Notebook

Use these plants in pretty pastel shades

Aquilegia vulgaris ‘Nivea’

Columbine with light green leaves topped with stems of nodding, short-spurred, white flowers May-June; self-sows. H80cm (32in) S45cm (18in)

Erysimum ‘Bowles’s Mauve’

Perennial wallflower smothered in fragrant rich mauve flower spikes Feb-July, above narrow, grey-green leaves. H75cm (30in) S60cm (2ft)

Syringa vulgaris ‘Sensation’

Large, upright shrub with fragrant purple-red flowers edged in white, May-June. Its erect open branches can be trained to form small trees. H5m (16ft) S3m (10ft)