1. This isn’t one of the more commonly grown dwarf winter irises, possibly Iris reticulata ‘Fabiola’, but I stand to be corrected. The dark blue and white falls have a flash of yellow.
2. The winter garden. The green blue foliage of Cupressus arizonica var. glabra ‘Blue Ice’ made a great contrast with the yellow of Erica arborea var. alpina f. aureifolia ‘Albert’s Gold’. In the background, deciduous plants with winter interest included Prunus serrula (Tibetan cherry) with its reddish bark; orange flowered Hamamelis (witch hazel); and various kinds of Cornus (dogwood). Flowering heathers were added for ground cover.
3. A double, pale pink hellebore hybrid. If you prefer singles, I recently shared a gallery of spotted hellebores here.
4. I’m not a fan of Begonia, (although I am fond of Strawberry Begonia (Saxifraga stolonifera) which doesn’t sound like a real Begonia) but their boldly patterned foliage really caught my eye in the Glasshouse. This one was labelled ‘Begonia from Java’. While I was admiring the begonias, some ladies to the right of me were whispering about how much they disliked their garish colours. Seeing plants in a semi-tropical landscape last year has made me think of them differently. In Britain, ground cover plants don’t need to try too hard to stand out. In Key West, they don’t stand out, no matter how bold they might be.
5. The Giant Houseplant Takeover prompted our visit.
6. I was disappointed that the flowering hepaticas in the Alpine House were encased in glass, looking outwards to the sun. I took shots through the window of this lovely little semi-double plant and the double below. I rarely get a chance to see hepaticas in flower and they fascinate me.
I’m sharing this as part of The Propagator’s Six On Saturday. The people who take part are knowledgeable, enthusiastic real-life gardeners who share seasonal plants from their own gardens, although six from a recent visit to a garden are also welcomed.
Susan Rushton 
What lovely photos! Just what I need when there’s grey sleet, and wild wind outside.
It’s pretty dire here today.
I LOVED those “garish” and was thinking about how much I would like to have them in my shady yard garden. They would provided a much-needed splash of color.
They’re beginning to seem more interesting to me. I saw a white speckled one I liked too.
I think they would really pep up the green foliage in my shady front yard.
Simply gorgeous photos!
Thank you, Sheree!
Wisley is looking good! I love hepatica and, as you say, it is a shame about the glass prison. 🙂
I was an ‘Oh yes!… oh no!’ moment when I saw them.
Lovely hellebore! Seeing the hepaticas reminds me to begin looking for them soon.
Good luck! I don’t see them as often as I would like to.
What a lovely post, so full of interest.
My favourite has to be the beautiful double hellebore (I’m currently in love with them), rapidly followed by your photograph from the winter garden. The vibrant colour of Erica arborea ‘Albert’s Gold’ is quite stunning.
I have a soft spot for the doubles too.
Nice selection, Susan. I do love that pink hepatica. We have the native purple ones here in early spring. Their leaves are so distinctive.
I have seent hem growing wild, but not often enough!
There’s a very similar Hepatica on Paul Christian’s Rare Bulbs site, for £45. Shame they need the glass screen even so. Not a fan of Begonia, hmm. You prompted me to look at Dibley’s website, looks like B. sizemoreae may be back on sale. B. luxurians did really well planted out in the garden last year too. You haven’t encountered the right begonias yet. Wish Wisley was nearer.
I wish it was nearer to me too. This was only my second visit. I checked out the Rare Bulbs site and saw another Hepatica from the glass case, a double, or at least something very similar.
Wisley looks very interesting – you’ve found so much to see even in this miserable wet February. The iris and hellebore are lovely, and the begonia is very eye catching.
It is a great garden. The only other time I visited was in the summer, when I was very taken by the long herbaceous borders. The garden seemed bigger in the summer, perhaps because of all the vegetation blocking some of the views.
Personality in each, but, oh, that iris! I spent a long time gazing on that. The Propagator is most interesting!
He is!