Hostas are one of the better known shade-loving plants, they thrive where many other plants would struggle and even succumb to the adverse conditions. Hosta fortunei 'Albomarginata' will be very happy in moist, damp, dark areas but dry shade isn't a problem too. The bold, colourful leaves have deep ridges and a creamy white edge and form a backdrop to the spikes of flowers which emerge in summer. The plants are robust, clump forming and easy to maintain. Height: 55cm (22). Spread: 100cm (39).
Hosta undulata var. undulata or 'Mediovariegata' is an RHS AGM winning hardy perennial that strikes a rare balance between flowers and foliage. In July and August, its lavender-blue, funnel-shaped blooms look stunning on their tall stems, particularly when the plant is featured in a patio container or at the front of a border. However, the leaves over which they tower are equally attractive, with a creamy-white centre and an unusual, twisted growth habit. This foliage also provides good groundcover in cottage and woodland gardens. Indeed, to achieve the brightest colours, a shady setting with plenty of trees is an ideal setting for this understated Plantain Lily. Height: 45cm (1'6). Spread: 45cm (1'6).
Damp, dry or shaded areas are not the ideal place for a great many plants but Hostas are the ideal solution. They are easy to grow and will provide ground cover in the shaded border or you can make a feature of them in a container if you have areas of the patio that don't catch the sun. Hosta sieboldiana var. elegans is clump forming and has strong blue-green foliage with deep ridges that give texture to the display and during the summer months you can expect stems of pale lilac flowers too. The Giant Blue Hosta is a worthy RHS Award of Garden Merit holder and is the perfect plant for moist, damp, dark borders or difficult, dry shady borders.. Height: 100cm (39). Spread: 120cm (48).
Erigeron seciosus 'Pink Jewel' produces semi-double, bright pink daisy flowers from May to July, adding a burst of summer colour to your garden. This tough little variety performs reliably year after year, even thriving in difficult coastal locations. This Fleabane is perfect for scattering throughout a rockery or for filling gaps at the front of a perennial border, as well as making superb cut flowers. The early summer blooms will also help to bring pollinating insects to your garden.
Foxglove 'Camelot Lavender' bears stunning flower spikes all around the stem and is guaranteed to bloom in its first year of planting, maintaining a colourful appearance in your garden over many years. This delightful F1 hybrid Digitalis is the perfect choice for brightening up your cottage garden border. Height: 120cm (48). Spread: 45cm (18).
Pretty coppery-red petals form an elegant skirt around spherical brown centres. Helenium 'Moerheim Beauty', also known as Sneezeweed, is an upright herbaceous perennial which blooms throughout summer and is great for bringing late season colour to the garden. This RHS AGM variety looks stunning grown with Asters, Rudbeckia and ornamental grasses for a prairie style theme, or makes a warm addition to cottage garden borders. Hardy and reliable, Heleniums flowers are also excellent for cutting. Height: 90cm (36). Spread: 60cm (24).
Geranium oxonianum 'Claridge Druce' is a clump-forming, evergreen Geranium bearing a succession of rose pink flowers from late spring to autumn. This hardy Geranium has a particularly vigorous spreading habit, and so is useful as a weed-suppressing ground cover. Pollinating insects love its nectar-rich blooms, and ?Claridge Druce? is a well-known variety that will happily self-seed, forming new clumps throughout your borders in coming years.
Euonymus fortunei 'Emerald Gaiety' is valued for its attractive variegated leaves, with white edging. It has a dense, compact habit and is a shrub suitable for a range of settings, from patio planters to borders and raised beds. This Spindle plant can even be trained up the sides of walls and fences. It is extremely durable and can be planted in all types of soil types and is drought and shade tolerant. Height: 1m (3?). Spread: 1.5m (5?).
A fabulous new, award winning patio Sunflower! Bushy, neat and compact, these multi-stemmed plants make a wonderful container plant and a real focal point in summer. Flowering for over 6 months they will produce hundreds of blooms which provide a valuable food source for pollinating insects and butterflies.
This beautiful Clematis is a must for your garden. Clematis ?Sugar Sweet? gives you a sweet almond like fragrance, so it is ideally planted near an entrance or a pathway. This Clematis prefers a free draining and fertile soil and is a fast grower. It can be planted in pots or borders and likes full sun or partial shade. The beautiful lilac coloured blooms flower between April and May.