From slender stems, the clear scarlet, cup-shaped flowers of Hesperantha coccinea 'Major' emerge throughout autumn and early winter, catching the eye in the mixed borders above the fountain.

Nerines are South African bulbs from the East Cape Province and the Drakensberg Mountains, growing on cliffs and rocks. Although there are many species, it is only Nerine bowdenii that is reliably hardy, and only when some consideration is given to the siting when planting.

If you have not already found the amazing South African bed in Osborn’s Field (Area J) you really should head there to enjoy the interesting and colourful collection of flowering plants from the different habitats of that country.

Originating from the woodlands of Georgia, Alabama and the south-eastern states of the USA, the Bottlebrush Buckeye, Aesculus parviflora, can easily be missed.

E. candicans from Madeira (common name Pride of Madeira), a subshrub in the borage family, is flowering dramatically in the Mediterranean Climate Garden (Area L) for the first time.

Cornus 'Norman Hadden' provides a stunning display of beautiful flower bracts, thickly layered along the branches from May to July. They slowly change from white to various shades of deep pink.

Salvia uliginosa originates from moist places of southern Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina, and is often referred to as the bog sage. It was described and named by English botanist George Bentham in 1833, (ulignosa meaning of swamps and marshes), but was not introduced into cultivation in Britain until the early part of the twentieth century.

At a time of year when few shrubs are in flower, this rarely seen ornamental pomegranate surprises with its display of bright shiny buds and showy flowers. The glossy mid-green leaves make a good foil for the double orange-red flowers, streaked and edged with white.

This is a particularly beautiful American elder, related to our common elder of hedges and copses. This plant was one of the 'Restoration plantings' of 2004, and is situated on the edge of Osborns Field (area J).

At the top of the West Lawn, in front of the pavilions, a dense clump of overgrown hollies and shrubs has recently been cleared, resulting in much improved vistas and the dramatic revealing of a fine oak, Quercus x hispanica 'Lucombeana'.

A native of South Africa, in the Cape Province from Olifants River to Cape Town, amaryllis is a flowering bulb found growing on rocky hillsides, in scrub and near rivers.