The plants in this collection will die right back in autumn, then fresh new growth will appear again in spring.

The pink and purple coloured flowers in this collection look great together, but they are also highly sought after by bees, so it's a real win-win. Plant them in a sunny spot and you can expect colour for several months from midsummer onwards.



In this collection you will receive one of each of the following varieties. They will all come in a 9cm pot apart from the Phlox, which comes in a 2 litre pot:


• Verbena rigida: A neat, low-growing verbena producing lax clusters of fragrant, bright purple or magenta flowers from June to September. This jewel-like perennial is perfect for a sheltered, sunny, well-drained spot. Associating well with grey and silver-leaved plants, it's wonderful used in generous drifts for infilling a traditional knot garden. Grows to 60cm.
  
  
• Nepeta × faassenii: A dwarf catmint with slender spikes of lavender-blue summer flowers and aromatic, sage-green leaves. This clump-forming perennial will form open drifts of hazy blue flowers for weeks over the summer months, and makes a lovely informal edging plant for paths and borders. When it's trodden underfoot the cascading foliage releases an intoxicating aroma. Fresh or dried, the leaves make a refreshing and therapeutic tea which is high in Vitamin C and has traditionally been used to treat such conditions as nervousness, insomnia, hyperactivity, colds and fevers. The flowers are highly attractive to bees, and of course, the foliage to cats, who will go mad for it. To prevent cats from flattening the plant, insert several twiggy sticks into the centre. Grows to 60cm.
  
  
• Achillea millefolium 'Pomegranate' (Tutti Frutti Series): Noted for its uniform and prolonged flowering period, this bushy yarrow will certainly liven things up in a sunny border. Unlike many of the others, it holds its flower colour well, and as it is relatively compact, it is also excellent in pots. Perfect too for the wildlife garden, as it will attract many beneficial insects, including bees, butterflies and hoverflies. Grows to 60cm.
  
  
• Echinacea purpurea 'Rubinstern': Pinky-red ray florets form a horizontal ruff around a prominent orange-brown cone of disc florets on these decorative flowerheads. Appearing for a long period from midsummer to mid autumn, they associate well with grasses. Grows to 90cm.
  
  
• Phlox paniculata 'Franz Schubert': Phlox have always been country garden favourites for their delicious scent and attraction to butterflies and bees. This long flowering variety has large, fragrant trusses of pearlised lilac flowers which provide excellent cut flower material. Planted in the middle rank of a border, this perennial looks wonderful with the inky blue spikes of Salvia or any of the Veronicastrums to extend summer colour into the early autumn. It will tolerate full sun or partial shade, but like all phlox, does not like soil that dries out in summer. Grows to 90cm.



• Planting tips:
  Prepare the bed well by digging in lots of composted organic matter before you plant. For best results it is essential that the plants are kept well watered for the first year, particularly during warmer weather.