1: Greater quaking grass (main image)
This little gem of an ornamental grass (scientific name Briza maxima) may look delicate, but it’s one seriously tough cookie. In spring, chuck a few seeds of greater quaking grass onto the soil in full sun and watch as they grow. By late summer, they’ll be 45-70cm plants, each arching stem finishing in a rustling silvery green flower. Greater quaking grass makes lovely light ground cover and pretty, airy filler for pots.
Type: Annual
Toughness: 4/5
One thing NOT to do: Pull it out in spring, mistaking it for tufts of self-seeded grass from your lawn (sure, the new shoots do look similar).
Regrets? Possibly. It self-seeds like a demon. Once you have it, it’s hard to banish completely. Although hoeing up the new plants in early spring is effective.
Love it for: Those jaunty bobbing flowers. Pretty in a vase too, alone or with other seasonal plants.
2: Balearic Island sage
Try Balearic Island sage (Phlomis italica) in your trickiest sun-soaked spot – against a south-facing wall, say, or in a hot gravel garden – digging in heaps of sharp sand or grit if your soil’s even remotely heavy. You’ll be rewarded in early summer with upright stems stacked top to bottom with whorls of lilac-pink hooded flowers. Balearic Island sage reaches around 80cm in height and spread, has soft, downy, pale grey-green leaves and is completely drought-tolerant once established.
Type: Evergreen shrub
Toughness: 3/5
One thing NOT to do: Plant it in shade. This Mediterranean native is a sun worshipper and loves to bake.
Regrets? Doubt it. If your Balearic Island sage gets a bit floppy and untidy, prune it back lightly in mid-spring.
Love it for: Phlomis italica is a magnet for bees and other pollinators. Your garden will be buzzing…
3: Japanese anemones
Their scientific names Anemone x hybrida and Anemone hupehensis var. japonica are a bit of a mouthful, but the plants themselves are an absolute breeze to grow. Their simple, cup-shaped flowers float aloft on slender stems, from midsummer well into autumn, and they’re happiest in light shade. Keep an eye out for award-winning cultivar ‘Pamina’, which has violet-pink double flowers that open from the most exquisite purple-grey seed-pearl buds.
Type: Herbaceous perennial
Toughness: 3/5
One thing NOT to do: Don’t be tempted to grow them in full sun on thin, sandy soil. Most need a bit of goodness and moisture, or mildew can be a problem.
Regrets? Some varieties can ‘run’ a little. But equally, that’s what makes them so easy and rewarding. In any case, any extra wayward plants are simple to dig up and give to friends
Love it for: Japanese anemones brighten up your garden in late summer, just when most other perennials are faltering.
4: Mexican fleabane
AKA Erigeron karvinskianus, Mexican fleabane is a sweet little pink and white daisy, about 30cm high, with wiry stems and a charming spreading habit. It likes plenty of sun and light soil, so dig in some grit if you need to. Right at home in a gravel garden, rockery, seaside plot or planted into the cracks between paving stones, Mexican fleabane also makes a great filler plant for cottagey arrangements in containers.
Type: Herbaceous perennial
Toughness: 4/5
One thing NOT to do: Don’t try to contain it. This informal plant needs a little freedom to roam, tumble and spread.
Regrets? We’ve seen sun-baked gravel gardens and patios awash with Mexican fleabane (and even the ancient stone walls of a castle moat). If its promiscuous nature is a bit much for you, it’s not hard to pull it up – or cut back the flowers as they fade, before they get a chance to set seed.
Love it for: Its romantic froth of flowers that can go on from early summer to the first frosts.
5: Yellow coneflower
There’s nothing shy or retiring about the award-winning coneflower, Rudbeckia laciniata ‘Herbstsonne’. (Fittingly, that German cultivar name means ‘autumn sun’.) Growing to 2m in height and 1m across, it’s ideal for big gardens, where it will shine bright from the back of a sunny border, pumping out large lemon-yellow daisy-like flowers from midsummer into autumn. The open, easy-access flowers of yellow coneflower are perfect for pollinators, so you’ll find them covered in bees, butterflies and all kinds of other beneficial insects. The stems pick well, too, so bring in an armful every now and then for a cheerful vase.
Type: Herbaceous perennial
Toughness: 3/5
One thing NOT to do: This statuesque yellow stunner doesn’t like to dry out, so give it a little love in high summer.
Regrets? Unlikely. Even the late-autumn seedheads look fantastic – and they’re a favourite with goldfinches.
Love it for: Its unapologetic blast of late-summer colour.
6: Lady’s mantle
Its scientific name, Alchemilla mollis, gives a clue to the history of this brilliant little plant. Legend has it that the alchemists were drawn to the silvered droplets that cling to its scalloped leaves after a rain shower, gathering them for use in all kinds of potions. Today, alchemilla is prized as tough yet dainty-looking ground cover with downy foliage and long-lasting sprays of zesty lime-coloured flowers in summer. Plant lady’s mantle alongside paths or in gravel, where it will thrive in sun or semi-shade. Once established, it’s drought-tolerant too. No wonder it’s been a garden favourite for centuries. It’s an absolute delight.
Type: Herbaceous perennial
Toughness: 4/5
One thing NOT to do: If you plant it at the back of a border, it’ll get lost; keep it at the front.
Regrets? It can self-seed fairly enthusiastically, especially in gravel, but young plants are easy to tease out and re-pot, so that’s just more free plants to give away…
Love it for: Those magical droplets that cling to its leaves after rain.
