Let's Hear It in Spring

L. erinus comes in white, purple, cerise, pastel pink and all shades of blue, but the only way to go is brightest sapphire blue - it'll be interesting to see how these new varieties line up against my favourite, the classic 'Crystal Palace'. I've only seen close-ups of two of the new AGM varieties, pictured left, top and bottom (they're listed in full at the end) but so far neither cut the mustard for me.

Lobelias are due a renaissance. They flower on and on, don't need deadheading and are cheap as chips to buy en masse.

The key to success when planning your planting is keeping it simple, as per the photo above: stick to one, or at most two colours, don't mix them with other flowers and repeat, repeat, repeat. If I don't see some on parade in a show garden at Chelsea this year, I'll eat my hanging basket liner.