Beautiful bindweeds to try

Bindweeds aren’t all bad! These close relations make elegant ground cover and climbing additions to any garden

Convolvulus tricolor ‘Blue Ensign’

A spreading, hardy annual or short-lived perennial with tri-coloured blooms – perfect for baskets and pots. Available as seeds from www.crocus.co.uk, tel: 01344 578111.

Ipomoea lobata (Spanish flag)

A quick-growing, annual climber with flame-like flowers. Looks stunning through summer and into autumn. Seeds are available from www. sarahraven.com, tel: 0345 092 0283.

Calystegia hederacea ‘Flore Pleno’

A vigorous, tender climber to grow in a pot on the patio, this has unusual frilly, double, pink blooms. Available as bare roots later in the year from www.vanmeuwen.com, tel: 0844 557 1850.

Convolvulus cneorum

An invaluable, sleek evergreen bush of silver leaves and white trumpet flowers in summer. Team with purple. Plants are available from www.jparkers.co.uk, tel: 0161 848 1100.

Ipomoea ‘Milky Way’

A wonderful annual climber that’s a change from this species’ classic blue flowers, with pure white blooms featuring maroon flecking. Seeds from www.thompson-morgan.com, tel: 0844 573 1818.

Convolvulus sabatius

A pretty perennial trailing basket plant with lilac blooms through summer. Good rock garden ground cover, too. It’s available in spring from www.marshalls-seeds.co.uk, tel: 0844 557 6700.