A library for small spaces

Herb

Rosemary

Salvia rosmarinus

Hardy perennial

Drought-tolerant Mediterranean herb. Hates wet feet.

Herb

Thyme

Thymus vulgaris

Hardy perennial

Tiny aromatic leaves – tucks into cracks and pots.

Allium

Garlic

Allium sativum

Hardy perennial

Plant cloves in autumn, harvest in early summer.

Flower

Lavender

Lavandula angustifolia

Hardy perennial

Fragrant, drought-tolerant perennial that hums with bees in summer.

Flower

Scented Geranium

Pelargonium × hortorum

Tender perennial

Crush a leaf — rose, lemon or mint depending on variety.

Cut flower

Dianthus

Dianthus caryophyllus

Hardy perennial

Fringed petals with a clove scent — short stems but worth the snip.

Cut flower

Cornflower

Centaurea cyanus

Hardy annual

Electric-blue thistles — direct sow into pots and they self-seed.

Cut flower

Gypsophila (Baby's Breath)

Gypsophila paniculata

Hardy annual

Cloud of tiny stars — the filler every bouquet wants.

Cut flower

Statice

Limonium sinuatum

Half-hardy annual

Papery clusters that hold their colour dried — a market grower's mainstay.

Cut flower

Allium 'Globemaster'

Allium 'Globemaster'

Hardy perennial

Giant lavender pompoms on tall stems — architectural and bee-magnetic.

Cut flower

Achillea (Yarrow)

Achillea millefolium

Hardy perennial

Flat-topped plates in apricot, gold and red — dries beautifully too.

Cut flower

Eremurus (Foxtail Lily)

Eremurus robustus

Hardy perennial

1.5 m bottlebrush spires — needs a big pot but the drama is unmatched.

Cut flower

Bearded Iris

Iris germanica

Hardy perennial

Velvet falls and ruffled standards — divide rhizomes every 3 years.

Cut flower

Wallflower

Erysimum cheiri

Hardy biennial

Spring perfume on a budget — biennial spires in spice colours.

Cut flower

Nerine

Nerine bowdenii

Hardy perennial

Shimmering pink lily-stars in October when little else is flowering.

Cut flower

Strawflower (Helichrysum)

Xerochrysum bracteatum

Half-hardy annual

Petals that feel like paper — the easiest dried flower going.

Cut flower

Craspedia (Billy Buttons)

Craspedia globosa

Half-hardy annual

Bright yellow drumstick balls — fresh, dried, or in wedding buttonholes.

Cut flower

Salvia horminum (Clary Sage)

Salvia viridis

Hardy annual

Painterly bracts in pink, blue and white — the bee's knees, literally.

Cut flower

Coreopsis

Coreopsis grandiflora

Hardy perennial

Sunny daisies that flower from June till the first hard frost.

Cut flower

Cleome (Spider Flower)

Cleome hassleriana

Half-hardy annual

Tall airy heads with whiskery stamens — bumblebee favourite.

Cut flower

Matricaria (Feverfew)

Tanacetum parthenium

Hardy annual

Tiny white daisies in profusion — the prettiest filler you can grow.

Cut flower

Dusty Miller

Jacobaea maritima

Half-hardy perennial

Felted silver foliage that calms hot pinks and oranges in arrangements.

Flower

Echinacea (Coneflower)

Echinacea purpurea

Hardy perennial

Daisy-bright bee magnet — the seedheads feed goldfinches over winter.

Flower

Verbena bonariensis

Verbena bonariensis

Hardy perennial

Tall wiry stems with violet pompoms — butterflies fly in from streets away.

Flower

Sedum 'Autumn Joy'

Hylotelephium 'Herbstfreude'

Hardy perennial

Succulent plates that turn from pink to brick — September pollinator buffet.

Flower

Agastache (Anise Hyssop)

Agastache foeniculum

Hardy perennial

Liquorice-scented foliage and lavender bottle-brush spikes — bees go wild.

Flower

Eryngium (Sea Holly)

Eryngium planum

Hardy perennial

Metallic blue thistles with steel-cut ruffs — pollinators love them.

Allium

Shallot

Allium cepa (Aggregatum)

Hardy biennial

Plant a single set, harvest a cluster — gourmet onion replacement.

Fruit

Fig

Ficus carica

Hardy perennial

Restricted roots make figs fruit better — perfect for a big pot.

Fruit

Lemon

Citrus × limon

Tender perennial

Indoors over winter, out in summer — feed with citrus food.

Herb

Sage

Salvia officinalis

Hardy perennial

Felted Mediterranean leaves — partner to onions, butter and brown butter.

Herb

Oregano

Origanum vulgare

Hardy perennial

Pizza herb — and the pink flowers swarm with bees in July.

Herb

Fennel (herb)

Foeniculum vulgare

Hardy perennial

Bronze or green wisps with an aniseed punch — pollinator magnet.

Herb

French Tarragon

Artemisia dracunculus

Hardy perennial

Buy a French variety plant — true tarragon doesn't come from seed.

Herb

Greek Basil

Ocimum basilicum var. minimum

Tender annual

Tiny-leaved bushy basil — sweeter and tougher than Genovese.

Brassica

Sea Kale

Crambe maritima

Hardy perennial

Coastal perennial — force the spring stems under a pot for white spears.

Legume

Chickpea

Cicer arietinum

Half-hardy annual

Two peas per pod — needs a long hot summer to mature for drying.

Flower

Italian Aster

Aster amellus

Hardy perennial

Compact violet-blue daisies — mildew-resistant Mediterranean classic.

Flower

Catmint

Nepeta × faassenii

Hardy perennial

Lavender-blue hazy clouds — bees and cats both adore it.

Flower

Knautia

Knautia macedonica

Hardy perennial

Burgundy scabious-like pincushions — wiry stems, long bloom.

Flower

Globe Thistle

Echinops ritro

Hardy perennial

Steel-blue spiky globes — bees go into ecstasy, dries to silver.

Flower

Miss Willmott's Ghost

Eryngium giganteum

Hardy biennial

Silver-white sea holly biennial — ghosts the border with shimmer.

Flower

Salvia nemorosa

Salvia nemorosa

Hardy perennial

Violet-blue spires that flower again if you cut them back hard in July.

Flower

Meadow Sage

Salvia pratensis

Hardy perennial

Native meadow sage — taller, more relaxed than its garden cousins.

Flower

Perennial Scabious

Scabiosa columbaria

Hardy perennial

Lavender pincushions that flower from May till frost — bee buffet.

Flower

Showy Stonecrop

Hylotelephium spectabile

Hardy perennial

Flat butterfly-landing-pads of pink autumn flowers — drought-proof.

Flower

Caucasian Stonecrop

Phedimus spurius

Hardy perennial

Mat-forming succulent groundcover with star-shaped flowers.

Flower

Wood Spurge

Euphorbia amygdaloides

Hardy perennial

Acid-green spring bracts — happy in dry shade where little else grows.

Flower

Lamb's Ear

Stachys byzantina

Hardy perennial

Felted silver leaves — kid-favourite, plus pink summer spires for bees.

Flower

Pasque Flower

Pulsatilla vulgaris

Hardy perennial

Silky purple cups in April followed by feathery seedheads.

Flower

Perennial Wallflower 'Bowles'

Erysimum 'Bowles's Mauve'

Hardy perennial

Months and months of mauve flower spires — bee magnet, short-lived.

Flower

Perennial Cornflower

Centaurea montana

Hardy perennial

Bigger spidery blue cornflowers on a clump-forming perennial.

Flower

Catmint 'Walker's Low'

Nepeta racemosa 'Walker's Low'

Hardy perennial

Bigger, longer-blooming catmint — three months of bee-attracting blue.

Flower

Lavender 'Hidcote'

Lavandula angustifolia 'Hidcote'

Hardy perennial

Compact deep-purple English lavender — the hedging classic.

Flower

Lavender 'Munstead'

Lavandula angustifolia 'Munstead'

Hardy perennial

Soft mauve-blue English lavender — Gertrude Jekyll's choice.

Flower

French Lavender

Lavandula stoechas

Half-hardy perennial

Rabbit-ear bracts on top of deep-purple cones — half-hardy stunner.

Flower

Allium 'Purple Sensation'

Allium 'Purple Sensation'

Hardy perennial

Tennis-ball-size violet drumsticks on tall stems — May–June impact.

Flower

Allium 'Mount Everest'

Allium 'Mount Everest'

Hardy perennial

Pure-white version of Purple Sensation — luminous against dark leaves.

Flower

Allium 'Millennium'

Allium 'Millennium'

Hardy perennial

Late-summer pink drumsticks — fills the gap after spring alliums fade.

Flower

Maiden Pink

Dianthus deltoides

Hardy perennial

Tiny carmine star-pinks — mat-forming, lasts forever in poor soil.

Flower

Spiked Speedwell

Veronica spicata

Hardy perennial

Slender blue spikes from May to July — solid bee-friendly clumps.

Cut flower

Butterfly Weed

Asclepias tuberosa

Hardy perennial

Vivid orange umbels — monarch butterfly's holy grail.

Cut flower

True Catnip

Nepeta cataria

Hardy perennial

White hooded flowers on aromatic stems — cats and bees both intoxicated.

Cut flower

Mexican Bush Sage

Salvia leucantha

Tender perennial

Velvety purple-and-white spikes — half-hardy autumn star.

Cut flower

Wild Carrot 'Dara'

Daucus carota 'Dara'

Hardy biennial

Wine-red umbels of ornamental carrot — moody romance filler.

Herb

St John's wort

Hardy annual

St John's wort is a hardy perennial herb with bright yellow flowers traditionally used for medicinal purposes. It thrives in sunny locations with minimal care and can spread vigorously.