Guide to hardy plants

Gaillardia

Plants with large showy flowers of the daisy type, usually scarlet and yellow, but some varieties are all yellow and some all red or tangerine. They are 2-3ft (60-90cm) high, but the stems are rather thin and need support. All like sunny places and well-drained soils. They can be raised from seed sown in a frame or greenhouse in spring or by careful division in the spring.

Geranium (cranesbill)

These hardy plants are quite different from the brilliant scarlet ‘geraniums’ that are used for summer bedding. Geranium grandiflorum [G. himalayense], with large lavender-blue flowers, is one of the best for the border. It grows 18in (46cm) high and flowers in early summer.