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If you yearn for the smell of the sea and the sight of grasses waving in the dunes, try planting up this coastal-themed container. From late-spring, the thrift brings splashes of colour with profuse pink, white or purple flowers, while the lilac

be submerged to a depth of 5cm (2in).Cyperus involucratusAn attractive small iris, I. laevigata 'Variegata' has pretty blue flowers and white and green variegated foliage.Iris laevigata 'Variegata'This pretty British native bears delicate blue flowers from May

and work well as part of a mixed border - I have a lovely white iris called Iris sibirica 'Snow Queen' and a blue one called 'Emperor'.These are fine, but they pale into insignificance compared to the huge, complicated flowers of their bearded cousins. Each

Vinca major or periwinkle is a pretty, low-growing plant often with pale blue flowers that is used as a ground cover plant because of its mat-forming properties. However, it can be very invasive, and will rapidly spread around the garden

: it is about 3m high and has gloriously scented tubular white flowers in Autumn, lush Autumn colour and bright red berries. Or Gentiana farreri, a trailing evergreen delight with flowers like sky blue fanfares? These are just two of the plants that Reginald

woad body paint terrorising Romans. The plant from which this comes is Isatis tinctoria and, oddly, it is not even faintly blue, but very yellow.I was reminded of this by a quick preview visit to Jekka McVicar's stand at this year's Chelsea Flower Show

It pays not to be too neat and tidy in the garden or you'll miss out on so many unexpected delights. Agapanthus look stunning in full flower through summer, but if I'd been too hasty with the secateurs and trimmed away the flower spikes as soon

heavy with a skirt of cerinthe. Its silvery blue leaves lift the dusky pink and purple flowers beautifully.sow in early spring, pot on in April, plant out in Junesummeran hourDahlia 'Franz Kafka' x3Cosmos 'Sonata Carmine' x2Cosmos 'Sensation' x2Cerinthe

the proportions of this container, and rises above the pratia's low-growing mat of leaves and pale-blue flowers, while the Gypsophila cerastiodes blankets the metal and pebbles to soften it.March - April June - August20 minutesAlpine pink, Dianthus 'Fusilier

will flower months.Try Nemesia 'Blue Confetti' if you want to vary the colour theme.More advice on growing pelargoniumsGrowing pelargoniums in a rustic container display.Learn more about regal pelargoniums.Planting up a slug-proof display of pelargoniums