Groundcover

Pennyroyal is a cottage garden plant of old. This highly aromatic herb has a strong peppermint scent to its dark green leaves, even more so than other mints. With attractive whorls of lilac-blue flowers, it can be used to carpet a shady corner or make a 'lawn' smelling deliciously of peppermint.

Recognised as having the largest flowers of all the nepetas and only one with white flowers, Nepeta subsessilis 'Snow Panther' flowers during the first year and can be grown as an annual or as a flowering perennial. This award winning variety is extremely attractive to bees and butterflies they are also excellent for containers.

Nepeta subsessilis 'Pink Panther' is the pink form of large-flowered Nepeta which is grown from seed and flowers during the first year. It can be grown as an annual or as a flowering perennial. Flowering from June until the end of September, they work well as an informal low hedge or mixed in the border with other annuals or perennials.

Nepeta ‘Dark Blue Panther’ is the dark blue flowered variety and sister to 'Pink Panther' and the beautiful white 'Snow' Panther. This award winning variety starts to flower just 15 weeks after sowing and can be can be grown as an annual or as a flowering perennial.

Nepeta grandiflora is one of the best garden plants in this family. 'Border Ballet' is a striking new catmint, lusher than true catnip, with dark green leaves. It flowers in shades of blue and pink in perfect harmony. This easy to sow and grow perennial flowers in the first year of sowing.

Veteran gardeners are probably already aware of nepeta’s versatility in the garden. From its popular partnering with roses to the softening effect it has on hard edges. Nepeta is an ideal perennial for new gardeners and, of course, cats adore it.

Lavendula angustifolia is an excellent plant for low informal hedging and as a specimen evergreen for borders and formal gardens. Flowering generally begins from mid to late June to early July. The flowers have a rich sweet scent and are highly attractive to bees and other beneficial insects.

Hosta are grown predominantly for their outstanding foliage, from leaves as small as a teaspoon up to those larger than a dinner plate, colours range from deep blues to silvers, darkest shiny greens to bright yellows, from a single solid hue to the myriad of variegations the choice is almost overwhelming.

Herniaria glabra is a relatively unknown perennial that deserves to be used more often in our gardens. The nursery industry calls it ‘Green Carpet’ and well they should. This lovely bright green creeper spreads effortlessly in all directions. An excellent choice for between flagstones or as a lawn substitute.

From the Tian Shan Mountains of northern China comes this tough little subshrub that is among the finest expressions of silver foliage to be found. Helichrysum thianshanicum is a superb silver leaved evergreen, subshrub that forms a tight mound of eye-catching silver foliage.

Many gardeners look for easy to grow, reliable perennials that provide a bright, cheerful display of colour early in the season. Geum coccineum ‘Borisii-Strain’ flowers the first year from seed producing wonderful vivid orange-red toned flowers from late spring into summer.

A beautiful, robust ground cover variety of the every popular Geranium sanguineum; ‘Vision Violet’ produces masses of large luminescent violet flowers from early spring to summer. The blooms cover this compact, mounding plant with intricately cut leaves.

‘Vision Light Pink’ produces masses of large luminescent light pink flowers with red veins from early spring through to late summer. This long-lived, drought-tolerant perennial is useful as a small scale groundcover and in mixed borders. Use it in rock gardens, stone walls or even in container plantings.

"Splish Splash" is a fascinating, rare and prized border plant and one of the most beautiful, striking and unusual perennial geraniums. Very easy to grow, the clumps of divided foliage are topped with mauve-blue splashes and flecks on pure white petals, each petal appearing to be individually designed and painted.

The beautiful, soft violet-blue flowers make the meadow crane’s bill one of our most distinctive wildflowers. Perfect for a meadow, it is often planted in gardens as it flowers for a long time, it must be one of our loveliest wild flowers and worthy of a place in any border.