Serial plant-killer? Try these 10 unstoppable stalwarts, says garden writer Francesca Clarke

1: Japanese anemones (main image)

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.

2: Greater quaking grass

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.

3: 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…

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.

7: Sweet box

AKA Sarcococca confusa, this one’s a winter wonder built for shade. It ticks all the boxes for an easy-to-grow evergreen – and delivers on perfume too, its lustrous deep-green stems decked, tinsel-like, with pure-white lily-of-the-valley-scented flowers from December to March. Make the most of sweet box by a pathway or as a hedge close to the front door (it’ll reach up to 2m) in shade or part shade. You’ll want to inhale deep lungfuls of its perfume every time you pass.

Type: Evergreen shrub

Toughness: 4/5

One thing NOT to do: Don’t leave sweet box for long periods without water. It’s drought-tolerant once established, but loves a good soak occasionally to encourage more flowers. Fruits are ornamental and shouldn't be eaten by people or pets.

Regrets? This is a super-tough shrub we’re sure you’ll love.

Love it for: The scent will literally stop you in your tracks.

8: Pheasant’s tail grass

In autumn, Anemanthele lessoniana is a blaze of colour, its sprays of slender, arching foliage streaked with orange, yellow and red. Plant it where it’ll catch the low afternoon sun, and it’ll light up your garden. This is a grass that’s adaptable and reliable – in borders, roomy pots, gravel gardens and in both sun and light shade. Pheasant’s tail grass is as tough as they come, unfazed by dry weather or heavy soil.

Type: Semi-evergreen ornamental grass

Toughness: 5/5

One thing NOT to do: Don’t cut it back. If a clump is looking past its best, dig it up. There’ll be self-seeded newbies nearby to plug any gaps.

Regrets? Yes, this is an enthusiastic self-seeder, but it’ll happily colonise trickier areas and is easy to pull out when young.

Love it for: Its easy-going, sociable character – pheasant’s tail grass looks great with other grasses, late-summer perennials, shrubs or even planted en masse.

9: Epimedium

A low-growing woodlander that loves a spot in dappled shade, where its large, heart-shaped leaves bounce above wiry stems, creating light, airy hummocks of greenery under deciduous trees. The dainty, star-like flowers are an intricate delight in spring. Different cultivars offer a good variety in leaf and flower colour, foliage often flushed bronze or claret in spring and autumn and flowers in white, primrose yellow, pink or even orange. One of the toughest is Epimedium x versicolor ‘Sulphureum’: brilliant in even dry shade under trees and drought-tolerant once established.

Type: Semi-evergreen perennial

Toughness: 4/5

One thing NOT to do: Plant them in full sun

Regrets? Some cultivars can spread quickly, so keep on top of them if you want to let other woodlanders enjoy the space too.

Love it for: Its understated charms – it’s worth getting up close to see the detail in the flowers.

10: Balkan cranesbill

Also commonly known as Geranium macrorrhizum, this is one bullet-proof plant. Give it shade, full sun, dry clay soil, sandy soil or a mean, narrow border under a north-facing fence, and it’ll perform. The foliage of Balkan cranesbill is pretty much evergreen too, so even when it’s not topped with bright pink stems of open flowers (May to September), it looks good, forming lush, low hummocks of aromatic greenery. You’ll love it and the bees will too.

Type: Semi-evergreen perennial

Toughness: 5/5

One thing NOT to do: Forget about it straightaway. Water regularly until established, then it’ll be brilliantly drought-tolerant.

Regrets? Unlikely, unless you’re not a fan of pink.

Love it for: Its bee pulling-power, even in shade.