There are so many other plants which steal the show in a way which is more subtle than just big wonderful blooms. Achillea ‘Moonwalker’ is one such plant, the rich green foliage has a fern-like appearance that is just as much the star as those wonderful golden umbels. Sown early it blooms easily the same year.

Achillea ‘Cerise Queen’ is a carefree and generously blooming perennial which requires little maintenance to create an explosion of late summer colour. The large, flat-topped clusters of vibrant, pink flowers with tiny white centers are irresistible to butterflies, and also make excellent cut flowers.

Achillea is a joy to the gardener for its undemanding adaptive nature and its eagerness to perform. ‘Summer Pastels’, with a soft mix of pastel coloured flowers is very easy to grow, flowering in just four months from sowing and producing flowers in abundance from spring to first frosts.

Agave mckelvyana is a small, relatively rare, dwarf species of Agave from western Arizona. This little beauty forms a tight rosette of broad, bluish green, fleshy leaves with small teeth.It is one of the hardiest agaves, can take winter rain and is tolerant of drought and severe freezes.

Agave parryi var. neomexicana is a dramatic specimen. This native Mexican succulent forms a compact rosette of soft fleshy, bluish green leaves. The foliage is wide and heavily armed with dark tipped spines. With the ability to grow 60cm wide and as tall, it is one of the most cold hardy Agave species.

Once a common sight, Corncockle bears large, soft purple-pink flowers in the summer. It is a 'cottage garden' plant of old and makes a great wildflower meadow or garden plant. The graceful stems are ideal for cutting and last well in the vase.

For most of the year Ajuga is a pleasant, quiet achiever, a very versatile low growing ground cover, with evergreen, rosette-like foliage that hugs the ground like an evergreen carpet but those weeks in spring when the blue flowers appear are simply quite magical.

The Cape Aloe is known as one of the most potent healing plants known to man. It is a distinctly handsome plant, with broad, lance-shaped, fleshy leaves and a large candelabra-like flower-head.There are usually between five and eight branches, each carrying a spike-like head of many flowers.

Anchusa arvensis is an annual wildflower that produces compact sprays of blue flowers from April to September. Rich in nectar and pollen, they are much loved by almost all bee species. Characterised as a companion of old culture it can be added to wildflower gardens to bring its own brand of natural diversity.