The Best Plants For Your Garden

TIP TO TRY

Cut out the dead flowering stems when the first flush of flowers is over — you may be rewarded with a second flush in late summer.

Begonia Semperflorens

Fibrous-rooted begonia, wax begonia

Neat, compact plants ideal for an edging, containers, and formal bedding. Flowers come in various shades of white, pink, and red, in various permutations with green, bronze, and very dark foliage. A tender perennial, but flowers continuously until first frost.

Height: 10-20cm (4-8in) 

TIP TO TRY

Before the first frost, pot up a few plants to take indoors. If necessary trim off some of the longest shoots to make a compact plant. They should continue to bloom through the winter as a houseplant if given a light position.}

Varieties To Look For

The Olympia series in separate colors is among the best of the taller varieties at about 20cm (8in), 'Cocktail' is a pleasing compact mixture with bronze foliage at about 10-15cm (4-6in).

Soil and site

Under demanding regarding soil, but best in partial shade. Will also tolerate full sun.

Propagation

Sow seed in warmth under glass in mid- or late winter.

Bellis Perennis

Double daisy

Although a form of the same daisy that sometimes infests lawns as a weed, these highly bred varieties have double flowers, sometimes like small pompons. Colors are white, pink, and red.