many plants need relatively little care.

Cardiocrinum giganteum is a truly spectacular plant, which produces glorious vanilla scented, trumpet-like flowers on stems up two to three metres tall. Most gardeners agree growing this rare beauty is well worth the wait. I suppose you do have to be patient to be a gardener. We all know the longer we must wait for a beauty, the more we treasure it.

Over the past few years, the new breeding of Coleus has exploded them into hundreds of wild and crazy types of colours and forms. Overwhelmingly the favourite is the Kong series for its sheer presence, each leaf is easily as big as your palm, and probably twice as large as the next biggest Coleus you can buy.

Grown for its outstanding foliage colours, the Kong series of coleus boasts extremely large leaves with irregular edges, each leaf is easily as big as your palm, and probably twice as large as the next biggest Coleus you can buy. 'Kong Red' displays a broad vein of brilliant red down the centre of each leaf.

Coleus has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity. The new breeding has taken a handful of series and exploded them into hundreds of wild and crazy types of colours and forms. Coleus 'Kong Rose' has huge leaves that are rose in the center, with a band of burgundy that flows out to chartreuse edges.

Featuring huge leaves that are coral in the centre and edged in bright green, Coleus 'Kong Salmon-Pink' is a 'Premium Shade' variety, that are great for large containers and mass plantings, performing best and showing the most intense colour in full shade, they also work well for indoor plant programs. It's hard to go wrong with this plant.

Coleus 'Kong Scarlet' has huge leaves that are dark red with veins trailing out to chartreuse edges. Coleus colours become more vibrant when they get more shade. This is very unusual behaviour, and explains why Coleus is a popular choice for under-the-tree plantings and shade-of-the-building gardens.