odd-looking relative of the more familiar bedding plant whose branching stems bear bicoloured flowers with elongated, narrow upper petals in white, contrasting with broad, two lobed lower petals which are yellowish orange. The plant has a the rich fragrance of roasted or candied coconut.
Soil preference: Fertile but free-draining
Aspect: Sun
Season of interest: Summer
Height and spread: 30cm × 20cm (12in × 8in)
Companion plants: An interesting plant for a hanging basket, perhaps planted with golden flowered Bidens ferulifolia or with Lamium ‘Golden Anniversary’.
Tagetes lucida
Mexican Mint or Spanish Tarragon Perennial, usually grown as an annual
Differing from better known members of the genus by having simple, rather than filigree, leaves, this plant has culinary value as well as beauty. The leaves and branched stems are highly aromatic – reminiscent of aniseed. It has bright golden flowers whose outer ray florets are broad, surrounding a raised central tuft of fertile florets.
Soil preference: Free-draining but fertile
Aspect: Sun
Season of interest: Summer
Height and spread: 60cm × 40cm (2ft × 1ft 8in)
Companion plants: One for the herb garden, perhaps planted with marjoram, basil and summer savory.
Scabiosa atropurpurea ‘Dwarf Double’
Hardy annual
A shorter, more compact form of the familiar Southern European plant described here. The blooms are as large as those on taller varieties and come in a rich colour range, which includes blue, mauve, cream, pink and white. The flowers, which are excellent for cutting, have a gentle fragrance.
Soil preference: Rich, fertile but free-draining
Aspect: Sun or part shade
Season of interest: Summer
Height and spread: 45cm × 30cm (1ft 6in × 1ft)
Companion plants: A fine selection for mixed flower borders or simply to line out for cutting. Also effective with annual grasses, hardy geraniums and other meadow flowers.
Matthiola longipetala subsp. bicornis
Night Scented Stock Hardy annual
R. Coates
An intensely fragrant annual from Southern Europe which looks far more spectacular when illustrated in seedsmen’s catalogues than when seen growing in a garden. The thin, frail stems bear small, irregularly shaped, pinkish-mauve four-petalled flowers. Improved series such as ‘Scentsation’ have white, deeper purple and pale pink among their colours.
Soil preference: Any
Aspect: Sun or part shade
Season of interest: Spring, summer
Height and spread: 30cm × 16cm (12in × 6in)
Companion plants: Frequently mixed with Virginian stocks before sowing or grown in a bed under a window or by a door so that the fragrance can be enjoyed at twilight. A positive cocktail of fragrances can be mixed with mignonette and dwarf sweet peas.
Laurentia axilliaris syn. Isotoma axilliaris or Solenopsis axilliaris
Tender annual
Narrow leaves and trailing stems form a shapely dome on which the star-shaped flowers appear over many weeks and exude a gentle but telling fragrance. Interesting varieties include ‘Stargazer Mixed’, whose colours may be white, blue or pink, and the compact ‘Blue Stars’.
Soil preference: Fertile, free-draining
Aspect: Sun
Season of interest: Summer
Height and spread: 20cm (8in), trailing
Companion plants: Ideal for hanging baskets, especially if planted with Callibrachoa, Scaevola, ivy leaved pelargoniums or trailing petunias.
Annuals for low-allergen gardens
Impatiens glandulifera
Himalayan Balsam, Policeman’s Helmet Hardy annual
Heather Angel
Tall, fast growing annual with fleshy stems and hairless leaves. From early summer onwards, a succession of large, helmet-shaped flowers precedes the pressure-packed seed capsules which explode, when touched, scattering their seed. An invasive plant that can be damaging in the wild, but an unusual garden annual.
Soil preference: Moist
Aspect: Part shade
Season of interest: Summer
Height and spread: To 1.5m × 45cm (5ft × 1ft 6in)
Companion plants: Best grown as a marginal or bog plant, with such other large species as Ligularia clivorum or Rodgersias.
Nigella papillosa
Hardy annual
A curious annual with single, five-petalled, dusky blue flowers and very finely divided foliage. The spidery seed heads are as interesting as the flowers, and can also be cut and used dry. Nigella sativa is a similar species, with aromatic seeds which are sometimes used as spices, hence the colloquial name Nutmeg Flower or Roman Coriander.
Soil preference: Any, free-draining
Aspect: Sun
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