Dianthus Gran’s Favorite (pink) £6.99
Position: full sun Soil: well-drained, neutral to alkaline soil Rate of growth: average Flowering period: June to September Hardiness: fully hardy This award winning dianthus has beautiful white flowers laced with currant red edges. It is best planted towards the front of a perennial border or rock garden, or in a pot. Garden care: Incorporate lots of well-rotted manure or garden compost into the planting hole. Apply a balanced fertiliser in spring and deadhead to prolong flowering.

Dianthus ‘Doris’ (pink) £6.99
Position: full sun Soil: well-drained, neutral to alkaline soil Rate of growth: average Flowering period: June to September Hardiness: fully hardy A popular modern pink with clove-scented, double, pale pink flowers with red centres from early summer through to autumn. The fine, silvery-green foliage makes a lovely frame for the masses of flowers. Old-fashioned by reputation, and short-liv ed by nature, this is none the less a robust plant with a long flowering period that will tolerate a wide range of conditions. It is best planted towards the front of a perennial border or rock garden, or in a pot. Garden care: Incorporate lots of well-rotted manure or garden compost into the planting hole. Apply a balanced fertiliser in spring and deadhead to prolong flowering.

Viola ‘Miracle Classy Pink’ (Miracle Series) (violet) £5.99
Position: full sun or partial shade Soil: fertile, humus-rich, moist, well-drained soil Rate of growth: average to fast-growing Flowering period: February to March Hardiness: fully hardy Garden care: Incorporate lots of well-rotted leaf mould or garden compost when planting. Protect young plants from slug-damage using environmentally friendly slug pellets or beer traps. Deadhead the spent blooms to prolong flowering.

Viola ‘Miracle Classy Blue’ (Miracle Series) (violet) £5.99
Position: full sun or partial shade Soil: fertile, humus-rich, moist, well-drained soil Rate of growth: average to fast-growing Flowering period: February to March Hardiness: fully hardy Garden care: Incorporate lots of well-rotted leaf mould or garden compost when planting. Protect young plants from slug-damage using environmentally friendly slug pellets or beer traps. Deadhead the spent blooms to prolong flowering.

Helenium ‘The Bishop’ (sneezeweed) £5.99
Position: full sun Soil: fertile, moist but well-drained soil Rate of growth: average Flowering period: July to September Hardiness: fully hardy Providing long-lasting colour from midsummer, the flowerheads of these tough daisies appear on branching, leafy stems from midsummer. Golden-yellow ray florets surround the prominent brown centre. Garden care: Heleniums are versatile plants that love plenty of sunshine and moist soil. They rarely suffer from pests or diseases, however young plants do need to be protected from slug attack. Tall varieties need to be staked. To encourage the plant to repeat flower deadhead back to side shoots that have flower buds emerging. Cut back by half after flowering to help prevent mildew. Cut down to the ground in late winter. Every two to three years divide the plants in spring to keep them in top condition. When replanting add loads of well-rotted organic matter to the soil to feed them and keep them moist.

Viola ‘Miracle Barley Pink’ (Miracle Series) (violet) £5.99
Position: full sun or partial shade Soil: fertile, humus-rich, moist, well-drained soil Rate of growth: average to fast-growing Flowering period: February to March Hardiness: fully hardy Garden care: Incorporate lots of well-rotted leaf mould or garden compost when planting. Protect young plants from slug-damage using environmentally friendly slug pellets or beer traps. Deadhead the spent blooms to prolong flowering.

Muscari armeniacum (muscari) £4.99
Position: full sun or partial shade Soil: moderately fertile, well-drained soil (for container-grown bulbs use two parts John Innes No2 compost to one part sharp grit) Rate of growth: fast-growing Flowering period: April and May Flower colour: blue Other features: strap-like, mid-green leaves Hardiness: fully hardy Charming, cone-shaped spikes of tiny, mid-blue flowers appear in April and May above the grass-like, mid-green leaves. Grape hyacinths look gorgeous peeping out of a large container, planted with yellow, spring-flowering pansies. Quickly forming small colonies, they’re also valuable for naturalising at the front of a sunny mixed or shrub border. Garden care: Plant pots in naturalistic drifts 10cm (4in) on arrival.