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.

These native wildflowers have clustered flower heads of tiny white flowers that from a distance look like little patches of snow resting on the grass. This famous herb is terrific as a wildflower clump in a blooming meadow, they are also a favourite for dried flower arrangements.

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.

Ammi majus is tall, branching flower, with finely divided, feathery foliage. In summer, it bears an abundance of large round blooms made up of clusters of tiny white florets on tall, branched, slender stems. The delicate clusters add beauty and depth to bouquets and meadows alike.

Ammi visnaga is a feathery and delicate border annual with umbels of clear white flowers over fine, wispy foliage. In the garden they associate well with both annuals and perennials, luring bees and butterflies to their nectar rich flowers. In the vase the textured flower heads are a flower arrangers dream.

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.

Incredibly easy to grow the Annual Dwarf Flowers Mix grows to around 30cm (12in) tall. Flowering just 10 to 12 weeks from sowing, these fast-growing plants provide an easy and cost-effective way to give naturalistic planting, plug gaps and fill the border with a summer full of colour.

The Semi-Tall Flowers Mix is a richly flowering mixture of that produces large quantities of 50cm (20in) tall annual flowers for the border or for cutting. As well as being ornamental, they will provide nectar and pollen for bees, butterflies and other insects from early in the year to late in the season.

Composed of a finely balanced selection of annual flowers designed to provide a long succession of flowers from June to September, the Tall Flowers Mix grows 60 to 70cm (24 to 28in) tall and produces large quantities of flowers that are ideal for the border and for the vase.

Anthriscus sylvestris is most characteristic of hedgerows, road verges and woodland edges. Our native Cow Parsley has a sophisticated form, with delicate, open, white lacy umbels, that from mid-spring to early summer look as though they're erupting from a well shaken champagne bottle!

Anthriscus sylvestris 'Ravenswing' is the most elegant and garden-worthy form of the common cow parsley. With stunning, rich deep purple, almost black, finely cut ferny foliage the first year, it explodes the second year with delicate clusters of small white flowers held above the darkest of foliage.