Rose

Nothing beats the rose and it’s always nice to have something in your garden that you can cut and bring indoors. Also, the fragrance is phenomenal. My favourites are Mountbatten (bright yellow), Iceberg (white) and Royal William (deep red).

Lupins

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Lupins are spectacular, inexpensive flowers that will brighten any border and add tons of personality. Every year they just get bigger and better! They die down in winter and returning in the summer with a bang!

Thrift

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This is a seaside plant – a little hairy clump of leaves sending out amazing lollipop spikes of pink or white flowers like fireworks. They grow almost anywhere and look great in rockeries. And they’re cheap to buy. They were one of my childhood plants and bring back fond memories.

Honeysuckle

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This is a phenomenal semi-evergreen with all the Fs – flowers, fragrance and foliage. If you plant early and late varieties together, you’ll get flowers from May to September. They are also good for companion planting – two plants in the same hole.

Chocolate Cosmos

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This is famous for its chocolate scent! It has a striking burgundy flower borne on tall stems over dark green leaves. Once native to Mexico, it’ll look, and smell, very special in your garden.