Unusual and tough perennial which is good for picking. The tapering, narrow spikes in mid blue are a neat as a pin and perfect for some vertical shapes in the border instead of delphiniums. Take the flower-heads off after their first flowering in May and you get a drawn-out reblooming through summer. Will gently seed about in good soil. 1.2m Sun

Toadlily. A truly elegant and unusual Japanese perennial which comes into its own in late summer and autumn when the orchid-like blooms speckled in purple, dangle from wiry, zigzagging stems. Protect from slugs in spring and this will slowly build into a substantial clump. Best in semi shade and associates well with brunneras, hostas and ferns. 1m

The strongest and most popular sedum with the best winter seedheads. This is the one your granny grew - smothered in late summer with butterflies. The pinky red blooms - rather like broccoli, are held above neat apple-green succulent foliage 35cm (Now annoyingly renamed Hylotelephium Herbstfreude)

Steals the show in September with the reddest flowers of all sedums – smallish heads and grey leaves. Cut back by half in May to avoid staking later on Ht 40 cm. Full sun and good drainage.

The best of the dark purple-leaved sedums. This perennial really stands out in the border with its rosy red flowers through September set above dark purple leaves followed by decent winter seed heads too. 30cm 9cm Pots

The biggest sedum at 40cm. Lovely pewter- tinged leaves and soft pink flowers Sep-Oct 40cm. Great foliage all summer and then the butterflies get busy in Autumn. Like all sedums, very drought tolerant and sun-loving. Ht 40 cm

One of the best hardy salvias partly for its longevity of flowering and unusual colour. A great bee plant if you keep deadheading you will have masses of purple spikes from June to November. Protect new shoots in spring from slugs. Ht 40cm by Width 50cm Full sun and good drainage.

This is my favourite pink shrubby salvia. The individual flowers are large for a sage with a silvery hue that really shimmers and sings in the border. As with all the shrubby sages - hardy - long flowering and easy plus deer and rabbit resistant. 40cm Jul-Nov

A favourite shrubby salvia with among the largest lipstick pink flowers of its type which go on for months through high summer till the first frosts. Shrubs get about 40cm high. Trim them lightly in April to keep them looking neat. Hardy and reliable but a bit brittle and delicate if you have large dogs or kids footballs flying about! Nice complement to the larger blooms of roses or dahlias.

Classic garden designer plant which delivers so much. The leaves are neat and attractive and the show of bold cheerful gold daisies continue for months in late summer just as the garden is flagging. Reliable and easy but needs plenty of water and good soil in dry summers to perform best. Seed heads look good too in winter 30cm Jul - Oct

Only discovered this marvellous little rose recently. With few thorns, a neat ,compact habit and a mass of creamy flowers from May to Christmas this is a great 'doer'. The lack of meaningful scent is its only drawback. (Grown on its own roots) 80cm

Big name for a pretty little ground covering fern. This unusual variety is frilly and a fresh lettuce green all year-round making it a great companion for early spring bulbs and as a tight understorey to roses and shrubs. Ht 25cm. Spread 40cm after 2 years

One of my favourite groundcovers - it rapidly spreads sideways - over ugly drain covers and down walls before covering itself in pretty spikes of flower which start white - fade to pink before darken to red which creates a lovely multi-coloured effect for months from June to October. In winter the leaves turn deep brown. 20cm - spread 1m +

This is the hardiest and easiest penstemon to grow with a generous show of raspberry pink bells all summer and willowy leaves which stay evergreen through winter. Cut back hard each spring 40cm

Wild marjoram. A native herb with aromatic foliage and long-flowering heads of purple smothered with bees, butterflies and all manner of insects. In light soil and sunny spots this will seed gently about . Ht 30 cm.

Japanese Black Mondo Grass makes neat little clumps of shining dark foliage. A perfect foil for small cyclamen and miniature bulbs such as snowdrops and crocus. Good in sun or shade to edge borders and paths. Evergreen and easy. Ht 10cm

Unusual evergreen perennial. Above a grassy green mound of foliage, strings of small purple flowers emerge like clusters of tiny grapes in early autumn. A neat and easy plant for dry, shady places. Good as an edger too and nice with hostas and trycertis lily. Ht. 30cm.

Macedonian scabious will bring in beneficial insects as well as looking fabulous with its brooding burgundy flowers. Deadhead regularly and those pincushions will keep coming for months. A reliable addition to the flower border and a fashionable colour. Ht 40cm Slowly self seeds.

River lily (Formally Schizostylis) This South African bulb is unusual in flowering late in the year and tolerating moist soils. Like an elegant , dwarf gladioli, each cluster of blooms is perfect for picking. Easy in a rich soil and avoid dry places - this bulb will even grow happily in wet soils. 25cm

Tall and robust perennial sunflower. Long flowering sprays of dainty lemon daisies are beloved by bees all through July to September. Needs no staking at 2m Best in sun.

This is a tall sneezewort which needs a few bamboo canes to keep it upright but it's great for picking and wildlife and I love that dark mahogany colour. An easy and long-flowering stalwart of late Summer - easily divided up in spring if you want to make more. 1.5m

A mini waterfall of golden tresses make this compact little Japanese grass a stunner in both the border or as a feature container plant. No flowers as such but great foliage all year - even in winter when the leaves take on a parchment colour for months. Ht 20cm Spread 60cm.

Delicate, silvery pink flowers shine out over a long period May - Oct over neat, bullet-proof mounds of fresh foliage. Good groundcover sun/shade . This is a specially selected form better behaved and neater than normal. Ht 30cm. Spread 60cm

A great mound of a plant plastered in May to August with magenta flowers with black centers. Good in meadows or larger borders. An improved form of the old classic Geranium psilostemon with great staying power. Ht / width 60cm

These newer cultivars of geraniums flower much longer than the old types. Anne Thomas spreads a low duvet of gold-tinged leaves from a compact base which are smothered for months in magenta flowers with a pretty dark eye to each. Low but wide spreading so let it flop out over walls and path edges. Ht. 20cm spread 80cm

Like a cloud of white butterflies taking to the air - this is a loose and wand-like perennial with a super-long flowering period. June to October Give it space , drainage and good light to shine. Will seed about gently in gravel gardens or containers 30cm (pic with sedums and stipa)

Joe Pye Weed. A great clump of a tall prairie- plant for hiding an ugly fence or neighbour. Tidy whorls of leaves are topped with great candyfloss clouds of purple flowers over a long season just when you need colour in late summer. Insects flock to it. Protect new shoots in spring from slug damage. Great with tall grasses and no need for staking. Avoid dry soils. 2m

Stunning and dramatic hardy Summer bulb from South Africa with purple sword leaves making a bold presence even before the towers of pink flowers on purple stems arrive and last for months. Flowers July - Sep. Stake each flower for best effect. Provide sun and good drainage and plant bulbs on soil surface. Flower height 50cm

One of the longest flowering plants in the garden. This makes an evergreen shrub with a mound grey foliage above which rises spikes of mauve flowers. Trim over in winter and take cuttings to be ready to replace tired plants every few years. 50cm