8 KEY PLANTS
1 Symphyotrichum ‘Prairie Purple’ A lovely, tall aster that produces masses of starry purple-blue flowers over a very long flowering season, from late summer to late autumn. 1m x 70cm. RHS H7†.
2 Calamagrostis brachytricha The useful Korean feather grass thrives in both sun and part shade with tall, fluffy, silver-grey flowerheads that emerge out of fountains of grey-green foliage. 1.5m x 50cm. AGM*. RHS H6, USDA 4a-9b.
3 Sanguisorba officinalis ‘Red Thunder’ Forms attractive clumps of feathery foliage from which slender, arching stems are topped with claret red flower spikes that sway in the breeze. 1.2m x 60cm. RHS H7, USDA 4a-8b.
4 Eryngium giganteum ‘Silver Ghost’ A perennial loved for its flower spikes, surrounded by a ruff of silver-white bracts, that turn steely blue as they mature and fade to attractive seedheads. 60cm x 40cm. AGM. RHS H6, USDA 4a-7b.
5 Allium ‘Summer Beauty’ A lilac-pink allium with flat, glossy green leaves that form a tight clump. The drumstick flowerheads emerge from the foliage from June through to August and are loved by pollinators. These are then followed by persistent seedheads. 40cm x 35cm. RHS H6.
6 Asclepias curassavica A tender, evergreen sub-shrub that is largely grown in the UK as an annual. It flowers freely from midsummer onwards, and the flowers are a true butterfly magnet. 70cm x 30cm. RHS H1C, USDA 9a-11.
7 Eupatorium maculatum ‘Riesenschirm’ Provides huge, soft flowerheads full of tiny pink flowers on deeper purple stems, so that the whole effect is of a purple-pink umbrella on top of green leaves. 2m x 2m. AGM. RHS H7.
8 Solidago This unnamed form was given to Chris and Toby by the Dutch designer Piet Oudolf from his garden Hummelo. Solidagos flower from late summer onwards and are extremely attractive to pollinators. 1m x 50cm.
*Holds an Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society. †Hardiness ratings given where available.