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and has been a pleasure since the beginning of May. It sends out great plumes of white flowers that fade to dusty pink as time passes.Third on the list is Datisca cannabina: a plant I bought from Marina Christopher at Phoenix Perennial Plants. A towering

hyacinth produces a mini forest of stems, each carrying a small head of flower. It comes in blue, pink and white, and I'm hoping that a single bulb per pot will produce a really good display.

kept cool out of the sun. There it was left to its own devices, using the shrubby germander as a living plant support.C. 'Arabella' really comes into its own through late June into July, when its six blue petals open around a bold central boss of white

Jekka McVicar's 10 companion plantsJekka McVicar's organic herb garden achieved a gold medal at the Chelsea Flower Show 2009. We caught up with her at the show to discover her top 10 herbs for growing as companion plants.Companion planting

and produce flower after flower until about early December. Perhaps we should be growing more of them. Good garden varieties include 'Clara Curtis' (pink), 'Emperor of China' (double pink) and 'Wedding Day' (white). You can read more about chrysanthemums here.

Flowers are not the only attraction in winter gardens. Biennial honesty (Lunaria annua) is a good example of a plant that keeps delivering after its flowers have passed. Once the petals have fallen, enchanting disc-shaped seed-pods are formed

'Green Dream' - looks a bit like a hellebore but taller.Nipponanthemum nipponicum - this last I chose because the name amused me but also because it is really late flowering. It has leathery leaves and pretty white flowers in October.Sadly, things have

grassy bank. The flowers are strong purple and pink and it is a wonderful sight. I wish I had a photograph but driving while taking plant portraits tends to be frowned upon by the constabulary in these parts. It is easy to grow, needing only sunshine

confection that really should have been immediately composted as soon as the first flower showed. The raspberry rippled pink and white collar would be almost acceptable as camouflage for plankton but when teamed with the urine yellow centre it ventures

We’ve finished clearing out all the summer containers and started replanting them with winter bedding. I really love potting up plants, especially in late-autumn and winter when any dash of colour is welcome in the garden.A trip to our local market