February

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.

This wonderful Victorian type coleus ‘Black Dragon’ forms a riot of rumpled leaves in velvety purplish black leaves, each bordered by frilly edges. The ruby red centres are sometimes flecked with violet or pink. Easy to grow from seed, they will show their first colours in as little as two weeks.

The neatest Coleus to come along in quite a while, 'Chocolate Mint' offers rich cocoa coloured foliage with a mint-green scalloped edge. A 'Premium Sun' variety, they perform at their best in a position of full sun and are quite heat and drought tolerant outdoors. The leaves are very uniform, turn them over and they gleam bright mint. Scrumptious!

Coleus 'Coral Candy' features a new plant form - narrow, serrated leaves that gracefully drape down the mounded plants. The first seed raised coleus to ever win the coveted AAS Winner designation - AAS Judges noted that this beautiful variety holds its colour well, even when grown in full sun and holds up nicely in the autumn.

Coleus have been perfected, the new varieties have colours that intensify in sun, but can also thrive in shade. “Coral Sunrise” is an excellent example of the new developments, The beautiful coral pink heart-shaped leaves have neatly serrated edges, with shades of olive and intense bright green margins.

Ten years back coleus were gaudy relics from Grandmother's generation, but now coleus are back and teetering on the cutting edge. “Wizard Sunset” is one of the softer colours from the Wizard series, with heart-shaped leaves in beautiful shades of bronze - apricot. Excellent in full sun.

Dazzling gold stripes on mahogany-brown petals mark each bloom as unique on this very free-flowering, semi-double Coreopsis. Irresistible to butterflies but left alone by deer and untroubled by heat, humidity, and drought, this carefree beauty self-sows freely, going from seed to bloom in just 12 weeks.

Dazzling gold stripes on mahogany-brown petals mark each bloom as unique on this very free-flowering, semi-double Coreopsis. Irresistible to butterflies but left alone by deer and untroubled by heat, humidity, and drought, this carefree beauty self-sows freely, going from seed to bloom in just 12 weeks.

This unusual pink form of pampas grass with tall, pink-flushed, feathery plumes is a real show stopper. In midsummer spectacular plumes erupt above the foliage. The show continues into winter as the feathery plumes persist and the foliage turns golden brown when touched by frost.

Cortaderia selloana 'White Feather' - Pampas Grasses are the ultimate architectural plant, adding texture, autumn colour and winter shapes in the landscape. Relatively easy to grow, this plant flowers throughout late summer and autumn. It will provide colour and interest for many years.

What gardener with a heart and soul could resist the spring flowers of Corydalis, whose winged petals with upswept spurs suggest a flight of elfin butterflies. These woodland ephemerals are highly useful at the front of the border, with miniature bulbs such as crocus, muscari or scillas.

Cosmos bipinnatus ‘Cosimo’ is a series of colours and forms that and give a wonderful effect when planted in combination or in large drifts. 'Cosimo Collarette' blooms with voluptuous semi double flowers, in light pink with white stripes to pure white edged with pink.

Cosmos bipinnatus ‘Cosimo’ is a series that have each been awarded one of the most prestigious horticultural awards, the Fleuroselect Award. Early flowering and uniform, the plants grow to a height of 50 to 60cm, short enough to be used at the front of the border, they can also be used in larger container planting.

Renowned for its surprisingly large ruffled blooms, Cosmos ‘Psyché Mixture’ grows to a height of around 90 to 120cm and throws up hundreds of elegantly waved, upright blooms in crimson, rich lavender pink, and white. They provide plenty of colour in the garden and vases full of cuts flowers.

Cyperus alternifolius is a very popular both as a house plant and pond plant. The bracts are symmetrically arranged in an umbrella formation and held atop elegant stems that sway with the breeze, giving a tropical touch to the garden. They are also excellent when used in fresh or dried floral arrangements.

Daucus carota 'Dara' is a large flowered chocolate coloured Queen Anne’s Lace. Delicate, lacy, flat-topped clusters in shades of old rose-pink, through burgundy to chocolate, and bloom for most of the summer from just one planting. They look great en masse and the plant pairs well with almost anything in the garden or in the vase.

Delphinium 'Magic Fountains Cherry Blossom' is an elegant delphinium with densely packed flower spires of large, semi-double blooms. In a gorgeous vintage shade of dusky, cherry-blossom pink, each bloom has a white centre known as the 'bee'. The sturdy spikes are very attractive to bees and make a wonderful cut flower.

The Fountains series is a vigorous-growing strain that if sown early will flower in the current year. Delphinium 'Magic Fountains Dark Blue' has densely packed spires of dark blue flowers each with a dark bee. It is ideal for borders and can be grown as a container plant.