Copyright

Published by Collins

an imprint of

HarperCollins Publishers

77–85 Fulham Palace Road

London W6 8JB

www.harpercollins.co.uk

First published in 2006 Great Britain by HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd

Text © Nigel Colborn, 2006

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Nigel Colborn asserts his moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

HarperCollinsPublishers has made every reasonable effort to ensure that any picture content and written content in this ebook has been included or removed in accordance with the contractual and technological constraints in operation at the time of publication.

Source ISBN: 9780007193127

Ebook Edition © AUGUST 2014 ISBN: 9780007591831

Version: 2014-08-01

Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Introduction

Annuals

Biennials

Bedding

Bulbs

Alpines

Perennials

Groundcover

Grasses

Ferns

Climbers

Shrubs

Trees

Water Plants

About the Publisher

How to Use This Book

The aim of this book is to stimulate planting ideas, rather than give prescriptive formulae. Feel free, therefore, to flick through the pages at random and alight on any plants that catch your eye. The main section of the book consists of the plant directory pages, categorised as shown in the contents table, with each group – shrubs, annuals etc. – further subdivided to offer selections for specific sites. Thus, if you are searching for a medium sized shrub that prefers partial sun, you will find a choice here. Each plant entry gives essential details and a brief description, and lists suggestions for companion plants. Alternative varieties are also frequently mentioned.

Interspersed among the directory pages, you will find occasional spreads devoted to a specific plant group. Limited space allows these to represent but a tiny sample from such extensive genera as roses (ref 1 and ref 2) or clematis (ref 1 and ref 2). They are intended for use as a starting point, perhaps for a more detailed search elsewhere.

Examples of plant associations are also included, for example, here, where a scheme with annuals is described and illustrated. Like the special spreads, these are intended as prompters for further ideas, rather than as specific recipes to which one must adhere.

Although the information given is as accurate as possible, it is important to bear in mind that plants can cope with a surprisingly wide range of conditions outside their recognized ‘comfort zones’. Species which are deemed tender, can often survive low night temperatures, certain wetland plants can be surprisingly drought tolerant and plants adapted to sunny conditions may thrive in shade. Heights and dimensions can vary, too, depending on growing conditions, so be experimental, when you plant, and prepare for some surprises!

Introduction

Choosing plants can be one of the greatest pleasures of gardening, but it can also give rise to the most agonising dilemmas. The number of species and varieties in cultivation is so vast and so varied that deciding which ones to select, for a particular planting scheme, is almost impossible. And as garden sizes reduce, in an increasingly urban world, that choice becomes ever more crucial.

Every part of every garden, regardless of design or style, presents its own special planting opportunities. Whether on a grand scale, such as in a big mixed border, or in a space so confined that only tiny plants will fit, there are decisions to be made, combinations to be composed and solutions to be found. Which perennial group will blend well in this partly shaded bed? What climbers would thrive on that sheltered wall? Is there a plant that can grow in that baking hot corner or that waterlogged bog? Didn’t I even see a plant grown on nothing more than a house brick once? Every garden situation, regardless of prevailing conditions, presents a planting challenge and, for every challenge, there is a planting solution.

The purpose of this book is to serve as a launching pad for your own creative planting ideas. As many typical situations as possible have been included, with specific plant suggestions offered for each. Ample cross referencing and special sections on selected plant combinations help to develop design ideas further so that among the hundreds of individual plants mentioned in the following pages, you are bound to find inspiration to come up with the very best plant solutions for your own garden.

We assess the plants, not merely on their own merit, but as core elements of good garden design. Detailed planting recipes are not included, since these could influence or even cramp individual creativity, and cultural advice is kept to a minimum. However, once a number of potential plants has been identified for a specific site, your next step will be to develop that initial choice into a growing composition in which plants will not only thrive, but will also look beautiful together. And if such a composition works well, that beauty and interest becomes a dynamic art form which changes almost daily but sustains its constant allure, through each of the seasons.

The choice of plants, for any garden situation, will be rich and varied, even if growing conditions are less than ideal.

Some Thoughts on Planting and Design

Garden design has recently experienced a stimulating revolution. In an age of growing prosperity since the mid 1990s, interest in private outdoor spaces increased sharply and by the turn of the century, gardens and gardening had entered a new era. Growth in hard landscaping burgeoned, with ever-expanding areas of paving, decking, gravel, terracing, walls and fancy fencing. Such colourful new materials as tumbled glass gravel, raw sheet copper or dyed sands were deployed, often in dramatic and mould-breaking styles. This brave new gardening world continues to develop and to evolve in all aspects of design bar one: creative planting.

Plants are a crucial element to almost all popular garden designs but their importance is often overlooked. Plant choice, even by able and experienced designers, is sometimes inappropriate, resulting in ill-composed schemes which go badly wrong, or worse, in plants that simply languish or die. Plant associations can be unsympathetic, either to the hard landscaping that surrounds them, or within the mix of chosen species. There are plant-minded designers, of course, many of whom develop original and creative planting schemes, but these are exceptions, and in the great bulk of new gardens, from major public spaces, to tiny urban oases, plants have tended to become misunderstood components.

Creative planting schemes, with varied colours, textures and sizes, help to soften the harsh effect of hard landscaping.

Creative planting is a dynamic, ongoing art form. The mixed border, below, has been boosted with temporary colour from a midseason introduction of tender, summer-flowering perennials. These could, in turn, be underplanted with spring bulbs.

Plants for bedding can be used in exactly the same way as a decorator might deploy paint or carpet – to cover a surface with a chosen colour. These African marigolds, planted after the last frost, in spring, paint a bright golden surface for the whole of the summer. While they flourish, the effect is spectacular, but when the bed is stripped away, only bare soil will remain.

Texturing Plants

Given a sound structure, usually provided from a combination of hard materials and woody plants, the bulk of any planting scheme is likely to be concerned with filling the spaces in between. The term ‘in-fill’ or ‘space filling’ suggests that these plants are less important than the structure but the opposite is true. The soft planting, in all its guises and styles, plays the most important role of all. These are the plants that create the desired mood. They will often be the most rapidly changing, and so will deliver the essential dynamic of a well-tempered garden. Since, by volume, texturing plants usually make up the largest area, they will have the most influence on colour schemes, on texture, on planting styles and on ensuring sustained interest.

By policing in-fill plants, one can develop changes of mood and style from one part of the garden to another, or from one season to another. Bursts of special interest can be engineered to take place in specific garden spots, by concentrating in-fill plants that will synchronise their performance with their neighbours. A woodland garden, for example, may be a cool, shady, green retreat from the heat of summer where little is in flower and berries have yet to ripen, but in winter and spring, the same area could host a mass of highly coloured bulbs and perennials from snowdrops, hellebores and yellow winter aconites in mid-winter to wild narcissus, epimediums, primulas, and fritillaries in mid-spring. A dry garden, developed for minimal water use, will benefit from being well furnished with evergreens – especially those with distinctive foliage – so that the seasons are linked by a constant background, and so that there is something beautiful to look at during extreme summer heat or in the depths of winter.

When plants are teamed, colours in one variety can pick up sympathetic tones in the hues of its neighbours. Here, the bell flowers of the tall Campanula echo the mauve and pink hues of the annual candytuft.

Planting for the Senses

Although it seems pretty obvious, it may be worth remembering that good planting will stimulate more than just the eyes and nose. In a richly planted garden, there will be plants to listen to and to touch, as well as those that look pretty. This dimension becomes doubly important if a planting scheme is designed for people who lack one or more of the five senses.

Sight The most obvious of the senses, for gardeners, but there are subtleties frequently overlooked. Pale pastel colours and whites, for example, are best for planting schemes which may be viewed mainly in poor light or at night. Very dark colours tend to vanish into shadow, when viewed from a distance, whereas pale ones stand out. In bright light, pale colours appear washed out, whereas strong hues become more arresting. Large flowers, in strong colours, have far more influence in the overview of a border or plant group than do lots of small flowers in even much brighter colours.

Fragrance The second most important of the senses, in a garden, is the sense of smell. Plants with a desirable fragrance are best placed where they are readily accessible to the nose; those which have an unpleasant odour should never be placed where they can spoil the garden experience, but may still be worth growing for other reasons. When blending fragrances, some go better together than others. The richness of summer jasmine, for example is expanded to Wagnerian sensuality if teamed with the perfume of honeysuckle and Nicotiana affinis. The smell of lavender adds a firmer dimension to the sweeter perfume of old roses.

Touch So many plants are pleasant to stroke, or to feel. Many of the artemisias, for instance, have silky textured filigree leaves and are aromatic as well. The shining, bright tan trunk of the Chinese cherry species Prunus serrula makes it worth growing, just to look at, but extra pleasure comes from being able to caress that smooth, polished bark.

Taste Taste is less critical, but if you want to grow a hazel nut for its beautiful foliage, or edge a border with wild strawberries for their decorative value, being able to eat the produce provides an added bonus.

Sound Sound can help to create special moods. A breeze blowing through aspen leaves makes a noise identical to falling rain; wind in a pine tree sighs and sobs whereas winter gales make the tall dead stems of Miscanthus grass hiss in a disturbing manner. Classical Chinese gardeners were said to have had the tradition of planting large, broad leaved specimens just below the eaves of a building, and close to a window, so that during rain, the sound of water drops striking them would be audible from within. The effect, apparently, was to enhance the melancholy mood of a wet day.

The long, curving leaves of Bowles golden sedge, Carex elata ‘Aurea’ (left), harmonise with the yellow-leaved form of meadowsweet, Filipendua ulmaria ‘Aurea’, while their textures make a dramatic contrast.

The best plants make multiple contributions. The pink, variegated petals are the obvious asset of this old gallica rose, ‘Rosa Mundi’, but it also provides sweet fragrance and makes a sumptuous texture contrast with the yellow-green lady’s mantle growing nearby.

Planting for the Emotions

Less obvious than planting for the physical senses, carefully devised planting will also stimulate an emotive response. A feeling of calm, for example, is enhanced when gentle colours and subtly blended foliage textures are deployed. But when colours are strident and there are strong colour contrasts, the viewer tends to feel more agitated, particularly when plants with spiky outlines are used, or where trees have irregular limbs. Examples abound, of how specific planting schemes stimulate particular emotions. Here is a small selection, presented in opposing pairs:

Hot/cool; calm/agitated As a general rule, cool colours – blue, white, green – are calming, whereas hot oranges, reds and golds can be agitating. But blues are cold and can lack passion whereas bold, burning reds stir the blood and hot oranges actually make one feel warmer.

Low-key/high key In some parts of a garden, planting is best if low-key. Uniform ground cover – or a lawn for that matter – makes a gentle foil, allowing neighbouring features, whether plants or objects, to stand out. A frequent mistake made by people who remove their lawns is to install a gravel surface, but then to plant it so busily that it becomes a strong feature in its own right, perhaps overshadowing surrounding borders or planting schemes. Where a strong, bold statement is needed, however, planting must rise to the need, drawing one’s eye and dominating the scene. A single main architectural plant, or a small group, may suffice, but a canny plant designer will keep an eye on such a group and keep finding ways to make its impact even stronger.

Inviting/forbidding Careful placing of plants, particularly near entrances or where different sections of a garden are divided, are able either to make a welcoming pitch, or to discourage entry. Both techniques are valuable. Where the entrance is narrow – through a gateway, perhaps, or under an arch, a carefully placed plant with interesting foliage colour or conspicuous blossoms will help to draw people in. If the arches or gateways are themselves well furnished with handsome climbing plants, perhaps with special treasures also grown at their feet, a visitor might pause there, to enjoy the moment, before passing through.

A sea of spring daffodils induces a feeling of calm and well-being thanks to the delicate contrast between the soft, pastel colour of the flowers and the subtle greens of the stems and foliage.

Where there needs to be private access, whose use is to be limited, the opposite of these measures can be taken. Shrubs can be allowed to expand and disguise the thoroughfare, or planting in front can be staggered so that only those ‘in the know’ are inclined to slip through. And in places where security is a concern, ostentatiously thorny, dense vegetation can do a lot to back up the threat of any spiked railings or fencing which stands between it and the outside world.

Intellectual versus emotional This is a more difficult concept to believe in, but with planting, just as in an instrumental concerto, there is often a tension between two forms. With the musical analogy, the solo instrument converses with the orchestra, sometimes in unison, but mostly in a melodious dialogue. In a garden, formal landscaping – whether with plants or structures – can have a similar dialogue with more naturalistic planting. Formal geometric shapes are the result of an intellectual exercise, Man imposing himself on Nature. Line and form have been carefully considered and structures – be they plants or man-made objects – are laid out in strictly disciplined patterns. Eighteenth century parterres, Victorian bedding schemes and some modern day public plantings are examples of these. Wild, natural landscapes are the antithesis of this cerebral approach. Topography and vegetation are seen as nature intended and the rules of symmetry appear to be broken. Naturalistic designs in gardens take the main elements of beauty from truly wild landscapes and compose them to create romanticised scenes. Streams or ponds appear like natural water courses and planting is in layers – trees, shrubs, understorey – more or less as you would find in rural regions.

In most gardens, however, both concepts are adopted and there is a stimulating tension between the two. An artificial flower meadow, for example, might be skirted – as in the author’s garden – by fine-mown lawn, and a clipped shrub screen. In many modern versions of Elizabethan knot gardens, summer perennials are allowed to progress and flower fairly freely, whereas the originals would have been much more formally planted.

A gateway that is well furnished with interesting plants and flowers will be more inviting than bare pillars and a gate. If this many plants decorate the entrance, how much more will there be to enjoy inside?

Floral fireworks! The seed heads of Allium schubertii bring a touch of drama to this dense, mixed Mediterranean planting scheme.

Planting in Specific Styles

Planting styles will depend very much on overall design, and on personal preference, but it is worth considering some of the most popular and distinctive of these:

Classic mixed borders

Mixed borders must be large enough to accommodate shrubs – perhaps even trees – along with herbaceous perennials of all sizes, probably interspersed with annuals or biennials for gap-filling and even a succession of bulbs. These are the most malleable and, over time, will run through gentle but profound changes. Colour can be carefully controlled, with main themes, such as red, white, hot or cool hues, or may roll through a series of intriguing changes with the season.

It is important to view such borders at all levels, and to bear in mind how they are likely to look in all seasons. Whenever any major changes are made to the planting, this is likely to have a ‘knock on’ effect on other times of year, so that one big change necessitates further changes down the line. These are ongoing, long-term planting schemes which can be adjusted and tinkered with over decades, and which will keep most keen gardeners both occupied and pre-occupied for a very long period. It is said that the Edwardian garden guru, Gertrude Jekyll, spent over forty years adjusting the borders at her garden, Munstead Wood.

Cottage-style planting works well beneath the walls of a 300 year-old building. The climbing Bourbon rose, ‘Kathleen Harrop’ furnishes the limestone, without hiding too much of it, and teams with the colour of the pink valerian which is allowed to seed around freely.

Mediterranean

With water becoming a scarce commodity and, in some areas, an expensive one, much attention is being turned to low-water planting schemes. Typical natural landscapes, whose arid beauty is well worth imitating, occur in such places as the rocky Mediterranean coastal regions, the southern tip of Africa, the American Chaparral and in many parts of Australasia. Such areas have amazingly rich floras and many of their native plants have become garden staples. Gladiolus, Lavandula and Eschscholzia are examples of the thousands of widespread plants which enjoy similar conditions.

Trees, in such habitats, tend to be small and slow growing and many of the shrubs are evergreen, often thorny, either with waxy cuticles to their foliage, or with silvery or grey leaf surfaces. The secret, with Mediterranean gardens, is to include a rich number of short, medium and long term feature plants. Winter and spring bulbs, which grow during the cool, wet periods, give short spells of drama, but disappear for much of the year. Speedy annuals, such as Cerinthe or Papaver will splash summer colour among the shrubs which will become increasingly gnarled and characterful as they age, providing a longer term outline. Mediterranean-style herbs come in and out of colour all year, linking seasons and extending colour, from such spring bloomers as Erysimum to the autumn flowering, vivid orange Zauschnerias.

Cottage

The romanticised concept of a cottage garden conjures up images of roses or honeysuckle round doorways and window frames, mossed apple trees, flower borders with plants all hugger-mugger, a vegetable patch and possibly even a chicken coop. To be well planted, however, a cottage garden must retain elements of order and pleasing form. Colours should be blended with care, especially where cultivated varieties of plants with large flowers are used. Plants look best when arranged to complement one another, with consideration given to height, spread, denseness or looseness and so on. They must also be chosen for succession so that an autumn cottage border is as attractive as an early summer one.

Naturalistic

The aim is to mimic plant distributions as they might occur in nature. Apparently random groups of plants are arranged in drifts or small groups of irregular sizes and shapes. Where shrubs or walls obstruct light, shade plants are placed just as they might grow naturally, in a wild setting. Plants can be allowed to seed around, even if this means that they spill over onto pathways, softening lines and edges and extending their colonies.

Closest to a truly wild, flowery meadow, this is a style which contrasts sharply with contemporary landscaping where hard materials and objects such as gabions or sheet metal are used. Grasses blend sweetly with other perennials whose gentle outlines are full of movement and dreamy romantic colours. Woodland plantings are also best when kept as naturalistic as possible, and where woodland species can be allowed to propagate themselves, and perhaps blend with native species in the same habitat.

Formal

Bedding, a traditional planting style, is still popular and, despite going through minor fashion changes, remains one of the great Victorian legacies. The importance is to understand that plants are used as colouring materials to paint surfaces and make patterns or shapes which, for the most part, last but a season. Overwintered bedding which reaches its climax in mid-spring – perhaps six months after planting – is a dying culture but has immense value.

Meadow and cornfield

Growing plants naturalised in grass is a technique that still has some way to go before all its secrets have been revealed. As a growing medium for spring bulbs and early flowers, grass has long been proven, but as a feature for a summer garden, particularly on a small scale, there is still some way to go. The decision has to be made, each season, when to cut the meadow back and how to manage the aftermath in late summer and autumn.

A stimulating composition in which colours and textures work well together. The velvet leaves of the verbascum find some sympathy with the fluffiness of the Ageratum flowers, but when their tall yellow flower spikes emerge, later in the year, the effect might be a little too startling!

Annuals such as poppies and cornflowers are frequently, mistakenly, planted in grass meadows where they are bound to be shortlived. However, a new concept in gardening is the notion of a small fragment of cornfield, even sown with barley or wheat, and where such annuals could be made to thrive. Management is simple: ‘harvest’ in late summer, removing straw and plant material after it has shed its seed; disturb the ground and wait for next year’s self sown crop to grow!

Paving and gravel

Even the most unsympathetic hard landscaping can often be persuaded to yield up a planting opportunity or two. Where space is limited and plants few, immense care is needed to select exactly the right ones, since each specimen will be making a large statement. This is like comparing a string trio, where a missed note on the violin jars the whole performance, with a huge orchestra and choir where, if a bass sings temporarily out of tune, only the sharpest ear will pick up the drone. Not only must the most suitable plants be selected, for such key roles, they must also stay in near perfect condition.

Borrowed landscape. The pastoral scene, behind the garden wall, makes a charming backdrop for more dramatic plant grouping in the foreground border.

Problem Site

Every planting site comes with its own special advantages and its own problems. It is important to assess both, in terms of plant choice. Disadvantages should not be viewed in negative terms, but should be recognised so that plant choice is limited to those species which will thrive in the prevailing conditions.

The main challenges to plants are caused by the following typical situations, either in isolation or – more usually – in combination:

Exposure to wind Plant robust trees and shrubs to windward, to create shelter. Hedges and shrub screens are more effective at wind protection than walls or solid fences which cause damaging eddy currents. Be prepared to plant for more extreme conditions, as your sheltering plants develop, and, as shelter becomes more available in the garden, adjust your planting plans to take advantage of the new conditions.

Excess shade Thinning out the overhead branches of mature trees often lets in more daylight. It may also help to paint any surfaces with white or a light colour. In moist shade, select plants from damp woodland habitats. Where trees are intended, as part of a planting scheme, select varieties such as Robinia, whose leaves are late emerging. The delay will enable spring plants under the branches to flower and begin to seed before light levels are reduced.

Excessively dry shade Moisture-retaining mulches will help, as will establishing a dense vegetative ground cover. Under trees, focus on plants that flower during winter and spring, when overhead branches are bare. Be content with a narrow choice of plants, but try any that you think might survive. All conditions differ, and plants that languish in one person’s dry shade, may perform well in another. Once you know the plants that will live, focus hard on these, selecting them in as many different forms as you can.

Excessively hot, sunny and dry Hardly a problem site! The number of plants that love such hot conditions is vast and varied, from desert succulents to winter and spring flowering bulbs. Count your blessings and get to love small bulbs, sedums, helianthemums, dwarf irises and so on.

Excessive wet – especially when caused by poor drainage Good drainage is essential for most plants to thrive. However, some wetland species are better at coping with poor drainage than others. Try to minimise the problems associated with bad drainage by installing raised beds, or following the advice given for excessively heavy soil below. Select wetland plants such as hostas, water iris, ligularias and Lobelia cardinalis.

Heavy or light soil Surprisingly, the same improving measures apply to both: dig in as much compost or leafmould as possible, building up the levels of organic matter. Heavy clays can be improved by digging in coarse grit, leaf mould or rotted compost. Light sand also benefits from a boost to its organic content and also needs a heavy mulch each summer, to assist with moisture retention.

Excessively alkaline (limy) or acid soil Limy soil can be made less alkaline by applying sulphur, but the effect is limited. Acid soil can be limed to bring the up the pH, but that effect is difficult to reverse. Of all problem sites, these two are the easiest to solve, simply by wise plant selection. If your soil is limy, learn to live without rhododendrons, but to revel in pinks, clematis and the thousands of species which love alkaline conditions. If your soil is acid, your azaleas, camellias, summer heathers and ravishing blue Himalayan poppies will be the envy of your friends.

Having an Open Mind

With so much at stake, it is far too easy to forget that we garden largely for pleasure – or if we don’t, we should! You can therefore be pretty relaxed about how you try out various planting combinations, and can afford to make mistakes. Plants and planting schemes are plastic, that is, they can be moulded or changed as you go. Only the boldest artist who dares to try something outrageous or at least, unprecedented, is likely to end up with a creation that is special.

New gardeners sometimes become so anxious about getting everything right that they forget to take pleasure in what they are doing. Experienced gardeners, however, are constantly learning. They make frequent mistakes and will enjoy a lifetime of adjusting, re-planting, devising new projects, trying out new plants and just generally messing about in their gardens. In fact the only serious, damaging and lasting mistake you can ever make, with your garden, is to think that you have finished.

Flowers come in a rush, through spring and summer, and mid-winter plants are always sought-after. Too few of us, however, remember to plan for the ‘forgotten season’ – the autumn. This border of asters, chrysanthemums and other short-day flowers shows what superb colour autumn can bring.

annuals

Annuals for exposed sites

Annuals for sheltered sites

Annuals for extra poor soil

Annuals for gap filling in mixed border

Annuals for exposed sites

Agrostemma githago

Corn Cockle Annual

Cornfield annual with long, thin, somewhat lax stems, narrow, slightly hairy leaves and a long summer succession of large, rosy purple flowers, each with dotted lines leading to the centre. Support is necessary, either from other plants or with stakes or sticks. Selections include ‘Ocean Pearl’ – white with silver lines – and the pale ‘Pink Pearl’.

Soil preference: Any

Aspect: Full sun

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: 1m plus (3ft plus)

Companion plants: Excellent annual for the border back, especially if it can lean against shrubs or come up among perennials with better standing qualities. Also fine in a naturalistic annual border with other cornfield annuals such as cornflower and larkspur.

Adonis annua

Pheasant’s Eye Annual

A cornfield annual with emerald green, feathery or filigree foliage on narrowly branched stems. From early summer, a succession of small, intensely blood red buttercup-like flowers nestle among the soft foliage, creating a strong contrast. Autumn sown plants grow larger and flower more profusely and for longer than those which germinate in spring.

Soil preference: Any, not too dry

Aspect: Sun, part shade

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: 45cm × 15cm (18in × 6in)

Companion plants: A wild species with modest beauty, but effective when dotted among perennials in a mixed border or growing in gravel where it will take over from such late spring bulbs as fritillaries or late tulips.

Malcolmia maritima

Virginian Stock Annual

Almost every child’s first plant from seed, since it will flower a few weeks after sowing. Narrow foliage and slender stems produce a short but intense succession of brightly coloured, four-petalled flowers. Good seed series include flowers in shades of pink, white, cream, purple or near red, but these plants need to grow in bold drifts to create a strong effect.

Soil preference: Sandy, free-draining but not too dry

Aspect: Sun or part shade

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: 20cm × 10cm (8in × 4in)

Companion plants: Best sown in patches at a border front, with taller perennials behind, or among cottage garden flowers in an informal planting. These are often blended with night scented stock, Matthiola bicornis, for evening fragrance.

Papaver rhoeas ‘Shirley Series’

Shirley Poppy Annual

Garden World Images

Developed in the 19th Century by the rector of Shirley, Rev. Wilkes, from the showiest of cornfield weeds, this series has flowers ranging from lemon through pink to red, some with picotee edges in pale pink or white. The pollen is always golden, in contrast with wild field poppies, whose pollen is dark grey. More annual poppies on pages ref 1 and ref 2.

Soil preference: Any

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: 30–60cm (1–2ft) × 20–40cm (10in–1ft 4in)

Companion plants: Other annual poppies work beautifully with Shirley seedlings, especially if allowed to naturalize in a gravel garden or sown at random in an annual border with such annuals as marigolds, clarkias, larkspurs and cornflowers.

Nigella damascena

Love-in-a-mist Annual

Lacy, filamentous foliage makes a soft and alluring background for the flowers, whose distinctive blue petals nestle among the feathery leaves. Garden series such as ‘Persian Jewels’ have purple and white flowers, as well as those in various shades of blue. The large, inflated, lantern-like seed capsules are almost as decorative as the flowers and last until autumn.

Soil preference: Any

Aspect: Sun or part shade

Season of interest: Summer, autumn

Height and spread: 30–45cm (1ft–1ft 6in) tall

Companion plants: A lovely annual to naturalize among roses, especially the older varieties. Also effective for gap-filling, in a mixed border or for lining a lavender hedge.

Lagurus ovatus

Hare’s Tail Grass Annual grass

Mediterranean species with grassy foliage and silvery grey flowers which are broadly oval and furry to the touch, resembling the tail of a hare or rabbit. This grass grows taller on rich soil but thrives as a smaller plant in harsh conditions. A dwarf form, ‘Nanus’, may be more suitable for gardens with rich soil.

Soil preference: Any free-draining

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer, autumn

Height and spread: 15–50cm (6in–1ft 8in) × 30cm (12in)

Companion plants: A worthy addition to a grass border, especially if planted with other annual grasses such as Briza maxima, but also lovely among flowering annuals. Scatter seed among pot marigolds, cornflowers or tagetes.

Annuals for sheltered sites

Anagallis monellii

Shrubby Pimpernel Perennial grown as a tender annual

A low, straggly plant with semi-trailing stems and small, triangular leaves grouped in threes along the stem. At each leaf joint, buds form which open as conspicuous, five-petalled flowers in the deepest, most intense blue. Similar, but larger in all its parts, to the wild blue pimpernel, Anagallis foemina.

Soil preference: Fertile, well-drained

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: 20cm × 30cm (8in × 12in)

Companion plants: An excellent hanging basket or container plant which is especially effective when contrasted with bright yellow Bidens ferulifolia or harmonized with variegated trailing Plectranthus or with red pelargoniums.

Cerinthe major ‘Purpurascens’

Honeywort Annual

Cornfield annual from the Mediterranean with curious, glaucous foliage and, in early summer, metallic purple bracts which are remarkably luminous and which half conceal the strange brownish purple and yellow tubular flowers. The seeds are large and stone-hard. Although when established it will self-sow, the species is not hardy in sustained frost.

Soil preference: Any well-drained

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: 50cm × 30cm (1ft 8in × 12in)

Companion plants: A distinctive plant for a Mediterranean garden among grey and silver-leaved herbs such as lavenders, Teucrium and sages. Excellent in gravel, too, among brown sedges such as Carex buchananii and also with Californian poppies.

Brachyscome hybrids

Swan River Daisy Annuals

The narrow, fresh, often lacy green leaves on these Australian native plants are almost hidden behind a generous covering of bright daisy flowers, in mauve, pink or white. A neat, but semi-trailing habit, coupled with summer-long flowering makes them ideal for container use. Good varieties include ‘Blue Haze’, the lilac coloured ‘City Lights’ and the purple-blue ‘Toucan Tango’. Tender.

Soil preference: Any, reasonably fertile

Aspect: Best in full sun

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: 45cm × 45cm (18in × 18in)

Companion plants: Yellow-flowered Bidens ferulifolia makes a good contrast, but the silver filigree leaves of Artemisia ‘Lambrook Silver’ or ‘Powis Castle’ also blend pleasingly.

Convolvulus tricolor

Annual

A non-climbing, but somewhat lax plant with small, oval leaves and saucer shaped flowers, similar to those of morning glories, but 5cm (2in) wide. The typical species has dark, royal blue petals, fading white or creamy yellow at the throat. Selected varieties include ‘Ensign Mixed’, with pink, maroon, blue and white shades, and the pale ‘Light Blue Flash’.

Soil preference: Any

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: 50cm × 30cm (1ft 8in × 1ft)

Companion plants: Great for a mixed annual border or to dot in among such perennials as Mexican salvias, osteospermums or grasses.

Lavatera trimestris

Annual

Tall, bold, with thick, rigid stems and large, slightly hoary leaves, this native of the Mediterranean regions has large, saucer shaped flowers whose stamens and stigma fuse to form a central spike. Colours range from rich pink, in ‘Silver Cup’ and ‘Ruby Regis’, to a startling white in ‘Mont Blanc’. Each petal is veined with darker lines.

Soil preference: Well-drained, fertile

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: 60–90cm × 45cm (2–3ft × 18in)

Companion plants: Careful siting is necessary, with so conspicuous a plant. Excellent in bold groups on its own or among such large perennials as Galega, leucanthemums and Phlox paniculata, with perennial asters to follow.

Galactites tomentosa

Annual

A thistle with spiky, divided white and green foliage, which emerges in autumn or early spring, forming an attractive rosette. In summer, the stem lengthens and branches, eventually bearing lilac-mauve, tufted thistle flowers. Seed is borne on thistledown. This native of the Canary islands and Mediterranean self-seeds freely, but young seedlings will not survive prolonged frost.

Soil preference: Any free-draining

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Spring, summer

Height and spread: 1m × 75cm (3ft 4in × 2ft 6in)

Companion plants: Attractive when allowed to colonize areas between shrubs – especially such Mediterranean species as rosemary, lavender, Santolina or Phlomis fruticosa, or to pop up at random in a mixed border.

Annuals for extra poor soil

Briza maxima

Greater Quaking Grass Annual

A free-seeding annual grass which performs best in hot, dry conditions, where the plants are less likely to become invasive. Mid-green, soft grass foliage emerges in autumn or spring. The flower stems are wiry and much branched, bearing cone-shaped flowers which shimmer and tremble in the slightest breeze. Superb for cutting and drying.

Soil preference: Dry, not too fertile

Aspect: Sun or part shade

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: 60cm × 45cm (2ft × 18in)

Companion plants: A beautiful foil for showy herbaceous plants such as scabious, cornflowers, Linum or Oenothera.

Eschscholzia californica

Californian Poppy Annual or shortlived perennial

A beautiful combination of blue-green, lacy foliage and bright, silky-textured flowers makes this American native a valuable plant, especially for a dry garden. The wild species has bright orange flowers, but seed selections come in a range of sunset hues from cream or primrose yellow, through peachy tones to burnt orange. Best in free-draining soil.

Soil preference: Dry, not too fertile

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: 30cm × 30cm (1ft × 1ft)

Companion plants: The orange form makes a stirring companion to such bronze-tinted grasses as Stipa tenuissima or the sedge Carex buchananii. Also good in a gravel garden, where its misty foliage and silky petals will soften hard textures.

Geranium robertianum

Herb Robert Annual

An invasive annual with spreading habit, pungentsmelling, ferny foliage and a long run of tiny, pink, five-petalled flowers. The albino form, ‘Album’, is more distinctive. A thug in the wrong place, but charming when allowed to self-sow in drifts in gravel or along the edges of a path.

Soil preference: Any free-draining

Aspect: Sun or part shade

Season of interest: Spring, summer, autumn

Height and spread: 20cm × 40cm (8in × 1ft 4in)

Companion plants: Naturalize this one with other gravel or paving crack plants such as Viola riviniana or Alchemilla.

Annuals for very rich soil

Consolida ajacis

Larkspur Annual

Classic cornfield annual which has been bred to improve height, standing power, and colour range. The leaves are finely divided and the tall, straight stems are furnished with spurred flowers in shades of pink or blue or white. Easy to raise from seed sown in autumn or spring, directly where they are expected to flower.

Soil preference: Fertile, well-drained

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: Up to 1m × 30cm (3ft 4in × 1 ft)

Companion plants: Good as a cut flower and therefore effective grown among vegetables in a kitchen garden or in a mixed border. Attractive with roses, where the straight spikes make a strong contrast and where the blues and pinks of the flowers harmonize.

Helianthus annuus

Sunflower – large varieties Annual

Biggest of the hardy annuals and raised as food crops in Central America since prehistoric times. The stout stems are strong enough to carry the massive flowers and seed heads without support. Some ornamental varieties are sterile and bear no pollen. Field crop sunflowers are golden yellow, but cultivated forms include such colourful series as ‘Ring of Fire’, whose flowers have concentric ring patterns in hues of dusky red and yellow, or ‘Moonshadow’, whose flowers are cream.

Soil preference: Rich, fertile

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: Up to 3m × 1m (10ft by 3ft)

Companion plants: Useful plant to create a temporary screen, or to use as accent plants in a bedding scheme, cottage border or kitchen garden.

Linum grandiflorum

Flowering Flax Annual

Slender, almost wiry stems with narrow, pointed leaves bear a long succession of disc-shape flowers up to 4cm (1¾in) across. In the wild, these are rosy purple, but seed selections include ‘Bright Eyes’, whose flowers are white with conspicuous wine red centres, and ‘Rubrum’, whose petals are a deeper rose with dark crimson centres.

Soil preference: Any, free-draining

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: 45cm × 30cm (1ft 6in × 1ft)

Companion plants: The waving stems and frail flowers look delightful among coloured grasses or sedges such as Carex comans or Molinia caerulea. Also lovely when naturalized among low-growing shrubs in a Mediterranean-style planting scheme.

Annuals for gap-filling in mixed borders

Cynoglossum amabile

Chinese Forget-me-not Annual

J. Swithinbank

Narrow, pointed leaves on branched stems are joined in early and mid-summer by clusters of small forget-me-not flowers in an intense blue. Pink and white flowered varieties are also available. The seeds are large and exceptionally hard.

Soil preference: Fertile, free-draining

Aspect: Sun or part shade

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: 50cm × 30cm (20in × 12in)

Companion plants: Blue forms contrast sharply with the yellows of verbascums or, from later sowings, goldenrods and yellow daisies such as rudbeckias and heleniums. The intense blue would also relieve the monotony of a cool, silvery or white theme.

Datura inoxia

Downy Thorn Apple Annual

A large, much branched, characterful annual with big, oval leaves which are downy and slightly tacky to the touch. The huge trumpet flowers – 15cm (6in) or more long – are purple tinged when in bud, but open to a soft white. In the evening and at night they are heavily scented.

Soil preference: Any fertile soil

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer, autumn

Height and spread: Up to 1m × 1m (3ft 3in × 3ft 3in)

Companion plants: One to grow on its own, but for a heady cocktail of night fragrance, plant with fragrant tobacco Nicotiana affinis and the vanilla scented heliotrope.

Malope trifida

Annual Mallow Annual

Similar to annual Lavetera trimestris, but slightly smaller with more downy, heart-shaped leaves that hang down as the plant matures. Big saucer shaped flowers appear in succession throughout summer and colours in the various seed selections range from dusky and rose pink to bright magenta, deep plum and white.

Soil preference: Fertile but well-drained

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: 50–75cm × 45cm (1ft 8in–2ft 6in by 1ft 6in)

Companion plants: Better than lavatera for mixing with other such hardy annuals as cornflowers, clarkia, larkspurs, Convolvulus tricolor and corn cockle.

Zinnia elegans

Annual

The species has been used to develop a colourful range of tender annuals, with simple leaves, slightly rough to the touch, and flowers with attractive layered florets, often with dark ochre or yellowish fertile centres. Flower colours include white, yellow, pink, mauve, orange, red, maroon and even pale green with a variety of flower forms from single to pompon.

Soil preference: Fertile, free-draining but not too dry

Aspect: Sun, shelter

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: From 20cm × 30cm to 1m × 50cm (from 8in × 3ft to 3ft 3in × 1ft 8in)

Companion plants: As desirable for cutting as for garden use, Zinnias will benefit from softer, more diffuse shapes nearby. Goldenrods add extra summer yellow, with a contrasting texture. Pale mauve or blue varieties of perennial aster will tone down the zinnias’ jazz.

Borago officinalis

Borage Annual

Large, heart-shaped to oval puckered, hairy leaves and thick, fleshy, branched stems carry myriads of small, star shaped flowers which are intense sky blue, with pale centres and dark, spiky stamens. A rapid annual which self-seeds copiously.

Soil preference: Any

Aspect: Any

Season of interest: Summer, autumn

Height and spread: Up to 1m × 75cm (3ft 3in × 2ft 6in), usually smaller

Companion plants: Beautiful anywhere but easily pulled out if not welcome. Herbs such as lavenders, herbaceous perennials, shrubs, large grasses, roses and bedding plants all make great companions.

Phacelia tanacetifolia

Fiddleneck Annual

Handsome American species, often used as a ‘green manure’ crop. The compound leaves, reminiscent of Jacob’s Ladders, create a ferny effect as the branched stems develop and lengthen. Buds are carried on tightly curled scapes, like violin heads, which uncurl and straighten as the violet blue flowers open. A free seeder.

Soil preference: Any, not too wet

Aspect: Sun or part shade

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: Up to 1m × 60cm (up to 3ft 3in × 2ft)

Companion plants: Another charming annual to sow in drifts among grasses or naturalistically planted perennials. The soft lavender-blue haze they create is also pretty with creamy or sunset-hued achilleas or among blue cranesbills.

Annuals for containers

Antirrhinum pulverulentum

Trailing Snapdragon Half hardy perennial, grown as an Annual

A compact, but trailing plant with oval, dull-green leaves and a long succession of ‘snapdragon’ flowers whose lips gape when gently pinched. Hybrids include the series ‘Pendula Lampion’ with pale pink, white or purplish flowers and pale yellow markings. Antirrhinum hispanicum subsp. hispanicum has silvery grey leaves and purplish pink blooms.

Soil preference: Any free-draining

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer and autumn

Height and spread: 15cm trailing 30cm (6in trailing 1ft)

Companion plants: Equally effective in hanging baskets, window boxes or alpine troughs. Their pastel hues blend gently with the grey-green foliage of Helichrysum petiolare or with white-variegated Glechoma hederacea ‘Variegata’.

Celosia argentea

Cockscomb or Wool Flower Tender annual or shortlived perennial

Vigorous, soft-textured plants with pointed leaves and successions of bold, highly coloured plume-like flowers in vivid shades including red, orange, yellow and purple. ‘Fresh Look Red’ has scarlet flowers. The mixed ‘Look Eternal Flames’ has either bright yellow or burning red flowers, accompanied by foliage which is green or deep purple-bronze.

Soil preference: Free-draining but moist and fertile

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: from 30cm × 30cm (from 1ft × 1ft)

Companion plants: Their sub-tropical looks and strong flower colour make these plants good companions for Solenostemon (Coleus). Also try cooling with deep blue bedding lobelias.

Nemesia strumosa

Nemesia Tender Annual

J. Swithinbank

A South African member of the foxglove family, whose main features are the massed flowers in bright sunny colours which include orange, red, white, pink and yellow. ‘Nebula Mixed’ has hot, single colours whereas ‘KLM’ is a blue and white bicolour. The series ‘Sundrops’ has a remarkably long flowering period.

Soil preference: Any moisture retentive and fertile

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: Variable to 30cm × 15cm (1ft by 6in)

Companion plants: The hot colours benefit from the cooling effect of blue-flowered bedding lobelia or a blue variety of Laurentia.

Phlox drummondii

Annual Phlox Tender Annual

Delicate plants, with rather weedy growth and nondescript simple leaves produce large heads of brightly coloured, disc-shaped flowers, often with contrasting centres. Superb when in full bloom but the flowering season can be brief. ‘Phlox of Sheep’ is an excellent series, with flowers in sunset hues; ‘Silver Blossom’ has mauve, dusky pink and even beige suffusions; and the petals of ‘Twinkle Stars’ are white-edged picotee types.

Soil preference: Free-draining but fertile

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: Variable to 30cm × 30cm (1ft × 1ft)

Companion plants: Best when backed up by the strong characterful foliage of Plectranthus or when planted with such annual grasses as Briza maxima and Lagurus ovatus.

Sanvitalia procumbens

Creeping Zinnia Tender Annual

Trailing stems with simple, deep-green leaves and a summer-long succession of abundant small daisy flowers with broad, orange or yellow sterile ray florets and deep green or dark centres. The variety ‘Irish Eyes’ is golden yellow with glowing green flower centres. ‘Orange Sprite’ is dwarfer, with bright orange semi-double flowers whose centres are dark.

Soil preference: Any fertile and free-draining

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: 15cm (6in), spreading 30cm (1ft)

Companion plants: Good in a bold colour scheme with perhaps compact varieties of nasturtiums and purple-leaved basil. Excellent contrast with dark blue trailing lobelia.

Dorotheanthus bellidiformis

Livingstone Daisy Tender Annual

A South African member of the ice plant family with small, fleshy leaves, mealy in texture, and a long succession of bright, daisy-like flowers in day-glow colours. ‘Apricot Tutu’ has pinkish sunset-hued flowers, but ‘Sparkles’ has a wider range including pale cream, purplish pink and orange, many flowers being bicoloured. The flowers will only open in full, direct sunlight.

Soil preference: Free-draining, not rich

Aspect: Full sun

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: To 15cm × 25cm (6in × 10in)

Companion plants: Good on their own in a hot, dry container in the sun or to add colour to such succulents as echeverias, sedums or sempervivums.

Annuals good for cut flowers

Rudbeckia hirta

Half hardy perennials grown as annuals

Dwarf, intermediate and tall hybrids of this North American genus have dark stems and simple leaves, lightly covered with short hairs. The daisy flowers, with their conspicuous ray florets and dark central cones, come in warm tones from yellow through to mahogany. Good cutting varieties include the double-flowered ‘Cherokee Sunset’, spidery-bloomed ‘Chim-chimenee’, and the green and golden ‘Irish Eyes’.

Soil preference: Fertile, moisture-retentive and heavy but drained

Aspect: Sun or part shade

Season of interest: Summer, autumn

Height and spread: 15–60cm × 30cm (6in–2ft × 1ft)

Companion plants: Use these plants to extend summer displays and blend with late flowering blue and purple salvias and perennial asters. They are also bewitching with soft, flowing grasses or sedges such as bronze leaved Carex and Stipa arundinacea.

Antirrhinum majus tall varieties

Half hardy to hardy perennial, usually grown as an annual

Familiar snapdragons such as ‘Axiom Series’ which have been bred to grow as tall plants, each with a straight, single stem ending in a long spike bearing the flowers in a broad colour range, including red, pink, yellow and bicolours. Plant in a sheltered spot or raise under glass.

Soil preference: Fertile, well-drained

Aspect: Sun, often raised under glass

Season of interest: Constant, depending when planted

Height and spread: To 75cm (30in)

Companion plants: Pretty plants for a summer kitchen garden, along with such cutting flowers as marigolds, larkspurs, dahlias and Gladiolus.

Helianthus annuus

Sunflower – pollen-free varieties Hardy annual

Single or branched stems may grow from a single seed, furnished with broad, slightly hoary, simple leaves and massive flowerheads with bright yellow, orange or maroon ray florets. Selections for cutting include pollen-free ‘Bees Knees’, whose flower colours include orange, lemon yellow, rich gold and deep reddish brown and orange, as well as the powderpuff-like ‘Double Shine’.

Soil preference: Fertile, free-draining

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: Variable to 2m × 30cm (6ft × 1ft)

Companion plants: Too dominant to harmonize with other annuals, but very effective when planted as short-term screens or along walls or hedges. Pollen-free varieties are NOT GOOD for wildlife.

Dianthus barbatus ‘Summer Sundae’

Annual Sweet William Hardy annual or biennial

An annual form of the familiar sweet William described here. Although spring-sown seed will produce flowers the same season, autumn-sown plants will grow a little larger and flower for longer. A valuable variety, though, for speedy cut flowers. The multi-headed flowers are sweetly fragrant and last well in water.

Soil preference: Any free-draining

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: 45–60cm × 20cm (18in–2ft × 8in)

Companion plants: All sweet Williams make excellent border plants, as they are at home with most perennials. Particularly effective with such flowery summer annuals as cornflowers, larkspurs, marigolds and poppies.

Callistephus hybrids

Bedding Asters Half hardy annual

Popular both as bedding or for cut flowers, these daisy relatives have showy ray florets in pink, purple, white, cream and wine red. Many different forms are widely available. Good cutting kinds, with long lasting qualities, include ‘Truffaunt’s Peony Mixed’, whose petals are incurved, and ‘Super Chinensis’, which has single flowers with bold, yellow centres.

Soil preference: Fertile, free-draining

Aspect: Sun or part shade

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: 30cm × 20cm (1ft × 8in)

Companion plants: If varieties are chosen with gentle colours, asters make great companion plants for red, pink or white bedded roses. Also fine in rows in a kitchen garden.

Molucella laevis

Bells of Ireland Half hardy annual

A member of the deadnettle family whose main features are the large, pale green, bell-shaped bracts which surround the tiny, off-white flowers, and which persist for the whole growing season. The foliage is unremarkable. Stems with the bracts are as effective when used dried as when they are fresh.

Soil preference: Fertile, free-draining

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: 60cm × 25cm (2ft × 10in)

Companion plants: Normally grown for cutting though Molucella can look attractive among white flowers or with silvery foliage plants such as Artemisia ludoviciana or Salvia farinacea ‘Victoria’.

An informal grouping of Campanula lactiflora with a red flowered opium poppy.

Planting Schemes Using Annuals

The main point about annuals – and therein lies their charm – is that they are shortlived. Even the most stalwart, enduring individuals are done after a few months; few last for more than half a summer and many flower and die within a few weeks. Effective planting, therefore, depends on rotation, careful timing, large numbers and bold placing.

Many annuals are also somewhat unpredictable, growing larger and brighter than expected in favourable years, but failing to achieve their potential in difficult seasons. Since they seed copiously and since many adopt the role of biennials and will survive a winter, having germinated in the autumn, their short lives are often compensated for by rapid reproduction and a sustained succession. With the hardiest, such as Nigella, Calendula or Papaver, flowering can sometimes come in waves, with early and copious summer flushes from seed sown the previous autumn, a further wave from spring-germinated seed and a finale from summer-sown seed. Flowering times can also be brought forward by artificial sowing, pre-season, in trays or cells and planting out the young plants. Tender annuals will not sustain their colonies outdoors, where winter frost is expected, but hardy species can be left to their own devices and should ensure colour through much of the growing season.

Annuals as blenders

Although they work very well in their own company, the most common use of annuals is as gap fillers, or to accompany other, more permanent plants in mixed schemes. The main picture shows an informal grouping of Campanula lactiflora (bellflower) with red-flowered opium poppies. The foliage of both plants contrast well, the pale, glaucous leaves of the poppy having a markedly different colour, texture and shape from the smaller, rougher leaves of the bellflower. As they bloom, the large poppies are backed up by the starry, curled petals of the bells in their pastel lavender tones.

The photograph represents a tiny moment, probably no more than a 60th of a second! The plant association needs to last for several weeks at least and preferably for months, and yet each poppy blooms for no more than a day. The display, however, is far less ephemeral than it looks. After flowering, the campanula would be cut hard back to promote a second flush of flowers. As the opium poppy loses the last of its petals, the shapely seed capsules, held on stiffening stems, will continue to provide an architectural outline. By the time the bellflower has re-grown and is blooming again, the spent poppy will shift in colour from glaucous green to beige, and hence will continue to provide a contrast.

Caution is needed with the poppy, as with many annuals, to prevent unnecessary spread of seed by destroying seedlings while still young. Poppies, among all annuals, are probably the most fecund, and their seeds have a staggeringly long period of viability, countable in decades rather than years!

This group is spectacular for the present, but less successful as a lasting association. The candytuft (Iberis) makes a strong companion to the Korean perennial Campanula takesimana, picking up some of its tones but with cleaner, brighter colours and making a bright carpet. However, although it is slightly longer in flower than the poppy, it lacks an attractive aftermath and has undistinguished foliage.

Annuals for attracting beneficial insects

Clarkia pulchella

Hardy annual

A pretty annual from the Rocky Mountains with thin stems furnished with attractively ruched, funnel-shaped flowers in soft hues of pink, mauve or rosy purple. Gardenworthy seed series include ‘Choice Double Mixed’ and ‘Apple Blossom’, whose flowers, being apricot with white touches, could hardly look less like apple blossom!

Soil preference: Any free-draining, reasonably fertile

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: 45cm × 30cm (18in × 12in)

Companion plants: Plants with an understated beauty, best placed with other pastel, crimson or purple annuals. Or use as gap fillers in a mixed or perennial border.

Euphorbia lathyrus

Caper Spurge Hardy annual

A member of the spurge family which produces an erect, single stem with leaves held opposite one another in pairs, forming an unusual cross pattern. The green flowers, despite resembling capers, are highly poisonous and attract many species of fly which, in turn, attract predators. If wounded, all parts of the plant exude a milky, irritant sap.

Soil preference: Any

Aspect: Any

Season of interest: Spring, summer

Height and spread: Up to 1.5m × 25cm (5ft × 10in)

Companion plants: Not a great beauty but effective as a foil for more colourful plants. Its erect stance makes a pleasing contrast with more pendulous shapes including arching grasses and phormiums.

Linaria maroccana

Morocco Toadflax Hardy annual

A pretty annual whose branching stems are furnished with simple, narrow leaves, which terminate with long-lasting spikes of small, spurred ‘snapdragon’ flowers. Colours are very variable in the wild species, with pink, yellow, dusky red, white or purple, each bloom usually having a deep yellow pollen guide. Garden varieties include ‘Fairy Bouquet’ in mixed colours, ‘Fantasy blue’ and ‘Northern Lights’, which has fragrant blooms.

Soil preference: Any free-draining

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: 20cm × 30cm (8in × 1ft)

Companion plants: A pretty annual to seed in a gravel garden, among low-growing grasses or to follow on from helianthemums and dwarf bearded irises.

Iberis umbellata

Candytuft Hardy annual

Often a child gardener’s first success, candytuft is an easily grown, quick-acting plant with simple leaves and branched stems which bear umbels of four-petalled, lilac, pink or white flowers. The outer petals on each umbel are larger than the inner, creating a lace-cap effect. Self sows freely in friable soil. Attractive to bees and butterflies.

Soil preference: Any

Aspect: Sun or part shade

Season of interest: Spring, summer

Height and spread: Up to 30cm × 15cm (12in × 6in)

Companion plants: Useful gap filler among the leaves of perennials which will flower later or naturalized in cottage style plantings with pinks, sweet Williams or other annuals.

Limnanthes douglasii

Poached Egg Plant Hardy annual

A remarkably versatile, wildlife-friendly, low energy plant. Produces a moisture-retaining dense carpet of vivid green vegetation and when the bright yellow and white flowers open, in late spring and early summer, they are irresistible to bees. Though annual, self-seeding will usually allow these plants to develop self-sustaining colonies.

Soil preference: Any, not too dry

Aspect: Sun or part shade

Season of interest: Spring, summer

Height and spread: 15cm × 20cm (6in × 8in)

Companion plants: Useful to plant in front of shrubs, where they will make a bright carpet, or to scatter along the front of an annual border. Limnanthes also looks handsome grown among tuft-forming grasses such as Festuca glauca.

Calendula officinalis

Marigold, Pot Marigold Hardy annual

Familiar, aromatic annual with big daisy flowers, single or double, in the yellow and orange colour range. Modern series include the dwarf ‘Citrus Cocktail’ and taller ‘Touch of Red’, whose petals have dark edges. ‘Art Shades’ are tall, traditional marigolds with orange to yellow, fully double flowers. Prone to mildew in damp years.

Soil preference: Any free-draining and fertile

Aspect: Sun, partial shade

Season of interest: Summer, autumn

Height and spread: From 15–60cm × 45cm (6–24in × 18in)

Companion plants: The hot colours are excellent to contrast with blue larkspur and annual Convolvulus or to pep up a cottage border. Also good for creating a wild meadow effect with other hardy annuals and cornfield blooms.

Annuals for scent

Reseda odorata

Mignonette, Bastard Rocket Hardy annual

R. Coates

An unassuming little plant from Southern Europe, with simple leaves and spikes of tiny greenish flowers, each with a tuft of orange stamens. The plant’s main distinguishing feature is its sweet fragrance, making it perfect to plant near an outdoor seating area. Attractive to moths and other nectar-seeking insects.

Soil preference: Any, fertile, free-draining

Aspect: Sun, part shade

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: 45cm × 20cm (1ft 6in × 8in)

Companion plants: Pretty among such annuals as calendulas and Nigella or perhaps in a fragrant border with roses, pinks and nicotianas.

Nemesia cheiranthus ‘Masquerade’

Half hardy annual

An odd-looking relative of the more familiar bedding plant whose branching stems bear bicoloured flowers with elongated, narrow upper petals in white, contrasting with broad, two lobed lower petals which are yellowish orange. The plant has a the rich fragrance of roasted or candied coconut.

Soil preference: Fertile but free-draining

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: 30cm × 20cm (12in × 8in)

Companion plants: An interesting plant for a hanging basket, perhaps planted with golden flowered Bidens ferulifolia or with Lamium ‘Golden Anniversary’.

Tagetes lucida

Mexican Mint or Spanish Tarragon Perennial, usually grown as an annual

Differing from better known members of the genus by having simple, rather than filigree, leaves, this plant has culinary value as well as beauty. The leaves and branched stems are highly aromatic – reminiscent of aniseed. It has bright golden flowers whose outer ray florets are broad, surrounding a raised central tuft of fertile florets.

Soil preference: Free-draining but fertile

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: 60cm × 40cm (2ft × 1ft 8in)

Companion plants: One for the herb garden, perhaps planted with marjoram, basil and summer savory.

Scabiosa atropurpurea ‘Dwarf Double’

Hardy annual

A shorter, more compact form of the familiar Southern European plant described here. The blooms are as large as those on taller varieties and come in a rich colour range, which includes blue, mauve, cream, pink and white. The flowers, which are excellent for cutting, have a gentle fragrance.

Soil preference: Rich, fertile but free-draining

Aspect: Sun or part shade

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: 45cm × 30cm (1ft 6in × 1ft)

Companion plants: A fine selection for mixed flower borders or simply to line out for cutting. Also effective with annual grasses, hardy geraniums and other meadow flowers.

Matthiola longipetala subsp. bicornis

Night Scented Stock Hardy annual

R. Coates

An intensely fragrant annual from Southern Europe which looks far more spectacular when illustrated in seedsmen’s catalogues than when seen growing in a garden. The thin, frail stems bear small, irregularly shaped, pinkish-mauve four-petalled flowers. Improved series such as ‘Scentsation’ have white, deeper purple and pale pink among their colours.

Soil preference: Any

Aspect: Sun or part shade

Season of interest: Spring, summer

Height and spread: 30cm × 16cm (12in × 6in)

Companion plants: Frequently mixed with Virginian stocks before sowing or grown in a bed under a window or by a door so that the fragrance can be enjoyed at twilight. A positive cocktail of fragrances can be mixed with mignonette and dwarf sweet peas.

Laurentia axilliaris syn. Isotoma axilliaris or Solenopsis axilliaris

Tender annual

Narrow leaves and trailing stems form a shapely dome on which the star-shaped flowers appear over many weeks and exude a gentle but telling fragrance. Interesting varieties include ‘Stargazer Mixed’, whose colours may be white, blue or pink, and the compact ‘Blue Stars’.

Soil preference: Fertile, free-draining

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: 20cm (8in), trailing

Companion plants: Ideal for hanging baskets, especially if planted with Callibrachoa, Scaevola, ivy leaved pelargoniums or trailing petunias.

Annuals for low-allergen gardens

Impatiens glandulifera

Himalayan Balsam, Policeman’s Helmet Hardy annual

Heather Angel

Tall, fast growing annual with fleshy stems and hairless leaves. From early summer onwards, a succession of large, helmet-shaped flowers precedes the pressure-packed seed capsules which explode, when touched, scattering their seed. An invasive plant that can be damaging in the wild, but an unusual garden annual.

Soil preference: Moist

Aspect: Part shade

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: To 1.5m × 45cm (5ft × 1ft 6in)

Companion plants: Best grown as a marginal or bog plant, with such other large species as Ligularia clivorum or Rodgersias.

Nigella papillosa

Hardy annual

A curious annual with single, five-petalled, dusky blue flowers and very finely divided foliage. The spidery seed heads are as interesting as the flowers, and can also be cut and used dry. Nigella sativa is a similar species, with aromatic seeds which are sometimes used as spices, hence the colloquial name Nutmeg Flower or Roman Coriander.

Soil preference: Any, free-draining

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer, autumn

Height and spread: 75cm × 30cm (2ft 6in × 1ft)

Companion plants: Useful as a border gap filler, where the seedheads can be left to accompany late summer daisies such as rudbeckias and heleniums or goldenrods.

Scabiosa prolifera

Carmel Daisy Hardy annual

A sun-loving scabious which produces a mass of pale yellow flowers followed by dramatic, rounded seedheads whose sepals form cells rather like those of a honeycomb. Excellent for indoor decoration – fresh or dried.

Soil preference: Any free-draining, reasonably fertile

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: 60cm × 20cm (2ft × 8in)

Companion plants: Pretty in an annual border, perhaps with nigellas, which also have pleasing seedheads and with such annual grasses as Lagurus or Briza maxima, whose drying heads are also handsome.

Papaver somniferum

Opium Poppy Hardy annual

The leaves of opium poppies are bold, ruffled, blue-green and hairless. Many-branched stems produce large conspicuous flowers that are single or double and vary in hue from mauve, purple and pink to crimson or white. Shapely pepperpot seed capsules follow the flowers and persist into autumn. See also pages ref 1 and ref 2 for more poppies.

Soil preference: Free-draining, well worked

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer, autumn

Height and spread: Variable to 1.5m × 45cm (5ft × 1ft 6in)

Companion plants: Surprisingly pretty among shrub roses, particularly when the leaves contrast, but also popular in cottage schemes with early perennials such as lupins, campanulas or cranesbills.

Lobelia erinus

Lobelia Half hardy perennial usually grown as an annual

A low allergen bedder with predominantly cool blue or white flowers – although some series come in mauve hues. ‘Cambridge Blue’ is an excellent, compact and long-flowering variety in pale blue. ‘Crystal Palace’ has bronze-tinted foliage and deep blue flowers. The old variety, ‘Mrs Clibran Improved’, is extremely neat with white-eyed blue flowers. (For other lobelias, see pages ref 1 and ref 2.)

Soil preference: Fertile, not too dry

Aspect: Sun or part shade

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: Variable to 20cm × 20cm (8in × 8in)

Companion plants: Traditionally used in pots or as border edging but also handsome when used informally amongst low growing border plants such as Euphorbia myrsinites or with purple-leaved heucheras.

Begonia semperflorens

Begonia Tender perennial grown as an annual

Ubiquitous but invaluable bedding plant, tolerating drought and shade, which produces fleshy stems and leaves and a constant run of small pink, white or red blooms on low, bushy plants. The ‘Alfa’ series have bronze-suffused foliage; the ‘Inferno’ series are remarkably vigorous; ‘Prelude’ series begin flowering very early.

Soil preference: Fertile, not too dry but free-draining

Aspect: Sun or part shade

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: Variable to 30cm × 20cm (12in × 8in)

Companion plants: Often used in large floral bedding schemes because of their uniformity, they are useful edgers for the patio or lawn and single colours work well in pots or to fill in spaces in box parterres.

Other good annuals

Omphalodes linifolia

Venus’ Navelwort Hardy annual

R. Coates

A rather fetching European member of the forget-me-not family with pale, grey-green, simple, narrow leaves and a long display of opalescent white flowers with navel-like centres. Though shortlived as an annual, this is a free-seeding species which, if happy, will form self-sustaining colonies.

Soil preference: Any free-draining, but not too dry

Aspect: Sun, part shade

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: 30cm × 20cm (1ft × 8in)

Companion plants: Best if allowed to spread in drifts among low-growing summer flowers such as violas and Mimulus, or to front low-growing shrubs. The foliage also harmonizes well with garden pinks, whereas the flowers make a pretty contrast in both colour and shape.

Orlaya grandiflora

Tender annual

A Mediterranean member of the carrot family whose finely divided foliage is crowned, from late spring to midsummer, by a succession of shallow, dome shaped umbels. The outer, sterile flowers on each umbel carry large, creamy white asymmetrical petals, creating a beautiful lace-cap effect. Can be directly sown in warm regions, where it will also self-sow.

Soil preference: Any free-draining

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: 30cm × 15cm (12in × 6in)

Companion plants: An exquisite, lacy companion to annuals with more solid-looking flowers, such as godetias, red poppies or Calendula. With deep blue larkspurs, the cream white lace caps make a cool contrast.

Cleome hassleriana

Spider Flower Near hardy annual

A tall, rangy annual with decorative, seven-lobed palmate leaves held on short stalks along the tall, erect spike which terminates in a series of fragrant, distinctive white or pink flowers whose narrow petals and elongated stamens and stigma give the impression of colourful, long-legged spiders. Native of South America.

Soil preference: Any fertile, free-draining, not too dry

Aspect: Sun, part shade

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: 1.2m × 30cm (4ft × 1ft)

Companion plants: Ideal for the border back or to grow among tall perennials such as perennial asters since it brings earlier colour. The exotic appearance makes it a good companion to broad-leaved plants such as banana, canna or hedychiums (ginger lilies.)

Atriplex hortensis

Red Orache Hardy annual

An easy annual, distinguished – especially when young – by its conspicuous slightly downy-textured, rich purple leaves which are oval, pointed and borne on flexible stems. Some of the early colour intensity is lost as the plant matures to produce, in summer, foxtail flowers which are brownish green. Self-seeds freely but is easy to control.

Soil preference: Any

Aspect: Sun, part shade, shade

Season of interest: Spring, summer

Height and spread: 1m × 30cm (3ft × 1ft)

Companion plants: Prettiest when allowed to dot itself among other plants in mixed borders or among shrubs. The foliage contrasts dramatically with the silver grey of young artemisias or with the gentle gold of Milium effusum ‘Aureum’.

Silene coeli-rosa (Viscaria oculata)

Hardy annual

A hairless, reasonably erect annual with slender stems and narrow, oblong leaves. The small but showy, pale pink or two-tone pink and white flowers are produced in profusion on longish stems for much of the summer. Tolerant of hot, dry conditions and usually trouble-free.

Soil preference: Any free-draining

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: 30cm × 15cm (1ft × 6in)

Companion plants: Prettiest with other annuals such as nigellas, poppies or Anagallis, but also handy to blend with other low growing perennials such as pinks and carnations, sedums, Origanum rotundifolium and Euphorbia myrsinites.

Rhinanthus minor

Hay Rattle, Yellow Rattle Hardy, semi-parasitic Annual

An interesting member of the foxglove family which can only germinate in the presence of host plants – grasses – from which it derives much of its sustenance during the early part of its life. The narrow, toothed leaves, bright yellow, lipped flowers and semi-translucent, pale green calyces make this a distinctive grassland species.

Soil preference: Moist, grass sward

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: 30cm × 15cm (1ft × 15cm)

Companion plants: The ‘impoverishing’ effect Rhinanthus has on grass growth is of great benefit because it enables other broad-leaved flowering plants to colonize more easily. Wonderful with Cardamine pratensis, cowslips, cranesbill and knapweeds.

Blue Centaurea cyanus produces an attractive picture when combined with red poppies, corn chamomile and corn marigold.

Planting Naturalistic Schemes

Many annuals which occur in the wild are opportunist plants which grow wherever the ground is disturbed. As fieldcrop weeds, many of them occur worldwide and among the most beautiful are those which colonize the ground among growing cereal crops. This cornfield scene, with its red poppies, blue cornflowers, yellow corn marigold and daisy-like corn chamomile would be simple to reproduce as part of a naturalistic planting scheme in an informal garden. Some wild annuals, however, may be too invasive to risk introducing into a garden – especially a small one.

To avoid creating problems with over-exuberant self-seeding, beds of annuals or ‘arable patches’ imitating cornfields should be contained. Solid pathways around their edges or other non-cultivable ground surfaces can help to prevent seed spread but may compromise the natural appearance. Annuals that are allowed to spill over their boundaries by self-seeding can be far more beautiful than those regimented in strict beds.

biennials

Biennials for spring

Biennials for summer

Biennials for special effects

Biennials beneficial to wildlife

Biennials for spring

Myosotis sylvatica

Forget-me-not Hardy biennial

Narrow, bright green leaves that form neat clumps over winter are joined from early spring by expanding spikes of tiny, pale centred, blue flowers. The first flowers nestle among the leaves, but as spring advances, the stems extend, creating a soft blue haze. A ready self-seeder. ‘Blue Ball’ is the most widely grown variety, but other seed series include ‘Victoria’ which has blue, white or pink flowers.

Soil preference: Any well-drained

Aspect: Sun or part shade

Season of interest: Spring, early summer

Height and spread: Up to 30cm × 40cm (1ft × 1ft 4in)

Companion plants: One of the finest companions for tulips, since it creates a soft, blue base. Charming when dotted among spring perennials such as Lathyrus vernus, yellow doronicums or polyanthus.

Erysimum cheiri

Bedding Wallflowers Hardy biennial

Shrubby biennial or shortlived perennial with narrow, evergreen leaves and from mid-spring spikes with bold-coloured, four-petalled flowers, which are sweetly fragrant. Dwarf bedding varieties include the mixed ‘Persian Carpet’. ‘Fire King’ is a taller orange red variety and ‘Blood Red’ an old breed with deep blood red flowers.

Soil preference: Any, preferably alkaline

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Spring

Height and spread: Up to 60cm × 40cm (2ft × 1ft 4in)

Companion plants: Pretty when bedded with tulips, but also handy for gap filling in a mixed or herbaceous border. Wallflowers work well with emerging lupin foliage, with tulips or with the hazy blue flowers of Brunnera macrophylla.

Erysimum

Perennial Wallflowers shortlived perennials, can be grown as biennials

Shrubby wallflower varieties with narrow, sometimes blue-grey leaves and a steady succession of stiff flower spikes held well clear of the leaves, and bearing four-petalled blooms in mauve, bronze, cream, yellow or red. Erysimum ‘Bowles Mauve’ is the best known but ‘Sunlight’ has yellow flowers and ‘Harpur Crewe’ small, double yellow, richly fragrant blooms.

Soil preference: Free-draining

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Spring, summer

Height and spread: Variable to 75cm × 60cm (2ft 6in × 2ft)

Companion plants: Good in a dry gravel or Mediterranean garden, with yellow-flowered Genista lydia and silver-leaved shrubs and herbs.

Digitalis purpurea

Foxglove Hardy biennial

Large, downy basal leaves in the first year are followed by tall, slender spikes furnished with many tubular downward-hanging flowers. The typical species has purplish pink flowers whose throats are thickly spotted with rusty marks, but garden forms come in a range of colours from white, through pale pink and apricot to deep purple.

Soil preference: Well-drained, but not too dry

Aspect: Shade or part shade

Season of interest: Late spring, early summer

Height and spread: Up to 2m × 60cm (6ft 6in × 2ft)

Companion plants: Excellent for woodland planting or to fill spaces between shrubs. Foxgloves are also lovely in cottage-style gardens, alongside cranesbills, old fashioned roses or with columbines.

Smyrnium perfoliatum

Biennial

A biennial with branched, winged stems and from mid-spring, showy, bract-like leaves which surround the flower umbels and are a vivid golden green. Lovely with the light coming through them, but this is an invasive plant which seeds a little too freely.

Soil preference: Any, not too damp

Aspect: Sun or shade

Season of interest: Spring

Height and spread. 1m × 45cm (3ft 3in × 1ft 6in)

Companion plants: Good for filling up spaces below trees, or allowing to spread with such other umbelliferous plants as sweet cicely or cow parsley. Also handsome when planted with red tulips, or with purple honesty Lunaria annua.

Hesperis matronalis

Dames Violet, Sweet Rocket Biennial or shortlived perennial

Cabbage family member with narrow leaves held on stout flower spikes that are topped with generous clusters of four-petalled fragrant blooms, the perfume being especially strong at twilight. Colours range from white, through pale mauve to soft purple. Replace flowered plants with self-sown seedlings.

Soil preference: Any, moist

Aspect: Sun or part shade

Season of interest: Spring, early summer

Height and spread: 1m × 30cm (3ft × 1ft)

Companion plants: A lovely species whose pale colours which show up well in poor light, and which go well with such bolder-hued early perennials as lupins, campanulas or even oriental poppies.

Biennials for summer

Campanula medium

Canterbury Bells Hardy biennial

The showiest of all bell flowers, with rough-textured, simple leaves and thick, ribbed stems. The stems develop into generously endowed spikes whose huge, tubular bell flowers may be shades of blue, pink or white. ‘Cup and saucer’ varieties have a bell flower resting on a petal-like, coloured calyx. Double-flowered varieties are available from seed catalogues.

Soil preference: Well-drained

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: 1m × 50cm (3ft × 1ft 8in)

Companion plants: A perfect cottage plant, showy but in gentle colours and along with sweet Williams, ideal for bridging the gap between spring and midsummer, following on from wallflowers. Beautiful with roses!

Salvia farinacea

Mealy Sage Tender biennial

Technically a perennial, but grown as a tender biennial or annual, the leaves are glossy but the flower stems are coated with a white mealy substance. The lipped flowers, produced throughout summer, are purple, blue or white. Salvia farinacea ‘Victoria’ is a popular bedding plant.

Soil preference: Any, fertile but free-draining

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: 1m × 60cm (3ft × 3 ft)

Companion plants: Attractive when included in a tropical mix, perhaps with cannas, bold grasses such as Chasmanthium or ornamental sorghums.

Ratibida columnifera

Mexican Hat Biennial or shortlived perennial

A member of the daisy family from Mexico, with divided leaves and erect stems bearing flowers whose broad, yellow, or red and yellow sterile ray florets surround an extended central cone. Viewed from the side, these Rudbeckia relatives resemble the sombreros worn by Mexican bandits in cowboy films.

Soil preference: Any well-drained, but not too dry

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: 60cm × 45m (2ft × 1ft 6in)

Companion plants: A delightful cottage garden plant whose shape contrasts well with campanulas, delphiniums or with perennial asters.

Lysimachia atropurpurea

Hardy biennial or shortlived perennial

A striking, if somewhat sparse growing species with pewter-suffused foliage when young and, during mid-summer, narrow spikes of deep purple-red flowers which contrast with the grey-green tones of the leaves. From the distance, the flowers look black and disappear, but close-to, especially if used as cut flowers, they are superb.

Soil preference: Fertile, free-draining

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: 45cm × 30cm (1ft 6in × 1 ft)

Companion plants: Best planted with light-coloured foliage plants such as Artemisia ludoviciana or Convolvulus cneorum so that the sombre blooms can make a strong contrast.

Oenothera biennis

Evening Primrose Biennial

Broad, pointed leaves form loose rosettes producing, in their second year, tall, somewhat lax stems with large pale yellow blooms that open at twilight and are spent by the following midday. May be a nuisance self-seeder, but a late summer delight.

Soil preference: Any

Aspect: Sun or part shade

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: 1.2m × 45cm (4ft × 1ft 6in)

Companion plants: One to dot about or allow to come up where it will in an informal planting scheme. Especially good among the soft mauves, purples and blues of perennial asters or in a late season annual border.

Scabiosa atropurpurea

Mournful Widow, Egyptian Rose Biennial

Lobed or divided leaves and thin, branched stems carry, in summer and early autumn, a long succession of pincushion-like flowers in dusky maroon or near black. The form ‘Chile Black’ is dark crimson, ‘Chile Sauce’ is rose red and ‘Salmon Queen’ a deep salmon pink.

Soil preference: Any fertile soil

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: 90cm × 45cm (3ft × 1ft 6in)

Companion plants: Beautiful grown with summer annuals such as corn cockle or field poppies, and with taller ornamental grasses like Deschampsia.

Biennials for special effects

Eryngium giganteum ‘Miss Willmott’s Ghost’

short-lived perennial

A very large perennial with prickly leaves and stems. The leaves are suffused with silvery white and each dome-shaped, thistle-like flower carries a spiky ruff at its base. The common name arises from the habit of Edwardian garden guru Ellen Willmott who, presumptuously, scattered seeds of it in other people’s gardens.

Soil preference: Any fertile

Aspect: Sun or part shade

Season of interest: Summer, autumn

Height and spread: 1.5m × 80cm (5ft × 2ft 8in)

Companion plants: Plants of great character, making strong focal points in mixed borders. Useful for lightening up dark evergreen shrubs at the back of borders, or to dot among tall perennials such as Verbena bonariensis and with big grasses.

Geranium maderense

Madeiran Cranesbill Tender biennial

Palmate leaves grow from a stumpy base, forming a large, impressive rosette. When the necessary size has been reached, a big branched flowerhead forms and erupts into a spectacular display of rich cerise to rosy purple flowers, each with a more intense eye. Once seed has formed, the plant dies. Must have winter protection.

Soil preference: Any not too dry, but well-drained

Aspect: Part shade

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: Up to 1.3m × 1m (4ft × 3ft 3in)

Companion plants: Best in a container in cold regions. Perfect in the company of ferns or of broad-leaved, shade-loving plants such as the larger hostas.

Meconopsis napaulensis

Technically a perennial but seldom survives flowering

As valued for the beautiful rosettes of felty lobed leaves, each one covered in rust-coloured hairs, as for the huge flower spikes which will grow well over 2m (6ft) before producing a generous supply of poppy flowers in pinkish red, purple or dusky blue.

Soil preference: Preferably lime-free, not too dry

Aspect: Shade or part shade

Season of interest: Summer.

Height and spread: 2m × 75cm (6ft 6in × 2ft 6in)

Companion plants: A plant for the woodland garden, or at least for dappled shade and therefore wonderful with foxgloves or perhaps teamed up with other Himalayan poppies such as Meconopsis grandis.

Digitalis

Foxglove Hardy biennial or short-lived perennial

Heather Angel

The common foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) has several equally dramatic and unusual cousins. One of the finest is D. grandiflora (pictured), which has bold, dark green tooth-edged leaves and early summer flower spikes of large butter yellow blooms. D. ‘Carillon’ is similar but shorter and D. × mertonensis, a cross between D. grandiflora and D. purpurea, has crushed strawberry blooms.

Soil preference: Any free-draining

Aspect: Sun or part shade

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: Up to 1m × 50cm (3ft 3in × 1ft 8in)

Companion plants: Foxgloves are excellent for adding height and flower power to shady borders. Digitalis grandiflora works particularly well in a cool-colour planting scheme with blue, white and clear yellow flowers.

Echium russicum

Red Bugloss Marginally tender to hardy biennial

R. Coates

Tidy rosettes of narrow, dark grey-green leaves develop during autumn and winter. During the following spring and early summer, rigid spikes appear, carrying narrow leaves along their lengths and, later, clusters of small, rose-red flowers which are irresistible to bees. The plants must be in a free-draining, sheltered spot to survive winter.

Soil preference: Any well-drained

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: 45cm × 30cm (1ft 6in × 12in)

Companion plants: Best in bold groups where the spikes can make a contrast with lower growing early summer plants such as helianthemums, Verbascum ‘Letitia’ or Alchemilla.

Petroselinum crispum

Parsley, Curled Parsley Hardy biennial or short-lived perennial

Familiar kitchen herb which also makes a first rate ornamental foliage plant. The leaves are vivid, emerald green, tightly curled and crisped, or flat, ferny and much divided. Sprays of greenish umbels appear in late summer but are not particularly decorative. Will self-seed.

Soil preference: Any

Aspect: Sun or part shade

Season of interest: Year round

Height and spread: Foliage 25cm (10in), flower to 60cm (2ft)

Companion plants: Cooling foil for bright, hot coloured flowers such as tulips in spring, annual poppies, pansies or marigolds in summer.

Biennials beneficial to wildlife

Lunaria biennis

Honesty Hardy biennial or annual

Toothed, heart-shaped green or variegated foliage with soft, fast growing stems, in spring, which produce sprays of four-petalled flowers in magenta, white or dark purple. The flat, rounded, transparent seedheads are pretty in late summer, but are easily damaged by wind. Attracts bees and butterflies; food for the Orange Tip butterfly.

Soil preference: Any

Aspect: Any

Season of interest: Spring, summer

Height and spread: 90cm × 45cm (3ft × 1ft 6in)

Companion plants: A pretty woodlander to naturalize in dapple shade among bluebells, red campion and species tulips.

Primula elatior hybrids

Polyanthus Hardy perennials grown as biennials

Very close relative of primroses and cowslips, these are the colourful hybrids whose oblong, wrinkled leaves form winter rosettes from which spring stems or ‘scapes’ topped with clusters of fragrant, five-petalled flowers in shades of yellow, blue, pink, red or white. Valuable to early bees, especially bumble bees. ‘Crescendo’ series are large-flowered; ‘Guinevere’ has dark leaves and pale flowers.

Soil preference: Moist but well-drained. Fertile

Aspect: Part shade

Season of interest: Spring

Height and spread: To 25cm × 25cm (10in × 10in)

Companion plants: Usually bedded when grown as biennials and excellent with tulips or with wall flowers. Yellow or red series look fine with blue forget-me-nots.

Verbascum bombyciferum

Giant Mullein Hardy biennial

Huge rosettes of downy, pale grey leaves develop in the first year, followed in the second summer by towering, white felted flower spikes which are furnished for months with chrome yellow flowers. Food plant of the Mullein moth caterpillar; flowers attractive to bees.

Soil preference: Any free-draining

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Year round

Height and spread: 2.5m × 1.5m (7ft 6in × 4ft 6in)

Companion plants: One for bringing drama to a dry border. Try with airy grasses, or with other large, drought tolerant perennials such as Crambe cordifolia or Colquhounia coccinea.

Echium pininana

Tower of Jewels, Pride of Tenerife, Tree Echium Tender biennial

A bizarre giant bugloss from the Canary islands. Bristling, thick stems with narrow leaves extend during summer and carry thousands of small, violet blue or pinkish-tinged flowers. May take more than a year to reach flowering size, but always dies after flowering. Loved by bees.

Soil preference: Any free-draining

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: 3m × 1m (10ft 9in × 3ft 3in)

Companion plants: Grown as a curio, but handsome when the flower stem begins to rear up amongst plants in a Mediterranean style border.

Salvia argentea

Hardy biennial or short-lived perennial

Large, oval, densely felted foliage forms large, flat rosettes from early summer. The small, greenish white, lipped flowers are held on branched stems which are square in section. A free self-seeder but young plants are susceptible to water logging, especially in winter. Loved by bees, butterflies and adult hoverflies.

Soil preference: Any free-draining

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: 45cm × 45cm (1ft 6in × 1ft 6in)

Companion plants: The broad leaves contrast sharply with the small, spiky stems and foliage of rosemary, lavender and Russian sage (Perovskia)

Rudbeckia hirta

Half hardy biennial or short-lived perennial

Oval, pointed leaves and somewhat hairy, branched stems bear, during late summer and autumn, big daisy flowers whose prominent central cones are usually dark and whose outer ray florets are broad, long and richly coloured in yellow, orange, mahogany or combinations of these hues.

Soil preference: Fertile, well-drained but moisture retentive

Aspect: Sun or part shade

Season of interest: Late summer and autumn

Height and spread: Variable to 1m × 45cm (3ft 3in × 1ft 6in)

Companion plants: Bright companions for red salvias or among cooler blues and mauves of autumn-flowering asters. Also useful for late bedding schemes.

Biennials for scent

Dianthus barbatus

Sweet William Hardy annual or short-lived perennial

Member of the pink family, its branching stems furnished with broad or narrow dark green or purple-bronze leaves, are topped with clusters of flowers. The sepals are narrow and extended like little green beards. The fragrant blooms are maroon, red, pink, white or bicoloured and last for several weeks.

Soil preference: Any free-draining

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Early to midsummer

Height and spread: To 60cm × 45cm (2ft × 1ft 6in)

Companion plants: Great favourite for cottage planting and good company for annuals such as larkspurs and cornflowers, or to grow at the feet of climbing or bush roses. Also prized as a cut flower.

Viola x williamsii ‘Bedding Supreme’

Miniature pansy Hardy biennials or short-lived perennials

Seed-raised selections of small-flowered pansies or violas with honey-scented, five-petalled flowers produced above lobed leaves. short-lived as perennials, but can be kept in flower for months by regular deadheading. Good series: ‘Bedding Supreme’ comes in a broad colour mix, ‘Singing in the Blues’ in shades of purple, violet and blue.

Soil preference: Any free-draining but not too dry

Aspect: Sun, part shade

Season of interest: Winter, spring, summer

Height and spread: 20cm × 30cm (8in × 12in)

Companion plants: Like all pansies and violas, these plants fit anywhere with anything. Lovely in a cottage border, seeding among pinks, antirrhinums or in semi-shade with small dicentras or between polyanthus.

Matthiola incana

Stock, Brompton Stock Biennial

Glaucous, slightly downy, grey-green foliage which produces multiple short stems, or long single stems bearing highly fragrant single or double blooms in white or shades of violet, mauve or pink. Cutting varieties include Ten Week stocks, but the wild species is attractive for cottage garden use. Excellent bee plant.

Soil preference: Any free-draining

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer.

Height and spread: Variable to 1m × 20cm (Variable to 3ft 3in × 10in)

Companion plants: Once popular for overwintered bedding, Brompton Stocks are more frequently used to dot among early summer mixed borders, preludes to pinks or border carnations, or to grow among bush roses.

Biennials with distinctive foliage

Onopordon nervosum

Scottish Thistle Hardy biennial

R. Coates

Metallic, silvery-grey leaves form dramatic rosettes in autumn and thick, winged, branched stems rear up during spring and summer, creating tree-like structures decorated in summer with purplish red thistle flowers. Viciously armed in all its parts. A prolific self-seeder.

Soil preference: Any free-draining

Aspect: Full sun

Season of interest: All year, mainly summer

Height and spread: Up to 3m × 1.5m (10ft 9in × 4ft 6in)

Companion plants: Their architectural shape make these ideal plants for providing dramatic summer statements, particularly among soft outline perennials such as cranesbills. Also excellent in sparse gravel planting.

Lychnis coronaria

Rose Campion Hardy biennial

Loose rosettes of oval, felty, grey leaves develop in the first year. Branched, erect stems develop during the second spring and in summer carry a long succession of bright cerise, disc-shaped flowers. The form ‘Alba’ has white flowers which age to pale pink, whereas the petals of ‘Atrosanguinea’ are blood red.

Soil preference: Well-drained

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: 1m × 50cm (3ft 3in × 1ft 8in)

Companion plants: A free self-seeder, which is lovely dotted about among the more rigid spikes of lupins or to harmonize with lavenders and Perovskia.

Silybum marianum

Our Lady’s Milk Thistle, Blessed Thistle Hardy biennial

Heather Angel

Dark green, undulating, prickly leaves, each marbled with white streaks, form a loose-knit groundcover during spring. Flower spikes develop in summer producing deep purple thistle flowers, but the value is in the foliage. The name arises from the legend that the Blessed Virgin Mary dripped milk onto the leaves. Watch for slugs and snails.

Soil preference: Any well-drained

Aspect: Sun or part shade

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: 50cm × 1m (1ft 8in by 3ft 3in)

Companion plants: Valuable for linking spring with summer and lovely among early flowering perennials such as lupins, early poppies and perennial wallflowers.

Other good biennials

Trifolium rubens

Hardy biennial

Heather Angel

A compact, bushy clover with typical three-lobed leaves and, during summer, elongated, slightly furry buds which open to produce tight groups of crimson flowers. An excellent cut flower and extremely bee-friendly. Like all legumes, the plant fixes its own nitrogen from the atmosphere.

Soil preference: Any free-draining

Aspect: Sun or part shade

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: 45cm × 20cm (18in × 8in)

Companion plants: A plant to blend harmoniously with the annual hare’s foot grass, Lagurus ovatus, whose flowers are similar in shape, but contrast in colour. Also good in a mixed border, to fill gaps between later flowering perennials.

Trifolium incarnatum

Italian Clover, Crimson Clover Annual or biennial plant

A vigorous annual or biennial whose young foliage is vivid emerald green. The three-lobed leaves form a neat mound during autumn followed, in late spring, by a succession of waving stems topped with oblong clover flowers in bright claret red. Not suitable for autumn sowing where winters are hard.

Soil preference: Any free-draining

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: 60cm × 30cm (2ft × 1ft)

Companion plants: Valuable as a green manure, to be dug in before seeds are set, but also highly decorative among annuals or dotted among sun-loving Mediterranean shrubs such as Cistus, Artemisia and Helichrysum.

Dianthus chinensis

Hardy biennial

Fast-maturing species which has given rise to many garden series. The simple, narrow green leaves are all but hidden by the crop of brightly coloured flowers with pinked or serrated petals. Fine forms include the maroon and white ‘Black and White Minstrels’, brilliant red or white ‘Magic Charms’ and the pink or red ‘Victoriana’ series.

Soil preference: Any free-draining

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: 30cm (1ft), variable by 20cm (8in)

Companion plants: Superb container plants, to blend with other summer flowers such as Lobelia erinus or with the foliage of Plectranthus and Glechoma hederacea ‘Variegata.’

Angelica gigas

Giant Angelica Hardy biennial or short-lived perennial

A big, clump-forming plant which may take two or three years to flower. The three-part leaves are large and green but carried on purplish stems. The flower buds form in dark, bulging sheaths and open to form attractive, purplish umbels. An East Asian plant of great character which, if happy, will self-seed.

Soil preference: Fertile, not too dry

Aspect: Sun or part shade

Season of interest: Spring, summer, autumn

Height and spread: 2m × 1m (6ft × 3ft)

Companion plants: A big monster to grow with lilies, perhaps, in semi-shade among shrubs, or to bring later interest in a woodland garden, perhaps among Fothergilla, magnolias, Enkianthus or to grow under wide-spaced trees in a large scale planting.

Brassica oleracea

Kale ‘Redbor’ Hardy biennial

Purple curly kale. A decorative and edible member of the cabbage family with thick, erect stems and deeply creased and ruched leaves. The stem colour is bright rose purple, darkening to deep red-purple in the puckered leaves. In its second spring, pale yellow flowers are produced. Excellent for flavour, as well as ornament.

Soil preference: Any fertile, free-draining

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer, winter

Height and spread: 75cm × 45cm (2ft 6in × 1ft 6in)

Companion plants: Superb with the strong colours of late summer perennials such as chrysanthemums, rudbeckias, Mexican salvia spieces and with Swiss or Rhubarb chard.

Beta vulgaris

Chard Hardy biennial

Usually grown as a vegetable, but a highly decorative plant. Huge, puckered leaves with thick midribs which may be coloured. When the plants bolt, coarse seedheads form and the ornamental and culinary value diminishes. Pretty varieties include ‘Bright Lights’ (red, white and yellow stems), ‘Lucullus’ (white stems) and ‘Charlotte’ (bright red stems with dark leaves).

Soil preference: Any

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Spring, summer

Height and spread: To 75cm × 30cm (2ft 6in × 1ft)

Companion plants: Lovely for an ornamental kitchen garden, or simply to mix in with a summer flower border to add substance and colour.

Pastel-coloured Brompton stocks (Matthiola incana) not only create attractive displays in any garden, but also attract bees with their powerful scent.

Planting Biennials for Spectacular Schemes

Biennials can be useful among more permanent flowering plants such as shrubs or perennials. Their temporary nature can be advantageous, enabling them to provide a spectacular show in their season, and then disappearing to leave an uncluttered space for the permanent plants to take over. Alternatively, they can be timed to complement their companion shrubs or perennials.

Spring-flowering biennials such as wall flowers or forget-me-nots are useful, not only for early colour, but also to relieve the monotony of deciduous shrubs or emerging perennials whose period of beauty is yet to come. They can be deployed as fillers, giving background colour to more brilliant performers such as tulips, or can be used to provide drifts of colour in their own right.

Although the same colour, the shape of Digitalis purpurea (foxglove) contrasts with that of the rose, ‘Climbing Iceberg’.

Stark contrast

The rose ‘Climbing Iceberg’ is teamed (below, left) by a white seedling foxglove, Digitalis purpurea. The colours harmonize, but the shapes and character of the plants are in stark contrast with each other. When the flowers of the foxglove are over, the whole plant can be pulled out or can be allowed to set seed for next year’s repeat show.

Informal air

A very loose, informal planting of climbing roses along an old limestone wall is enhanced by a drift of sweet Williams – Dianthus barbatus (below, right). The contrasting rose colours – ‘Scharlachglut’ (‘Scarlet Fire’) and ‘Gloire de Dijon’ – make a cheerful splash above the biennials, which help to draw the eye downwards and along the border. This is an early summer display but later, when the Dianthus are over, the scarlet rose will carry a conspicuous crop of orange hips, accompanied in the border by lilac-coloured colchicums.

Dual-purpose biennials

Some biennials are valuable as dual-purpose plants, creating attractive displays in beds or borders, or as cut flowers. In the main picture, opposite, these Brompton stocks have rich pastel colours and an intense fragrance, making them ideal for both purposes.

Sweet Williams, loosely planted in drifts, go well with roses up against a garden wall.

bedding

Bedding: spring flowering, full and dappled shade

Bedding: summer flowering, full sun

Bedding: summer flowering, dappled shade

Bedding for attracting wildlife

Bedding: spring flowering, full and dappled shade

Bellis perennis

Double Daisy, Lawn Daisy Perennial

Rounded or spoon-shaped leaves create mats of foliage above which blooms are held on thin stems. The wild species has a golden flower centre, surrounded by white sterile florets whose edges are flushed pink. Garden varieties include the double ‘Pomponette’ series, pale pink ‘Dresden China’ and the reddish ‘Rob Roy’.

Soil preference: Any

Aspect: Sun or partial shade

Season of interest: Spring

Height and spread: Up to 15cm × 20cm (6in × 8in)

Companion plants: Beautiful when bedded with forget-me-nots and with such bulbs as hyacinths or tulips.

Hyacinthus orientalis

Hyacinth Bulb

Fleshy, dark green leaves emerge in early spring. Later, chunky flower buds appear and extend to form thick flower spikes in shades of pink, blue, purple, white, pale yellow and orange. Intensely fragrant. ‘L’innocence’ is a fine bedding white, ‘Delft Blue’ is mid-blue, ‘Queen of the Blues’ darker and ‘Anna Marie’ pale pink.

Soil preference: Any free-draining

Aspect: Sun or shade

Season of interest: Spring

Height and spread: Up to 25cm × 15cm (10in × 6in)

Companion plants: Effective when bedded with winter pansies or polyanthus, but also superb when massed on their own. Fewer colours works better than a mix.

Viola

Winter Pansies Biennials or short-lived perennials

Low, mound-forming plants with diamond-shaped, slightly lobed leaves. The flowers, large in proportion to the plants, are flattened, disc-shaped, sweetly fragrant and almost perpetually in flower. Colours run through blue, orange, maroon, purple, yellow, pink and white. ‘Universal’ and ‘Ultima’ series are among the most popular winter flowering varieties. Deadhead to extend flowering.

Soil preference: Any well-drained, not too dry

Aspect: Part shade

Season of interest: Mainly winter but also year round

Height and spread: Approx 15cm × 20cm (6in × 8in)

Companion plants: Superb for long-lasting bedding, as well as for gap filling or providing winter interest in containers. Pretty with small bulbs such as Muscari, or with such spring plants as wallflowers or Aubrieta.

Primula vulgaris

Hybrid Primroses Perennial

Rosette-forming with broad, deeply veined, oval leaves and from winter through spring, a succession of five-petalled flowers. The wild species has pale yellow or flush mauve blooms but garden hybrids vary in flower size and colour. Red, blue, yellow, orange, pink and white hues are common. Sweetly fragrant. Should be divided and replanted regularly.

Soil preference: Medium to heavy, moisture retentive

Aspect: Shade or part shade

Season of interest: Spring

Height and spread: To 15cm × 20cm (6in × 8in)

Companion plants: Attractive bedded on their own, or with such spring bulbs as Muscari, Tulipa or smaller Narcissus such as N. ‘Hawera’ for companions. Also excellent as container plants.

Primula elatior hybrids

Polyanthus short-lived perennials

Leaves as primroses but the primula flowers appear in loose umbels of several blooms atop stems which may extend to 30cm. Developed from the wild oxlip, whose flowers are butter yellow, but cultivars come in all shades making them useful for colour scheming. Deadhead and remove yellowing leaves regularly. Divide annually and watch for vine weevil.

Soil preference: Moisture retentive

Aspect: Shade or partial shade, excellent under deciduous trees

Season of interest: Spring

Height and spread: Up to 30cm × 20cm (1ft × 8in)

Companion plants: Excellent for partially shaded bedding schemes but perfectly happy in full sun when they are bedded out in autumn and lifted in late spring after flowering.

Doronicum ‘Leopard’s Bane’

Perennial

Bright green, heart-shaped, slightly toothed leaves which form a basal clump as well as furnishing the flower stems. These lengthen in mid-spring, and bear big, golden daisy flowers which last into early summer. The foliage tends to burn away in hot weather.

Soil preference: Moist but free-draining

Aspect: Part-shade or shade. Excellent under deciduous trees

Season of interest: Spring

Height and spread: 30cm × 60cm (1ft × 2ft)

Companion plants: Beautiful planted with contrasting tulips such as the scarlet ‘Apeldoorn’ or deep purple ‘Negrita’. Also interesting when teamed with aquilegias, which will extend the flowering season further into summer.

Bedding: summer flowering, full sun

Petunia

Petunias Perennial (frost tender)

The most widely grown bedding plant, worldwide. A mat-forming herbaceous plant with oval leaves and a constant succession of vivid, saucer-shaped, fragrant flowers. Flowers can be ruined by damp weather, but blooming is copious. Wide colour range available, some with stripes, edging or darker veins. Series include ‘Mirage’, ‘Wave’, ‘Celebrity’ and trailing ‘Surfinia’.

Soil preference: Any, not wet

Aspect: Full sun

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: Various, to 30cm × 60cm (1ft × 2ft)

Companion plants: Traditionally bedded on their own or with contrasting colours of bedding salvias or tagetes, petunias are also useful for gap filling in mixed planting schemes and for containers.

Tagetes patula, T. tenuifolia

French/African/Afro-French Marigold, Tagetes Annual

Annuals with divided, sometimes filigree foliage and a succession of flowers in hot hues from yellow, through gold to orange, red or pale cream. African Marigolds such as ‘Antigua Gold’ grow tallest; French Marigolds such as ‘Little Hero’ (orange) or ‘Safari’ series are mid-height; and Tagetes such as ‘Starfire’ form sprays of yellow or orange flowers.

Soil preference: Free-draining, fertile

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: Variable up to 60cm × 45cm (up to 2ft × 1ft 6in)

Companion plants: These hot colours are difficult to team in more naturalistic bedding schemes but their power and distinctive aroma make them great value for bulking up summer colour. Tagetes are superb with blue daisies such as Felicia amelloides.

Pelargonium hybrids

Geraniums Tender perennials

A huge group of highly popular perennials, originating almost exclusively from Africa but hybridized and grown all over the world. Sizes vary from miniature hybrids and dwarf species to the largest kinds such as P. papilionaceum which can exceed 2m (6ft) in height and width. The single or double blooms occur in sprays or small clusters. Colours include most shades excluding blue and yellow. Zonal types have darker or lighter banding on leaves.

Soil preference: Any free-draining

Aspect: Full sun

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: Variable

Companion plants: Traditionally bedded on their own with contrasting ‘dot plants’. Red zonals look good with pale blue Plumbago or purple Cordyline; pink or violet can be set off with standard fuchsias or Abutilon.

Verbena hybrid cultivars

Tender perennials

Plants have lobed leaves and flattened flower umbels which attract butterflies. Those with a spreading habit include the vigorous ‘Homestead Purple’ which may overwinter, the old cultivar ‘Sissinghurst’ with abundant pink blooms and the popular ‘Tapien’ and ‘Temari’ series which offer a wide colour range. ‘Quartz’ is an excellent upright bedder from seed.

Soil preference: Well-drained

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: Up to 30cm (1ft), spreading

Companion plants: Spreading or trailing types work well as temporary summer groundcover spilling onto the patio or in containers. Try dotting with taller plants such as Lobelia ‘Compliment Series’. Upright bedding verbenas contrast nicely with petunias.

Dahlia hybrid bedding varieties

Perennial

Variable range of tender perennials developed from Central American species. These hybrids vary in height from dwarf, compact and bushy forms with smaller blooms suitable for containers and low bedding to tall upright types, often with spectacular flowers, that add colour and drama to the late summer border. Bedding dahlias are usually raised from seed and discarded at the end of the season. Lift dahlia tubers after first frosts.

Soil preference: Fertile, well-drained but not too dry

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer, autumn

Height and spread: From 30cm to 1.75m (1ft to 5ft)

Companion plants: Taller, large-flowered dahlias are excellent in a mixed border with late flowering perennials such as asters and crocosmias. Compact, tuberous or seed raised dahlias combine well with red bedding salvias and Solenostemon (Coleus).

Antirrhinum majus

Snapdragons Short-lived perennial

Herbaceous plants with simple leaves and spikes bearing lipped flowers which, when squeezed, open like jaws. Colours range from white and pale yellow through pinks and crimson to scarlet red or orange. Prone to rust disease. More resistant seed strains are available but to reduce rust problems remove surviving plants at the end of the season. Series include the dwarf ‘Chimes’ and taller ‘Liberty’.

Soil preference: Fertile, well-drained

Aspect: Sun or part shade

Season of interest: Summer, autumn

Height and spread: To 45cm–1m (1ft 6in–3ft 3in) for cutting varieties

Companion plants: Excellent as link plants between spring and summer bedding, since they can be planted out in very early spring before the frost risk has passed. Try them after tulips or polyanthus.

Bedding: summer flowering, dappled shade

Salvia splendens

Scarlet Sage, Bedding Salvia Tender perennial

Shrubby perennial with angular stems and toothed, nettlelike leaves. The flowers are sheathed in colourful bracts and, in the wild species, are vivid red. Garden forms, which come in red, pink or purplish hues, include ‘Scarlet King’, ‘Empire Purple and ‘Vista Salmon’. The ‘Sizzler’ series are smaller, more compact plants in a similar colour range.

Soil preference: Rich, not too dry, but well-drained

Aspect: Part-shade or sun

Season of interest: Summer, early autumn

Height and spread: Up to 1.2m (4ft), but usually grown shorter

Companion plants: A good choice for part-shaded bedding schemes or for high rainfall areas. The strong colours work well with sombre heliotropes or with the rich foliage patterns of Plectranthus or with Solenostemon (Coleus).

Impatiens walleriana hybrids

Busy Lizzie, Balsam Tender perennial

Shrubby perennials with thick but brittle stems and smooth, glossy, slightly toothed leaves. The flowers are flattened, asymmetrical and come in a broad range of hues from red, through mauve, pink or salmon to white. F1 hybrid seed strains offer single colours. Some types are picotee edged, striped or have ‘eyed’ flowers, for example ‘Dazzler Merlot’.

Soil preference: Fertile, not too dry

Aspect: Part shade or sun but not too hot

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: 20–30cm × 20–50cm (8–12in × 8in—1ft 10in)

Companion plants: Best when encouraged to form dense mats of colour by planting in groups, but softened by foliage plants such as Senecio ‘Silver Dust’ or with taller dot plants such as Eucalyptus gunnii or Plumbago.

Limnanthes douglasii

Poached Egg Plant Hardy annual

Vivid emerald green, feathery leaves create a dense ground cover persisting through winter, where seed has germinated in autumn. In late spring, the bright foliage is all but blotted out by even brighter, disc-shaped or shallow cupped flowers, each about 3cm (1in) across, with brilliant yellow centres and white petal margins. An excellent plant for attracting wildlife, especially beneficial hoverflies. Self-sows copiously.

Soil preference: Any, not too dry

Aspect: Sun or part shade

Season of interest: Spring, summer

Height and spread: 15cm × 20cm (6in × 8in)

Companion plants: Perfect for creating green or coloured ground cover between shrubs, particularly along border edges. Best when allowed to spread naturally, by self-sowing.

Mimulus

Monkey Flower, Musk Short-lived perennials and half hardy annuals

Mat forming perennials with slightly toothed leaves and a summer-long run of trumpet-shaped flowers in bright colours, often with stippling at the throat. Cultivars include ‘Highland Park’ (tomato red), ‘Puck’ (yellow) and ‘Wisley Red’ (scarlet). Seed series offer speckled and dramatically blotched blooms in shades of pink and cream though orange, red, maroon and yellow. ‘Monkey Magic’ is white with red markings.

Soil preference: Moist, but well-drained and fertile

Aspect: Sun or shade

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: From dwarf to 30cm × 45cm (1ft × 1ft 6in)

Companion plants: Ideal plants for a moist, part-shaded bedding scheme where they can accompany some of the taller primulas, such as Primula viallii. Seed series are useful for shaded containers with dark blue lobelia.

Lobelia erinus

Bedding Lobelia Tender perennial, invariably grown as annuals

Compact or trailing herbs with thin stems, sometimes bronze-hued foliage and a constant succession of small flowers, with broad lower petals and a contrasting white eye. Colours include dark, mid- or pale blue, mauve, purple and white. Popular compact varieties include non-trailing ‘Palace Series’ and ‘Mrs Clibran’. Trailing kinds include the ‘Cascade Series’ and light blue ‘Periwinkle Blue’.

Soil preference: Moisture-retentive

Aspect: Sun or part shade

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: Variable to 20cm (8in), but trailing kinds have longer stems

Companion plants: The classic plant for edging borders, or for trailing from baskets. The blue is valuable for cooling colour schemes or for making strong contrasts with, for example, golden-flowered Bidens ferulifolia; looks attractive almost anywhere.

Tanacetum parthenium

Feverfew Perennial

Bright green or gold, lobed leaves which are acridly aromatic when bruised. The yellow-centred, white flowers begin to emerge in late spring and are produced all summer. Cultivars include ‘Snowball’ (button blooms) and ‘Santana’. Will flower naturally but also responds well to frequent trimming. A prolific self-seeder, sometimes becoming a nuisance, but also a handy gap filler. The leaves are reputed to cure headaches.

Soil preference: Any

Aspect: Sun, partial shade or shade

Season of interest: Spring, summer, autumn

Height and spread: Variable to 45cm (1ft 6in), usually smaller

Companion plants: Useful as part of a carpet bedding scheme, or when the gold-leaf form ‘Aureum’ is planted among such plants as Impatiens or petunias, to tone down the intensity of the flowers.

Bedding for sustainable growing

Viola

Violas Perennials

Mat-forming perennials with compact foliage and a constant succession of flowers, many of which are marked with face-like features. Garden violas are almost constantly in bloom with colours similar in range to pansies with many being bicoloured, plain or picotee. Varieties include ‘Ardross Gem’, ‘Irish Molly’ and ‘Martin’. Seed series include ‘Baby Face’, ‘Gemini Twins’ and ‘Sorbet’.

Soil preference: Any, well-drained, not too dry

Aspect: Sun or part shade

Season of interest: Year round

Height and spread: Up to 20cm × 30cm (8in × 1ft)

Companion plants: Universally loved and useful almost anywhere. New seed series of small flowered violas are superseding bigger flowered pansies because they can bloom throughout the year. Violas and pansies look good with almost any other garden plant.

Geranium pratense

Meadow Cranesbill Perennial

Raise from seed sown in autumn to provide flowers the following summer. Decorative foliage is divided with first flower stems developing in early summer producing bright blue flowers. Cut hard back to provide a second flush in late summer. There is a pure white form, and ‘Mrs Kendall Clark’ has pale slate-blue flowers.

Soil preference: Any

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer and autumn

Height and spread: 1m × 60cm (3ft 3in × 2ft)

Companion plants: Wild bedding is an unusual but exciting concept. Try this cranesbill with ox eye daisies (Leucanthemum vulgare) and with annual grasses such as Briza maxima or Lagurus ovata for a soft, meadow effect.

Aquilegia

Granny’s Bonnets, Columbine Perennials

Sustainable bedding. Seed series of big, showy columbines are popular as bedding plants. Sown in spring, they will produce plenty of flower the following year and can be planted in situ in autumn. The ‘Songbird series’ have big, long-spurred blooms in red, blue, yellow and creamy white, which also make good container plants and can even be used for early conservatory displays.

Soil preference: Any, preferably fertile

Aspect: Sun, part-shade

Season of interest: Spring, early summer

Height and spread: Variable from dwarf to 1m (3ft 3in)

Companion plants: Best on their own in a bedding scheme, but beautiful if dotted among perennials or shrubs in a mixed border, or grown in containers.

Bedding for attracting wildlife

Verbena bonariensis

Purple Top, Tall Verbena Short-lived, marginally hardy perennial

Tall stems, sparsely furnished with narrow, dark green leaves are topped, through summer, by dense bunches of tiny bright purple blooms. The stems are so thin and the leaves so few that the flowers seem suspended by invisible supports. Attractive to butterflies and a wide range of insects. A prolific self-seeder.

Soil preference: Any, even very dry

Aspect: Full sun

Season of interest: Summer, autumn.

Height and spread: 2m × 30cm (6ft 6in × 1ft)

Companion plants: Most effective when used to create an extra, ephemeral layer of bedding above more moderately sized plants such as bedding dahlias, pelargoniums or petunias.

Gaillardia hybrids

Blanket Flower; Fire Wheel Hardy perennials

Brilliantly coloured, daisy flowers with hot coloured outer rays and raised, furry central ‘cones’ are produced throughout summer. Typical flower colours are red and yellow, as in the old variety ‘Kobold’; ‘Burgunder’ is red and ‘Dazzler’, a shorter-stemmed variety. Divide or propagate from root cuttings frequently, since these perennials are short-lived. Loved by butterflies and bees.

Soil preference: Any free-draining

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer, autumn

Height and spread: Variable from dwarf to 60cm × 75cm (2ft × 2ft 6in)

Companion plants: For a hot effect, gaillardias mix well with annual varieties of Rudbeckia, such as ‘Marmalade’ or ‘Rustic Dwarfs’, whose flowers will continue long into autumn. Besides bedding, they also work well in mixed or herbaceous borders.

Nicotiana x sanderae

Tobacco Plant Half hardy annual

Bold perennial with large, oval, sticky leaves and branched stems bearing narrow-necked, trumpet-shaped flowers. Blooms on scented varieties wilt by day, but perk up at dusk and produce a rich fragrance. Best scented varieties are ‘Fragrant Cloud’ or ‘Evening Fragrance Mixed’. Decorative, non-scented kinds include ‘Domino’ and ‘Nikki’ series in pastel pink hues, and red, pink, cream or white. Particularly attractive to bees and moths.

Soil preference: Any

Aspect: Sun or part shade

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: Variable to 1m × 75cm (3ft 3in × 2ft 6in)

Companion plants: Coloured varieties call for strong foliage contrasts from silvery plants such as Centaurea cineraria or a filigree-leaved Artemisia. Scented kinds are good with the huge Nicotiana sylvestris.

Bedding for containers

Torenia

Wishbone Flower Tender perennial

Bushy or slowly spreading perennials with toothed leaves and a long succession of lipped, trumpet flowers with dark petal edges and contrastingly pale throats. Good varieties for containers include ‘Amethyst’, ‘Blue Panda’ (royal blue and pale violet blue) and ‘Duchess Series’, which comes in two-tone blue, white and pink or white and blue.

Soil preference: Any, not too dry

Aspect: Sun or part shade

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: 25cm × 30cm (10in × 12in)

Companion plants: Best co-ordinated with attractive foliage plants, particularly with silvery or grey leaves. Trailing plants such as Sutera, Dichondra argentea ‘Silver Falls’ and the very silvery Lotus berthelotii would make fine companions.

Calibrachoa ‘Million Bells’

Tender perennial

Close relative of the petunia, producing masses of long, trailing stems, richly furnished with flattened, flared, trumpet flowers up to about 3cm (1in) across. One of the best trailing plants for hanging baskets or large containers. ‘Million Bells’ series has flowers in pink, mauve, dusky yellow, white and terracotta.

Soil preference: Any well-drained

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: 15cm (6in) high, trailing 1m (3ft 3in) stems

Companion plants: Teams will with such trailing foliage plants as Lotus berthelotii or Helichrysum petiolare ‘Variegatum’ but also excellent when grown alone.

Felicia amelloides

Blue Daisy, African Blue Daisy Tender perennial

Bushy or slowly trailing perennial with rounded, deep green, slightly pubescent leaves and masses of yellow-centred, bright blue daily flowers held on thin, erect stems. The form ‘Santa Anita’ is the toughest, sometimes surviving a touch of frost, and flowers throughout summer.

Soil preference: Any free-draining

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer, early autumn

Height and spread: 40cm × 60cm (1ft 4in × 2ft)

Companion plants: Magnificent if contrasted with bright yellow or orange flowers. Tagetes, especially clear yellow varieties, blend sweetly as does Bidens ferulifolia.

Nemesia denticulata and allies

Tender perennial

Mound-forming perennial with thin, easily snapped stems, which are quick to regenerate, and generous, long-lasting sprays of sometimes fragrant flowers shaped like small, open snapdragons. Colours range from white to pastel lilac, purple and pink tones.

Soil preference: Any, not too dry

Aspect: Sun or part shade

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: 30cm × 40cm (1ft × 1ft 4in)

Companion plants: Best grown on its own, especially in a large pot or hanging basket.

Bidens ferulifolia

Bidens, Beggarticks Tender perennial

Lax perennial, whose much branched stems trail elegantly among other vegetation. The deeply divided foliage makes a pretty foil for the big, golden, honey-scented blooms which are produced constantly through summer. A classic and drought-tolerant basket plant, but also fine in a border, where it can sprawl among other perennials.

Soil preference: Any

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: Up to 45cm (1ft 6in) trailing

Companion plants: Lovely with silver foliage of trailing Helichrysum or trailing Plectranthus. Superb when making a startling contrast with the vigorous Verbena ‘Homestead Purple’.

Sutera (syn. Bacopa)

Tender annuals or perennials

South African plants with bushy but trailing or sprawling habit and slightly toothed triangular or rounded leaves. The flowers are tiny – forget-me-not sized – but are produced in profusion through much of summer. Pastel shaded cultivars include ‘Blue Showers’, ‘Lilac Showers’ and ‘Pink Domino’. White forms include ‘Snowstorm’, ‘Snowflake’ and Sutera cordata ‘Blizzard’.

Soil preference: Any

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: 10cm × 45cm (4in × 1ft 6in)

Companion plants: Suteras have become standard basket and window box plants and will mix with practically anything. They are ideal for softening edges and disguising pot sides, making excellent companions for erect varieties of pelargonium and fuchsias.

Other good bedding plants

Lathyrus odoratus Dwarf varieties

Sweet Pea Hardy annual

Most have the attributes of climbing sweet peas – fragrance, colourful blossoms, good cutting value – but dwarf plants need minimal support. Varieties include ‘Snoopea’, which lacks tendrils and has a prostrate but bushy habit, ‘Bijou Mixed’ and the dwarf ‘Cupid Mixed’. Colours run through pink, purples and white. Excellent for containers.

Soil preference: Any fertile, free-draining but moisture-retentive

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: Variable to 30cm (1ft)

Companion plants: Effective in small bedding schemes alongside leafy plants such as Senecio cineraria or as part of a mixed container, with Nemesia or Torenia.

Heliotropium arborescens

Heliotrope, Cherry Pie Tender shrub, grown as bedding

A rounded shrub, in the forget-me-not family with handsome oval and deeply veined leaves that are often purple-tinged. Large heads of tiny, rich purple flowers which smell sweetly of vanilla. When used in bedding, heliotropes can be trained as standards or pruned and pinched back to sustain bushiness. Fine varieties include ‘Princess Marina’, whose flowers are deep purple-blue, ‘Chatsworth’, slightly paler purple and also very fragrant, and ‘White Lady’.

Soil preference: Any

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: To 90cm × 60cm (3ft × 2ft)

Companion plants: The classic ‘dot’ plant of Victorian bedding, useful for giving height to beds of impatiens, petunias or to contrast strongly with French marigolds.

Nicotiana mutabilis ‘Marshmallow’

Tobacco Plant Tender perennial

This plant has large, floppy leaves which are sticky to the touch above which grows a mass of branched, slender stems bearing trumpet-shaped flowers which open white and gradually flush to a pale and then a deep cherry pink. Each flower has a dark eye and in the evening, exudes a delicious fragrance.

Soil preference: Any, fertile and free-draining

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: 1.2m × 75cm (4ft × 2ft 6in)

Companion plants: Big, bold bedding plants, ideal to soften the harshness of large dahlias or to intersperse among Verbena bonariensis for a light, airy effect.

Viola x wittrockiana

Small-flowered Violas Hardy perennial or biennial

Neat, mat-forming perennials or biennials with slightly lobed, heart-shaped leaves and stems which are square in section. A constant run of small, pansy flowers is produced in a vast range of colours and patterns, ranging through blues, mauves, yellow, orange, purples and to almost black or tan red. Many have bi-coloured blooms or monkey faces; all have a sweet-sharp, honey fragrance.

Soil preference: Any reasonably fertile, not too dry

Aspect: Sun or part shade

Season of interest: Year round

Height and spread: Variable to 20cm × 30cm (8in × 1ft)

Companion plants: Adaptable to any situation – in containers, beds, rock gardens or even lining vegetables in a kitchen garden. Especially effective with spring bulbs or over-wintered plants such as polyanthus, primroses or wall flowers.

Verbena ‘Blue Lagoon’

Verbena Tender perennial

Oval, toothed leaves and semi-trailing stems which produce a summer-long succession of umbels bearing true blue flowers. Said to be resistant to mildew – a bugbear disease for bedding verbena – and to have sweet fragrance. A seed-raised series, but can be propagated from cuttings or divisions.

Soil preference: Fertile and free-draining

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer, autumn

Height and spread: 25cm × 30cm (10in × 12in)

Companion plants: An excellent container plant to trail with such gold-leaf companions as Lamium ‘Golden Anniversary’ or with Lysimachia nummularia ‘Aurea’.

Zaluzianskya capensis

Night Phlox Tender annual

A member of the foxglove family which looks more like a pink or a campion! Sticky foliage on bushy plants is joined, in summer, by starry flowers with twin-lobed petals, which are crimson on the reverse, but white on their upper surfaces. The flowers open more fully at night when they become sweetly fragrant.

Soil preference: Any free-draining

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: To 60cm × 45cm (2ft × 1ft 6in)

Companion plants: Try fusion planting, growing these South African beauties along with the equally sweetly scented and nocturnal Marvel of Peru or Mirabilis jalapa, and with tobaccos.

Begonia semperflorens

Tender perennial

Universally popular bedding plant with thick, fibrous roots, succulent stems and glossy, fleshy leaves which are rounded and may be bright green, or bronze or purple tinted. A constant run of flowers in colours ranging from scarlet, through reds and pinks to white. Good seed series are legion, for example, ‘Doublonia’ series and ‘Stara Mixed’.

Soil preference: Any

Aspect: Sun or part shade

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: To 30cm × 30cm (1ft × 1ft)

Companion plants: Best for bedding schemes, on account of their ability to make long-lasting carpets of colour. Also effective as texturing plants with grasses, perhaps, or for use in mixed containers with Helichrysum petiolare, Brachyscome or Senecio ‘Silver Dust’.

Brassica oleracea

Ornamental Cabbage, Ornamental Kale Hardy biennial

Valuable for their winter displays, ornamental cabbages and kales provide strong colours from their colourful foliage. The cabbages form loose but symmetrical rosettes with purple, rose-mauve, pink or creamy suffusions mixed with green. The kales have a more open, lax habit. The flowers, which follow in late spring, are yellow and usually clash with the coloured leaves.

Soil preference: Any

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Autumn, winter, spring

Height and spread: To 45cm × 30cm (1ft 6in × 1ft)

Companion plants: Useful for a strong colour display for winter but difficult to team with smaller flowers. Certain tulips, particularly in white, purple or pink shades, go surprisingly well.

Salpiglossis sinuata

Tender annual

A South American member of the potato family with slender habit, sparsely branched stems and slightly sticky foliage. During much of the summer, these plants produce a long succession of trumpet-shaped flowers. These are deeply veined and come in attractive, dusky colours ranging through yellows, brick red and orange to violet and purple-blue.

Soil preference: Any free-draining

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: 60cm × 30cm (2ft × 1ft)

Companion plants: Striking, characterful plants which need backing up with other, foliage-rich companions such as heliotropes, Centaurea cineraria or scented leaf pelargoniums.

Canna indica, C. iridiflora

Tender perennials

Large, coarse perennials with broad, oar-shaped, glossy surfaced leaves which unfurl like rolled banners; in some varieties these are dark-tinted or striated. The flowers, which resemble untidy irises, are produced in bunched panicles and come in shades of pink red, yellow, orange or white. The species C. iridiflora (pictured) grows taller and has gracefully hanging pink flowers.

Soil preference: Moist, fertile

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: To 2.5m × 1m (8ft × 3ft)

Companion plants: Traditionally used as dot plants, in bedding schemes and effective when presiding over drifts of French marigolds, pelargoniums, Impatiens or nicotianas. Also fine in containers with Mexican salvias and Solanum rantonetii.

Cosmos bipinnatus, C. sulphureus

Hardy or near hardy annuals

Two variable species, with divided, often lacy foliage and an open, branching habit. The flowers are composite with yellow central florets and broad, showy outer ray florets which may be flat or, in some varieties such as ‘Seashells’, tubular. Flowers of C. bipinnatus range from deep rose or crimson through pinks to white. C. sulphureus comes in hotter colours ranging from yellow to coppery orange or near red.

Soil preference: Fertile but free-draining

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: Variable to 2m × 45cm (6ft × 1ft 6in)

Companion plants: Fast-growing plants whose soft, lacy foliage provides a gentle tracery, striking when accompanied by bedding such as annual Lavetera, petunias or dense masses of fuchsias. Also pretty dotted in a flower border, perhaps with cleomes.

Dahlia

Half hardy perennials

A variable genus with huge plants, bearing vast blooms the size of a hat down to more modest, dwarf varieties. Many-branched stems rise from fleshy tubers in late spring and are furnished with divided, glossy, sometimes dark foliage. The late summer flowers are variable, usually brightly coloured with every hue except pure blue. Seed series such as ‘Duo’ or the dark-leaved ‘Bishop’s Children’ are good for bedding.

Soil preference: Any fertile, free-draining but not too dry

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer, autumn

Height and spread: Variable to 2m × 75cm (6ft × 2ft 6in)

Companion plants: Medium and small flowered varieties, especially those with dark foliage, are popular, blending with lilies among shrubs or in a late summer border with heleniums, late daisies or chrysanthemums.

Bedding Schemes Used Formally and Informally

Bedding schemes can be tailored to suit a diverse range of tastes and preferences. Plants, in formal bedding, are used en masse to create a colourful surface and their use can appear to be more akin to painting than to planting! Bold brush-strokes of colour, sometimes creating formal patterns or shapes, often in the commemoration of an event, are popular in public planting schemes and are intended to provide sudden drama and spectacle, rather than to sustain a gentle, changing scene.

However, bedding can also be used in an informal way, simply arranging for drifts of similar plants to make small statements, perhaps as part of a border, or for giving temporary lift to an otherwise dull spot.

Vibrant colours

The main picture opposite shows a harmonious spring bedding display using botanical tulips, Tulipa kaufmanniana ‘Stresa’, with Hyacinthus orientalis ‘Blue Jacket’. The three strong colours, red, yellow and blue, work superbly together and bring bright spring cheer. The display will not be long-lived, however, and will leave a sizeable gap by the end of spring.

Painting with flowers

In this scheme (see the bottom picture on the opposite page), bold swirls of Tagetes (French and African marigolds) create a dazzling surface which is so intense in colour that it can almost cause physical discomfort to view, particularly in low light conditions. However, where the sun is strong, hard colours like these can be surprisingly effective. The effect is one of drama, rather than to entice long, lingering looks!

Using dot plants to lift the scheme

Common bedding plants such as these Ageratum (above) can be augmented with less usual choices to add interest to an otherwise rather pedestrian planting scheme. The Verbascums are used here for the silver foliage but later they will produce handsome flower spikes and make strong accent plants.

bulbs

Bulbs: medium and tall for spring

Dwarf bulbs for winter and spring

Focus on… Narcissus

Bulbs: medium and tall for summer

Bulbs: medium and tall for spring

Fritillaria imperialis

Crown Imperial Hardy bulb

Largest of the fritillaries and ancient in cultivation. Big, pungent-smelling bulbs producing thick, fleshy stems, furnished with glossy, narrow leaves along their length. At their tips, clusters of large, dark-veined, orange or yellow bell-shaped flowers form below a topknot of foliage. The petal bases have glands which drip tears of nectar.

Soil preference: Any, well-drained

Aspect: Sun or part shade

Season of interest: Spring

Height and spread: 1m × 45cm (3ft 3in × 1ft 6in)

Companion plants: Big, bold spring plants for dotting among developing summer perennials or to naturalize among such ornamental trees as cherries, crab apples or hawthorns.

Fritillaria pallidiflora

Hardy bulb

A variable species with paired, narrow, grey-green leaves and thin stems which bear groups of two, three or four cup-shaped nodding flowers in a pale beige to creamy primrose. The bulbs are slow to increase and so work better in small groups than singly.

Soil preference: Any free-draining, but not too dry

Aspect: Sun or part shade

Season of interest: Spring

Height and spread: To 45cm × 10cm (1ft 6in × 4in)

Companion plants: Superb when grown with other fritillaries and late spring flowers. Species tulips such as Tulipa sprengeri and T. acuminata go well, as does Fritillaria verticillata.

Hyacinthoides non-scripta

English Bluebell Hardy bulb

Dark, glossy, narrow foliage begins to emerge in early spring. The flower stems extend in mid spring, and carry clusters of hanging, bell-shaped, fragrant, dark blue flowers. Albino and pink forms also occur but are rare. Successful growth depends on a relationship the plants have with micro-organisms in the soil, and establishment can be difficult. Plant ‘in the green’ (ie. in leaf).

Soil preference: Woodland soil, high in organic matter

Aspect: Shade or part shade

Season of interest: Spring

Height and spread: To 45cm × 10cm (1ft 6in × 4in)

Companion plants: Suitable for naturalizing in shady places and beautiful with wood anemones, ragged robin, primulas or red campion.

Erythronium ‘Pagoda’

Dog’s Tooth Violet Hardy bulb

A garden hybrid with broad, richly decorated, glossy foliage, which creates a fine base for the sprays of elegant flowers. These are up to 5cm (2in) across, with pale yellow petals which curl to create a pagoda effect.

Soil preference: Woodland soil, rich in organic matter

Aspect: Shade or part shade

Season of interest: Spring

Height and spread: 30cm × 25cm (1ft × 10in)

Companion plants: Fine when naturalised in a shady border or woodland garden, especially with bluebells, Uvularia and epimediums.

Ornithogalum nutans

Star of Bethlehem Hardy bulb

Narrow, grassy, rather lax foliage and erect, glossy stems which end with generous spikes of hanging flowers whose almost translucent white petals are lined with a pale green stripes. Thrives in a hot, dry spot on poor soil, but the flowers tend to be short-lived.

Soil preference: Free-draining

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Spring

Height and spread: 45cm × 20cm (1ft 6in × 10in)

Companion plants: Useful as a ‘filler’ plant in dry Mediterranean style plantings among other bulbs such as Hermodactyla tuberosa, drought tolerant anemones and such species tulips as Tulipa batalinii.

Iris (Dutch hybrids)

Dutch Iris Bulb

Largely grown for the cut flower trade, but useful for dotting or bedding, these irises produce rigid, jointed stems, furnished with narrow, folded leaves and showy three-part flowers. The most widely grown are blue, as in the ‘Blue Magic’, but there are white forms such as ‘Madonna’. ‘Telstar’ has flowers in purplish blue.

Soil preference: Fertile, free-draining, not too dry

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Spring

Height and spread: Up to 45cm × 20cm (1ft 6in × 8in)

Companion plants: Can be bedded with wallflowers, or to cool down displays of midseason or late daffodils. Also handy to line out with tulips for cutting.

Dwarf bulbs for winter and spring

Galanthus nivalis, G. elwesii

Snowdrops Hardy bulbs

Favourite indicator of winter’s end. Small, grassy leaves emerge in midwinter, soon joined by dazzling white blooms whose outer tepals cloak the greenish tipped inner parts. Noteworthy are G. nivalis in single or double form – easily the best for naturalizing – and G. elwesii, whose glaucous leaves are broader and whose flowers may appear earlier.

Soil preference: Any, not too dry

Aspect: Shade or part shade

Season of interest: Winter

Height and spread: Up to 20cm × 10cm (8in × 4in)

Companion plants: Beautiful and welcome everywhere, but best in drifts, with hellebores and winter aconites, perhaps under winter blooming shrubs such as Cornus mas or Salix caprea.

Eranthis hyemalis

Winter Aconite Hardy tuber-bearing perennial

Short stems bearing small, buttercup yellow, muskily fragrant blooms appear a day or two after the winter solstice. Each flower is cradled in a pretty ruff of green foliage. The leaves die down by late spring. A much loved plant whose appearance is brief and stature tiny, but whose timing is perfect.

Soil preference: Any

Aspect: Sun or shade

Season of interest: Winter

Height and spread: 10cm × 10cm (4in × 4in)

Companion plants: Beautiful in drifts with snowdrops, under trees or between shrubs. Plant potted specimens in growth.

Cyclamen coum

Hardy tuberous perennial

Kidney-shaped leaves, green or marbled in grey and green, begin to emerge in early winter. By midwinter, flowers shaped like squat ship’s propellers begin to open and are held just clear of the leaves by near-prostrate stems. Typical flower colour is rich carmine or cerise, but there are also pale pink and white forms.

Soil preference: Any, free-draining

Aspect: Sun or part shade

Season of interest: Winter

Height and spread: 10cm × 20cm (4in × 8in)

Companion plants: The foliage makes a pretty foil for snowdrops or aconites and the gem-like flowers sparkle among sombre blue winter irises. Also lovely in short grass.

Crocus imperati

Hardy, corm-bearing perennial

Narrow, grassy leaves appear in winter, soon accompanied by the frail crocus blossoms, which are biscuit beige on the outside, decorated with dark blackish purple veining. When the flowers open in sun, their insides are bright violet mauve. See also Crocuses.

Soil preference: Very free-draining

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Late winter, early spring

Height and spread: 10cm × 10cm (4in × 4in)

Companion plants: Precious to include in a crocus collection because of the early blooms. Also pretty with winter irises and Cyclamen coum.

Iris danfordiae, Iris ‘Katharine Hodgkin’

Hardy bulb

Leafless stems emerge in winter, carrying buds which open to bright golden yellow iris blooms. The narrow leaves extend as the flowers fade. Iris ‘Katharine Hodgkin’ (pictured) is a hybrid with extraordinary colouring: veined dusky blue, yellow and white, with dark spots.

Soil preference: Any free-draining

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Late winter, early spring

Height and spread: 15cm × 10cm (6in × 4in)

Companion plants: Best in small specimen groups among other late winter flowers, or to bring interest to an Alpine collection to precede the main spring show, perhaps of saxifrages and dwarf narcissus.

Leucojum vernum

Spring snowflake Hardy bulb

Clump-forming bulb with dark green, lustrous strap-like leaves which emerge in late winter, just after the flower stems. These carry one, two or three flowers shaped like pleated bells or lanterns; pure white but with a faint green tinge along the tips. Stems and leaves extend after flowering.

Soil preference: Fertile, not too dry

Aspect: Part shade

Season of interest: Late winter, early spring

Height and spread: 20cm × 10cm (8in × 4in), spreading

Companion plants: Beautiful among tufts of lime green Hacquetia epipactis or below arching Solomon’s Seal (Polygonatum multiflorum) stems, both of which flower a little later.

Focus on…

Narcissus

Daffodils are among the most popular of hardy bulbs. Variable in habit, they range from miniature species and hybrids to tall cultivars with large flowers. Leaves may be strap-shaped or, in miniature species, somewhat grassy. The flowers consist of a trumpet- or cup-shaped corona surrounded by flat or reflexed petals known as perianth segments.

1. Narcissus ‘Jenny’

A pale-flowered cyclamineus hybrid with white, strongly reflexed petals and pale lemon trumpet which fades to cream as the flower ages.

2. Narcissus ‘Ice Follies’

A very large-flowered, commercial variety excellent for cutting but unnatural-looking for small scale wild planting. The pleated lemon cup and white petals, with strong and upright stem give this variety good standing power and, by Narcissus standards, a long life, whether cut or left to bloom outdoors.

3. Narcissus ‘Tête à Tête’

Universally popular, Narcissus ‘Tête à Tête’ is early, compact, easy to grow and dependable. The buttercup yellow blooms, which may come singly or in pairs on the stem, have neat petals and small cups contrasting well with the deep green foliage.

4. Narcissus ‘Topolino’

One of the earliest varieties to flower. The petals are creamy white, making a lovely contrast with the neatly shaped, flared trumpet. Reasonably quick to multiply, and reliable in good, rich soil, this is a valuable miniature daffodil.

5. Narcissus ‘Jetfire’

A vigorous and dependable cyclamineus hybrid with buttercup yellow petals, slightly swept back, and a trumpet which matures to rich orange red. Bulks up more quickly than many hybrids.

6. Narcissus ‘Rip van Winkle’

An oddity whose cultivation dates back several centuries. The petals are split or shredded, giving a dandelion-like impression. Short stems, vigorous and, if not beautiful, at least jolly in colour and appearance.

7. Narcissus bulbocodium

The elegant little ‘hoop petticoat’ narcissus grow wild on the Iberian peninsula. They prefer moist but free-draining soils and, where happy, will self-seed and naturalise readily. For Alpine style meadows, they are superb but will also flourish in gravel, or in a rock garden.

8. Narcissus obvallaris

The Tenby Daffodil, an early species with upright stems and golden flower which are remarkably weather resistant. Ultimate height is 25cm (10in), but the flowers open while the stems are still short.

9. Narcissus pseudonarcissus

The true wild daffodil, short in stature, but big in charm. The pale petals lie along the darker gold trumpet until the flower is fully mature. Best in moist grassland, and easier to establish in high rainfall.

1 | 2 | 3
4 | 5 | 6
7 | 8 | 9

Bulbs: medium and tall for summer

Eremurus robustus

Desert Candle, Giant Foxtail Lily Bulbous perennial

R. Ditchfield

A beautiful monster with broad, fleshy roots arranged in a star or spider shape. Coarse, strap-like leaves grow almost 1m (3ft 3in) high before the thick, rigid flower spikes rear up. These are densely packed with fluffy pink flowers, whose tepals show greenish brown veining.

Soil preference: Free-draining, never wet

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: Up to 3m × 90cm (9ft 9in × 3ft)

Companion plants: An individualist but dramatic when included singly or in small groups among such dry-loving shrubs as Jerusalem sage (Phlomis fruticosa), Teucrium fruticans or against the white clouds of Crambe cordifolia.

Allium ‘Purple Giant’

Drumstick Allium Hardy bulb

Member of the onion family with green, glossy leaves which begin to wither before the bold flower spikes mature. These are topped with massed, deep purple blooms arranged in a drumstick formation. A free self-seeder, best sited where other foliage will help to disguise the withering leaves.

Soil preference: Fertile, but free-draining

Aspect: Sun or part shade

Season of interest: Early summer

Height and spread: 1m × 20cm (3ft × 8in)

Companion plants: Frequently used to furnish the base of a laburnum tunnel, where the purple and yellow flowers can contrast, but also beautiful naturalized with other drumstick alliums among tall grasses.

Dierama pulcherrimum

Angel’s Fishing Rod, Wand Flower Corm-bearing perennial

A South African native and strikingly beautiful in outline. Narrow, evergreen, sword-shaped leaves form a dense clump from among which graceful, arching wands develop. These divide into branches of wiry, nodding stems whose almost transparent, papery buds open to reveal bold reddish-purple flowers which hang like lanterns.

Soil preference: Free-draining

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: 1.5m × 30cm (5ft × 1ft)

Companion plants: Best when sited to create a focal point, perhaps in gravel, where it can set off sedges and grasses. Smaller species such as Dierama dracomontanum also make interesting companions.

Galtonia candicans

Summer Hyacinth Marginally hardy bulb

Bold, strap-like leaves surround a big, rigid stem whose top third, in summer, is furnished with bell-shaped waxy white flowers. These are held well away from the stem and hang downwards gracefully. Gently fragrant and a relatively free self-seeder.

Soil preference: Any free-draining

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: 1m × 30cm (3ft 3in × 1ft)

Companion plants: A good plant to distribute among old fashioned roses or to include with a cool colour scheme of anchusas, campanulas and Anaphalis.

Gladiolus hybrids

Tender, corm-bearing perennials

Large group of frost tender, corm-bearing plants derived mainly from South African species, with flat, ribbed, swords-haped leaves and tall spikes bearing showy, open-throated blooms with flared tepals in mainly vivid colours through purples, pinks, reds, oranges, and yellows to lime green and white. Many are bicolours. ‘Grandiflorus’ kinds have the largest blooms; ‘Primulinus’ have narrower leaves and hooded flowers and ‘Nanus’ types are dwarf.

Soil preference: Free-draining

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: Variable to 1m × 30cm (3ft 3in × 1ft)

Companion plants: Developed largely as competition blooms or cut flowers. Larger varieties are hard to place in mixed plantings; newer smaller kinds make attractive groups in a late summer border, among hybrid dahlias, perennial asters or taller phloxes.

Agapanthus (deciduous hybrids)

African Lily, Nile Lily Tender or marginally hardy bulb-bearing perennials

Deep green, shiny, strap-shaped leaves form dense clumps among which, in late summer, tall stems emerge, bearing at their tips short-stalked umbels of many six-petalled flowers in shades of blue or white. Varieties, whose leaves die right down in winter. Free-flowering kinds include the deep blue ‘Midnight Star’, ‘Jack’s Blue’, and ‘Loch Hope’ and ‘Bressingham White’.

Soil preference: Any well-drained

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: Up to 1.2m × 75cm (4ft × 2ft 6in)

Companion plants: Good in containers, or in mixed herbaceous plantings among such late summer flowers as phloxes and asters, or to contrast with hot-coloured daisies such as rudbeckias, heleniums or coreopsis.

Bulbs for autumn

Colchicum speciosum

Autumn Crocus, Naked Ladies, Naked Boys Hardy bulb

Crocus-shaped flowers emerge directly from the ground at the end of summer, disappearing completely after blooming. In spring, glossy foliage appears and forms a bold clump, with seed heads carried at the base of the leaf. Flower colours are typically lilac or mauve, with pale petal bases, but C. speciosum ‘Album’ has soft white flowers.

Soil preference: Any free-draining

Aspect: Sun or part shade

Season of interest: Late summer, early autumn

Height and spread: Flowers to 20cm (8in), foliage 45cm (1ft 6in)

Companion plants: One to site where the coarse spring leaves will not be troublesome. Lovely naturalized in grass or in a border with softly coloured late perennials including aster and Sedum spectabile and dainty flowered hardy fuchsias.

Amaryllis belladonna

Belladonna Lily, Jersey Lily Near hardy bulb

Thick stems emerge naked from the ground in early autumn rapidly extending until the plump buds at their ends have opened to reveal a cluster of large pink flowers with white centres. The strap-like leaves follow in spring and summer. Bulbs flower best when congested and when baked in summer sun.

Soil preference: Free-draining

Aspect: Sun, very hot and dry

Season of interest: Autumn

Height and spread: 60cm × 15cm (2ft × 6in)

Companion plants: The flowers come as a delightful surprise, in autumn and are beautiful among Mediterranean shrubs such as French lavenders and silver, feathery artemisias.

Crocus speciosus

True Autumn Crocus Hardy corm-bearing perennial

Slender, wineglass-shaped flowers emerge, without foliage, in autumn, followed, in late winter, by the grassy leaves. The violet blue flowers are marked with darker pencil veining and have showy, orange stigmas. Slow to establish but superb in large numbers.

Soil preference: Any free-draining

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Autumn

Height and spread: 12.5cm × 10cm (5in × 4in)

Companion plants: Not a showy plant, except when grown in bold drifts, preferably in short grass, or among autumn flowering cyclamen such as C. hederifolium or C. cilicium. See also Crocuses.

Cyclamen hederifolium

Sowbread Hardy tuberous perennial

Loaf-like tubers lie just beneath the surface of the ground. From them come masses of pink or white flowers, each with five petals swept right back to give the typical cyclamen shape. Some races are sweetly scented. From late autumn the flowers are joined by decoratively marbled leaves which persist through winter until the end of spring.

Soil preference: Any, but not wet

Aspect: Any

Season of interest: Autumn, winter, spring

Height and spread: 15cm × 30cm (6in × 1ft)

Companion plants: An essential part of any wild or woodland garden, going well both with autumn colchicums and with spring primroses and other bulbs. The leaves are lovely with Anemone blanda popping up among them.

Leucojum autumnale

Autumn Snowflake Hardy bulb

Thin, dusky green foliage emerges in winter, looking like dusty grass. In early autumn, the tiny, fragrant, pinktinged-white, nodding flowers are hard to see as individuals but are beautiful when grown in drifts. A native of Spain and North West Africa.

Soil preference: Dry

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Autumn

Height and spread: 15cm × 10cm (6in × 4in)

Companion plants: Not spectacular, but charming if colonies are allowed to bulk up among such rock garden plants as alpine pinks, auriculas and Lithodora.

Nerine bowdenii

Guernsey Lily, Spider Lily Hardy bulb

A South African native which produces stems carrying umbels of brilliant pink flowers, whose petals are curled outwards and crisped or crinkled at their edges. The leaves follow in late winter and spring. Bulbs flower best when congested and when warmed by hot summer sun.

Soil preference: Any well-drained

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Autumn

Height and spread: 60cm × 15cm (2ft × 6in), spreading

Companion plants: An outstanding cut bloom. The candy pink contrasts sweetly with the soft violet blues of perennial asters or with the reds and rusts of spray chrysanthemums and autumn foliage.

Focus on…

Lilies

A group of hardy bulbs of diverse habit, lilies are superb for producing elegant, showy flowers throughout summer and and sometimes into early autumn. Many also have fragrant blooms for added appeal.

1. Lilium lancifolium

The tiger lily, whose tiger-orange petals are strongly spotted, rather than striped. The stems produce axilliary buds which develop into bulbils, tiny bulbs from which the plant is easily propagated. Lime tolerant.

2. Lilium regale ‘Album’

A pure white form of the regal lily, whose richly fragrant, elongated flowers are more usually flushed pink on the outsides of their petals, but with creamy white interiors.

3. Lilium henryi

Probably the most lime-tolerant of all the lilies, with tall, flexible stems, dark in hue, and narrow, glossy leaves. The flowers, which open late in summer, are bright orange, with raised, dark spots on the petal surfaces. The petals curl back as the flowers mature.

4. Lilium martagon

The Turk’s Cap lily, a European native with tall stems whose leaves are attached in whorls on a tall, self-supporting stem which carries generous numbers of purplish pink or white flowers. The petals turn back on themselves to resemble turbans. Lime tolerant.

5. Lilium longiflorum

A vigorous, fast growing lily with the stem-rooting habit. The flower stems carry up to six intensely fragrant, pure white flowers. This variety, ‘American White’, has green tips to its petals and there is a blush pink variety, ‘Casa Rosa’.

6. Lilium ‘Golden Splendor Group’

A vigorous strain of lilies suitable for outdoors with sprays of large, elongated, bright yellow blooms, whose petal backs are pinkish, in mid to late summer. Lime tolerant.

7. Lilium ‘African Queen’

A very tall, trumpet-flowered hybrid lily whose large, showy blooms are brownish purple in bud, opening to a rich egg-yolk hue, between orange and yellow. Protection from severe frost is necessary.

1 | 2
3 | 4 | 5
6 | 7

Bulbs for containers

Narcissus (dwarf hybrids)

Bulb

Familiar narcissus and daffodil shapes, but on smaller scale plants. Good varieties include buttercup yellow, small flowered ‘Tête à Tête’, the lemon and white ‘Jack Snipe’, whose outer petals are swept back, and the intriguing ‘Queen Anne’s Double’, whose flowers are almost like small yellow roses. Later varieties include the highly scented jonquil ‘Trevithian’ and ‘Hawera’, whose tiny cups are accentuated by fully reflexed petals.

Soil preference: Any, not too dry

Aspect: Sun or part shade

Season of interest: Spring

Height and spread: Up to 25cm × 10cm (10in × 4in)

Companion plants: Naturals with almost any small, spring-flowering planting scheme, these narcissi will spice up forget-me-nots, primroses, winter heathers or such big foliage plants as Bergenia.

Eucomis bicolor

Pineapple Lily Marginally hardy bulb

Undulating dark green leaves surmount a single, thick, cylindrical stem carrying masses of tightly packed flowers in a broad spike. A topknot of foliage, above the greenish, dark-edged flowers, gives the impression of a pineapple. A handsome display of ripening seed capsules follows.

Soil preference: Moist, humus-rich

Aspect: Sun or part shade

Season of interest: Summer, autumn

Height and spread: 60cm × 45cm (2ft × 1ft 6in)

Companion plants: A streamside plant in its native South Africa, but excellent in containers for summer gardens. Mix with potted cannas and bananas to enhance the tropical feel and create a striking patio display.

Leucocoryne purpurea

Glory of the Sun Tender bulb

T. Cooper

A species from South America with grassy foliage and spikes bearing six-petalled flowers, which are mottled purple with paler centres. Under-used in northern gardens, this plant is, however, a genus of great beauty. Leucocoryne ixioides has brilliant blue flowers with white petal bases.

Soil preference: Free-draining

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Spring, early summer

Height and spread: 45cm × 15cm (1ft 6in × 6in)

Companion plants: Though tender, these will over-winter with minimal protection and are beautiful near the silvery foliage of, say, Convolvulus cneorum or Artemisia ‘Powis Castle’ in a large container.

Lilium hybrids

Hardy bulbs

Highly variable group, always with narrow leaves along the stems which bear sprays of large, often highly scented flowers. These may be funnel shaped or may open to form big, six-pointed star shapes, or can curl back on themselves to resemble turbans. Examples include ‘Casablanca’, tiger lily (L. lancifolium) hybrids and ‘Trumpet’ lilies.

Soil preference: Fertile but free-draining. Some dislike lime

Aspect: Sun or part shade

Season of interest: Summer, autumn

Height and spread: To 1.5m × 75cm (5ft × 2ft 6in)

Companion plants: Virtually all lilies are excellent container plants and are best grown alone, but with their pots arranged with other, large plants. A pot of lilies placed close to a containerized dwarf maple such as Acer palmatum ‘Dissectum’, for example, will create an Oriental effect.

Gladiolus callianthus

Acidanthera Near hardy, corm-bearing perennial

Sword-like leaves arranged in a fan shape are joined in late summer by tall flower spikes bearing fragrant white blooms, whose centres are boldly marked with dark crimson or purple. Each flower hangs on a short, but elegantly curved stalk. Previously known as Acidanthera.

Soil preference: Any free-draining

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Late summer, early autumn

Height and spread: 120cm × 30cm (4ft × 1ft)

Companion plants: A great mixer, beautiful in pots among Eucomis, lilies or with containerized bedding such as tuberous begonias, hot-coloured dahlias or fuchsias.

Agapanthus africanus

Tender bulb

These evergreen agapanthus – superb for containers – are more tender than deciduous kinds and need winter protection. Bold, strap-shaped leaves and massive stems bear generous umbels of blue, or in ‘Alba’, white flowers. ‘Sapphire’ is dark blue; ‘Glen Avon’, lilac blue and the impressive ‘Purple Cloud’, deep purple-blue.

Soil preference: Free-draining

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: Up to 1.5m × 1m (5ft × 3ft 3in)

Companion plants: Beautiful as solo performers, but also effective with mixed containers of architectural foliage plants. A cool effect is achieved with the silver foliage of artemisias, Helichrysum petiolare or Felicia amelloides.

Bulbs for growing in grass

Crocus tommasinianus

Hardy corm-bearing perennial

Tiny crocuses which appear at winter’s end. The outer petals are soft greyish lilac but when the flowers open to the sun, their interiors are bright mauve. Though free seeding, they also spread by underground stolons. Improved forms include ‘Whitewell Purple’ whose flowers are dark purple.

Soil preference: Any, not too wet

Aspect: Sun or part shade

Season of interest: Late winter, spring

Height and spread: 10cm × 5cm (4in × 2in)

Companion plants: Best for naturalizing in grass with daffodils or narcissus to follow, or perhaps among emerging snake’s head fritillaries.

Crocus large Dutch hybrids

Hardy corm-bearing perennial

Grassy leaves, with central white stripe, and bold, gobletshaped flowers, which are held well clear of the leaves. Colours can be purple, mauve or white – often with bold, contrasting stripes or veins on outer petals – as well as yellow. Out of scale with other species of crocus and being very showy best kept apart.

Soil preference: Any, not wet

Aspect: Sun or part shade

Season of interest: Early spring

Height and spread: 15cm × 10cm (6in × 4in)

Companion plants: Fine in grass, with daffodils, or in border fronts among primulas or winter and spring pansies.

Scilla bifolia

Alpine Squill Hardy bulb

Twin leaves, grooved and suffused with bronze when young, appear from each bulb on either side of the short stems, which carry a small spray of azure flowers. A free self-seeder, quick to naturalize in a part-shaded or sunny wild garden. Modest, but beautiful.

Soil preference: Fertile but free-draining

Aspect: Sun or shade

Season of interest: Spring

Height and spread: 10cm × 5cm (4in × 2in)

Companion plants: Often found in the wild, growing with Crocus sieberi and wild fritillaries – a worthy combination to imitate at home.

Narcissus pseudonarcissus

Wild Daffodil, Lenten Lily Hardy bulb

The species that inspired the poet Wordsworth. Strap-shaped leaves in glaucous green among which short stems bear blooms with forward-sweeping lemon petals and a darker, flared, yellow trumpet. This species naturalizes best in high rainfall areas where summers are cool, but is not difficult to establish in moisture-retentive, humus-rich soil elsewhere.

Soil preference: Rich, leafy and not too dry

Aspect: Part shade, shade

Season of interest: Spring

Height and spread: 20cm × 10cm (8in × 4in)

Companion plants: A plant of hedgerows, stream sides and woodland borders, beautiful beneath large trees, between shrubs such as camellias or early rhododendrons and lovely in the grass of an established fruit orchard.

Cyclamen repandum

Hardy tuber-bearing perennial

Broad, bluntly pointed leaves, sometimes faintly marbled, unfurl in spring accompanied by small cyclamen blooms whose petals are swept right back. Typical colour is vivid carmine pink, but the subspecies from the island of Rhodes, C. repandum var. rhodense, has pink-flushed white blooms with darker centres. More difficult to establish than most hardy cyclamen.

Soil preference: Humus-rich, well-drained

Aspect: Part shade or shade

Season of interest: Spring

Height and spread: 15cm × 20cm (6in × 8in)

Companion plants: A woodland species, best among humus-loving plants such as Anemone nemorosa, oxlips and violets, perhaps in shaded, sparse grass along the edge of a shrubbery.

Tulipa kaufmanniana ‘Guiseppi Verdi’

Hardy bulb

Broad, faintly striped foliage arranged along the stems which bear a single, elongated tulip flower. The outer petals are fiercely flushed with carmine, edged with yellow; the flower interior is bright yellow with a dark centre. A ‘botanical’ tulip, robust enough to survive in grass.

Soil preference: Fertile but free-draining

Aspect: Sun or part shade

Season of interest: Spring

Height and spread: 25cm × 15cm (10in × 6in)

Companion plants: A good companion, in grassland, to shorter daffodil varieties such as ‘Jack Snipe’, ‘Rip van Winkle’ or to Narcissus pseudonarcissus. Also striking with cowslips and fritillaries in the grass.

Focus on…

Crocus

Crocuses offer far more than their small stature would suggest. Many of them bloom when colour is most needed, at winter’s end; their flower shapes are charming and their nectar is of great value to early stirring bees. When their season is done, they leave minimal aftermath, dying down quickly and gracefully, to rest underground and build up strength for next year’s show.

1. Crocus tommasinianus ‘Whitewell Purple’

One of the easiest winter-flowering species whose pale blue-grey outer petals belie the brighter mauve interior. The form ‘Whitewell Purple’ develops a deeper colour than seen in the wild species, but retains its simple charm.

2. Crocus speciosus

A strong-growing species whose naked violet-mauve blooms appear soon after the Autumn Equinox. The petals are feathered with darker purple, making a handsome contrast with the orange stigmata. Leaves follow the flowers, in late winter.

3. Crocus sieberi ‘Tricolor’

Wild forms of Crocus sieberi vary considerably, even when found in the same location, but the vivid mauve and ochre flowers of this garden selection make a startling display.

4. Crocus imperati

A striking crocus for late winter whose outer petals are biscuit-beige with bold pencilled feathering in deep purple-black. When the flowers open, to reveal bright lilac-mauve interiors, their appearance is transformed.

5. Crocus hybrid ‘Jeanne d’Arc’

Dutch hybrid crocus are much larger and coarser than their wild forebears, but still retain that essential early spring charm. Colours range through purple and mauve shades, often with striped petals, but one of the most outstanding varieties, ‘Jeanne d’Arc’ is pure white.

6. Crocus sieberi ‘Bowles White’

A more delicate, dainty plant altogether, than the hybrid Dutch crocus, this selected white form of the wild Crocus sieberi has been popular in cultivation for almost a century.

7. Crocus chrysanthus ‘Cream Beauty’

Another variable wild species has given rise to a broad range of subtly coloured, gem-like beauties. Their flowers are more goblet-shaped than larger, cultivated crocuses.

8. Crocus ancyrensis

The ‘golden bunch’ crocus, one of the earliest of the yellows to bloom. The small flowers are produced in tight clusters from each corm, and are a vivid egg yolk hue.

1 | 2 | 3
4 | 5 | 6
7 | 8

Bulbs for rock or gravel

Galanthus reginae-olgae

Hardy bulb

A remarkable snowdrop species, from Greece, which, instead of flowering in midwinter, produces autumnal blooms without leaves. The flowers are similar to those of the common snowdrop, with three outer tepals and green-tipped inner parts. Leaves develop in late winter.

Soil preference: Any free-draining

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Autumn

Height and spread: 15cm × 5cm (6in × 2in)

Companion plants: A conversation piece rather than a garden essential, but fun to grow with the yellow, crocus-like Sternbergia lutea to create an out-of-season spring effect.

Muscari neglectum

Common Grape Hyacinth Hardy bulb

The commonest species, with grassy foliage and short stems crowded with small, dusky blue flowers shaped like tiny, rounded jars with restricted openings. Multiplies invasively from small offshoots, as well as seeds, so not a plant to let loose where it could become troublesome.

Soil preference: Any

Aspect: Any except deep shade

Season of interest: Spring

Height and spread: 15cm × 5cm (6in × 2in), spreading

Companion plants: Natural-looking among pebbles, especially when blended with the white Muscari botryoides ‘Alba’ or with crocuses.

Muscari comosum

Hardy bulb

Heather Angel

A curious species, tall for a grape hyacinth. The lower spike carries fertile flowers, which are brownish and jar-shaped, but above these are bright mauve plumes or tufts of sterile florets. The garden form M. c. ‘Plumosum’ bears only dense masses of the beautiful mauve sterile florets.

Soil preference: Any free-draining

Aspect: Sun or partial shade

Season of interest: Spring

Height and spread: 30cm × 10cm (1ft × 4in)

Companion plants: Interesting addition to a mix of drought-tolerant bulbs which might also include Tulipa batalinii, Bellevalia dubia and Scilla peruviana.

Ornithogalum thyrsoides

Chincherinchee Marginally hardy bulb

A South African native with narrow, pointed leaves which tend to wither before the erect, naked flower stems appear. These bear spikes of closely packed, white, cup-shaped flowers. An excellent cut flower, but not very long lived in the garden.

Soil preference: Free-draining

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: 60cm × 15cm (2ft × 6in)

Companion plants: The cool, white flowers are refreshing among gravel scree plants, particularly, dark leaved Carex species such as C. buchananii and with grasses such as Stipa tenuissima.

Anthericum liliago

Hardy bulb

Grassy foliage and in early summer, tall stems bearing widely spaced, lily-like flowers in startling white. The selection A. l. major has larger flowers with wider petals. A graceful meadow plant from southern Europe, which seeds freely in gravel when happily established.

Soil preference: Any free-draining

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Early summer

Height and spread: 60cm × 15cm (2ft × 6in), spreading

Companion plants: At home with sun-loving shrubs such as rosemary and lavender, and with such annuals as Cerinthe major or wild poppies.

Dierama dracomontanum

Marginally hardy, corm-bearing perennial

Clumps of tough, narrow, branched, arching, sword-like stems; flowers appear in summer, bearing papery calyces which enwrap the deep madder pink buds. These open to form clusters of small flowers shaped like lampshades, which dance and sway in the slightest breeze.

Soil preference: Free-draining, but not too dry

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Summer

Height and spread: 45cm × 30cm (1ft 6in × 1ft)

Companion plants: At home among rocks or in gravel, either with grassy companions, or Verbena bonariensis, or in mild areas alongside South African restios.

Bulbs for bedding

Allium karataviense

Turkestan Onion Hardy bulb

Broad, bold, curved leaves with attractive pleating and in purple-suffused blue green tints develop in pairs, curving outwards as the drumstick flowerheads swell. The flowers themselves are densely packed on short stems and are greyish white.

Soil preference: Any

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Spring, early summer

Height and spread: To 30cm × 20cm (1ft × 6in)

Companion plants: A striking spring foliage plant, perfect to set off against colourful bulbs such as Narcissus ‘Hawera’, N. ‘Jack Snipe’ or to distribute among low growing tulips.

Tulipa praestans

Tulip Hardy bulb

Pale green, broad, pointed leaves are arranged along the stems. These are divided at their ends and bear several vivid scarlet blooms, which are goblet-shaped when closed, but open wide to form six-pointed stars. The variety ‘Fusilier’ has slightly larger flowers than the wild species which comes from western Asia.

Soil preference: Any free-draining

Aspect: Sun

Season of interest: Spring

Height and spread: 25cm × 20cm (10in × 8in)

Companion plants: Small enough to include among alpines such as aubrieta and arabis, or to distribute among smaller spring perennials such as Primula auricula. Startling with the yellow-flowered Aurina saxatilis, forget-me-nots or Allium karataviense.

Muscari latifolium

Grape Hyacinth Hardy bulb

Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.