1. Passion Flower ,RS: 2500
The intricate blooms of passion flowers are the definition of easy exotic plants. Even if you’re new to gardening, you’ll be rewarded with an abundance of beautiful flowers that wouldn’t look out of place in a botanic garden. The blue passion flower, Passiflora caerulea, is the one to go for: it’s a vigorous climbing plant that scrambles up trellis, walls and fences using its clinging tendrils and is hardy throughout much of the UK. Plants repeat flower profusely throughout summer when grown in a sunny site, with the added bonus of golden orange ornamental fruits that last well into autumn.
2. Olive ,RS:3000
The sight of olive trees clad with grey-green oval leaves and ripening fruits can rekindle treasured memories of sun-soaked Mediterranean holidays. Luckily, you don’t need much horticultural know-how to nurture a slow-growing olive in a flower pot here in chilly Blighty. Olives thrive in sunny, dry conditions and occasionally crop in the UK, although fruits are unlikely to be edible. Olea europaea trees can survive outdoors year-round in mild regions although it’s advisable to grow in plant containers and move trees into greenhouses or porches ahead of winter in regions that experience prolonged spells of sub-zero temperatures.
3. Bottlebrush, RS 3500
Add a touch of Down Under to your garden with the head-turning crimson bottlebrush. Callistemon citrinus ‘Splendens’, to give it its proper name, is a medium-size evergreen shrub that forms the backbone of tropical plant borders, clothed with narrow, ovate leaves that are a common sight in warmer climes. Every spring, especially during warm starts to the season, dazzling crimson bottlebrush-like flower spikes are borne near shoot tips, acting as a magnet for pollinators and luring bees in their droves.
4. Sea Holly ,RS 4500
If Covid-19 restrictions curtailed your plans for a trip to the coast, why not bring architectural seaside-style flora to your garden? Eryngium, with its striking, thistle-like, blooms, is a must for gravel and coastal-style gardens. Flowers, in shades of blue or grey dependent on variety, are beloved by pollinators and sea holly plants are a doddle to grow in a sunny spot: they’ll thrive in poor soil, as long as it’s free-draining, and require little watering.