A furry leaved favourite of the nursery supervisor. Holding its own in a warm corner of the back yard is Colquhounia aff. coccinea* Collected at altitude in Tibet this semi evergreen shrub produces terminal flower heads of stunning colour. It grows in grassland and at the edge of light woodland; preferring a sheltered situation in open soil when cultivated here. During a hard winter it will die back; re-growth is rapid if the rootstock survives.

Typical labiate shaped flowers with the corolla divided into extended lip like parts which are deep orange in colour. The leaves are covered in minute white hairs and exude an aromatic scent when bruised.

*aff. is used in a name where an identification of a plant is uncertain and means ‘akin to or bordering’.

Colquhounia aff. coccinea

Colquhounia aff. coccinea

Colquhounia aff. coccinea