Galega officinalis / Goat’s Rue

This evergreen perennial stands out because of it’s unusual look with its sturdy flower stems that are covered in whorls of pale yellow hooded flowers. After flowering these turn into architectural seedheads that give interest to your border in the bleak winter months and offer shelter for small insects.

Gaillardia “Arizona Apricot” is a compact perennial that grows up to 30cm high and bears large, daisy-like flowers in shades of orange and apricot from early summer. This plant can cope well in drought.

This lovely cottage garden plant has spikes of purple-eyed white flowers that shoot up from glossy dark evergreen foliage. Flowers emerge from early summer and bloom right the way until early autumn. This plant is a biennial, so avoid cutting back spent flowers to allow them to self-seed.