Sanguisorbas (commonly known as Burnets) are not the sort of plant that immediately leaps into the mind when considering what to grow in the garden. Which is a shame because these tolerant, long flowering hardy perennials are marvellous for creating a ‘see-through’ effect. They are easy to grow, trouble free and there are varieties for all positions in the border.

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Hybrid peonies produce some of the most stunning late spring flowers. Large, often single and cupped, the flowers come in a glorious array of colours ranging from bright poppy red to stunning lipstick pink, and softest pink to purest white. They are hardy, don’t suffer from any diseases, easy to grow and long lived.

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Of the different types of peonies Intersectional Peonies are the most beautiful, useful and longest to flower. But because they have been introduced so recently they are still a plant for those who don't mind spending a bit more to have a truly unique and wonderful plant.

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I really admire the big Persicarias (Knotweeds) despite their unpronounceable second name amplexicaulis (amp-lex-y-caulis). These are plants with presence, producing thick mound

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Persicarias are one of those overlooked plants that, should they be grown, tend to be used as fillers or ground cover. Once called polygonums, I want to put the case for using them simply for their quiet proud beauty, the usefulness as foil, the whole length of the flowering period and for their gracefullness.

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I never really think about achilleas (otherwise known as Yarrow) until they come into flower. Then I remember why I like them.

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Colourful, cheerful and easy to grow – that is how I like to describe geums. The flowers remind me of those of the strawberry plant; pretty and simply shaped, some produce dangling cup-shaped bells,

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Many hardy geraniums will grow in a spot that is lightly shaded during the day, but there are a few geranium groups that are happy in a place that gets more shade than sun, such as beneath a canopy of shrubs and trees. All are easy to grow, provided the soil is right for them, and there are lots of different variations to choose from. Being plants for shady spots, these are the earliest hardy geraniums to bloom.

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When it comes to choosing irises, most gardeners go for the big, blousy Tall Bearded varieties that flower in June. It is quite easy to forget that some varieties of bearded irises will also produce a second flush of blooms from August onwards. These are known as remontant irises.

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So they say we are in drought (April 2012, and who are they anyway). It’s not a problem here in the Welsh Marches, can’t stop the stuff from coming down. But this has not been the case with all the places I have gardened on or grown nursery stock.

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Gillenia trifoliata is one of the most delightful border perennial, yet it is rarely seen in gardens. Not only is it handsome it is hardy, easy to grow (if a little slow to start off) and care for, and long-lived.

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Happy Birthday Standard Dwarf Bearded irises you are now 60 years old this year, but why do you still have such a cumbersome name? Surely the original name of ‘Lilliput irises’ is much nicer!

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Put Echinacea (Coneflower) into ‘Google’ and the few first pages list the plant’s medical properties. But there is more to an Echinacea than a pill or powder.

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Big, blousy, glamorous, fleeting, whatever you feel about Oriental poppies they are hard to ignore. Wonderful for mixing in borders, they produce large, often brightly coloured flowers that bloom from mid May into June.

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It is beginning feels like winter is on the wane. Of course this is just an allusion as we have at least another 6 weeks to go before we break the back of winter. Still, the birds are beginning their mating calls, daffodils are thrusting through the soil at a rapid rate, and at last the Hellebore buds, which have been teasing me for weeks, are now beginning to unfurl their flower heads.

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It’s difficult to say why, but I always feel a touch of joy when I spot an epimedium. These delightful spring flowering plants with delicate flowers and handsome leaves are neither glamorous nor showy. They are demure, discreet, a little shy, and can be slow to establish.

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When my pulmonarias begin to bud up ready to flower I know that the days are getting longer, and possibly a little warmer. Along with hellebores, pulmonarias (lungworts) are the first perennials to bloom.

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These are the months when the whole garden goes to sleep – or appears to!

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Mention to a gardener that you like Bergenias (Elephant ears) and you get a long, confused stare as though to say ‘what those boring things!’

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We are just starting to develop a new garden. This is presenting a new challenge - a clay soil, or to be more precise, a clay-loam soil.

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