March

Actaea simplex 'Atropurpurea' is an exceptionally beautiful selection, valued for its large Astilbe-like leaves of purple black. Its dark hue makes a wonderful backdrop for colourful foliage and flowering shade plants. In late summer, long, fluffy spires in pale pinkish-white, rise above the dark foliage.

This uncommon Clematis is a graceful, vigorous and very floriferous climber. During summer and all the way through to autumn the plant is covered with golden yellow nodding lanterns. In the autumn the flowers of 'Radar Love' turn into beautiful large tufts of long silvery, silky seed heads that are just as ornamental.

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.

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.

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.

‘Chocolate Covered Cherry’ is one of the prettiest introductions of the series. Velvety leaves painted in a rich cocoa-brown, flushed with glowing cherry red, and trimmed with a bright green margin that sets the whole plant alight. A 'Premium Sun' variety that performs best in a position of full sun, remarkably heat and drought tolerant once established.

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. The 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.

The 'Wizard' Series is best seed raised strain for bedding and containers. The heart-shaped leaves show their colour early and keeps its hues right through the worst summer heat and humidity. Vivid shades of gold, jade, pineapple, rose, scarlet and sunset. The brilliant apricot-bronze Sunset and deep Velvet Red, each is a distinctive work of art.

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.

Coreopsis 'Incredible Swirl' is a striking variety that provides a captivating display of unique, bicolour blooms. The mix of cream and soft cranberry to plum act as the perfect bridge flower in bouquets or in the garden. These flowers are long-lasting and prolific, blooming in abundance from late spring to early autumn.

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 ‘Antiquity’ is a completely unique colour of Cosmos in the colours of a beautiful faded tapestry. It is a very dwarf variety, growing to only 15in tall and teeming with 2in flowers. The flowers are rich burgundy on opening and change to an antique bronze-salmon when ageing.

In adorable shades of apricot, peach with a soft rose centre, the new Cosmos bipinnatus 'Apricotta' will soon become a firm favourite amongst florists and gardeners. The tall plants are early to flower, they make a wonderful display in borders and the long stems are perfect for cutting .

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 "Daydream" is a superb new colour, palest pink with a deep rose pink centre makes this a unique and delicate addition to any garden. The flowers are very early and are freely produced over a long period. Very easy to grow, making it a perfect choice for children or the less experienced gardener.

Cosmos 'Double Click Cranberries' has fabulous eye-catching carmine-red coloured double flowers with some single variations. It is easy to grow and is such a lovely ‘cut and come’ again variety that just flowers and flowers over a long season.