Good plant #124 - Acer Palmatum 'Bloodgood'

This is a very reliable and tougher-than-most red-leafed acer. It looks well in a pot or as a specimen plant.

This thrives best in a free draining soil. If you have clay soil, add some compost and grit to the soil to improve drainage. However it will cope better with heavier soils compared to some.

This acer can be pruned – new growth in June and older growth in September. Carefully does it though! This plant grows fast when it’s young and may put out an excessively long branch that needs pruning to keep a good shape.

This plant prefers a sheltered site and part shade but produces more vibrant red colours in sunnier sites.

The main enemies of this plant are a late spring frost, over or under-watering and scorcing by the wind.

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Good plant #123 - Helianthus 'Lemon Queen'

This is a statuesque (6ft plus), very reliable and vigorous perennial sunflower that blooms quite late in summer. It's great as part of a prairie/ meadow or late flowering border. It looks great mixed in with the tall and red Crocosmia 'Lucifer'.

This herbaceous perennial is cut down to the ground after flowering or in early spring. It spreads very quickly and widely in fertile soil and can need staking in exposed sites.

It prefers fertile-ish moist and well-drained soil and will thrive in sunny and part shady sites.

It can be divided in spring.

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Good plant #122 - Cortaderia Richardii

My favourite large-ish grass. It's the New Zealand version of pampass grass. Elegant, compact, versatile and tough as old boots. It looks great on its own as a specimen plant in a pot or gravel border, with other grasses and with perennial and annual flowers.

It tolerates all but the boggiest of soils, exposed or sheltered sites and everything but deep shade.

I hack off all the dead leaves and flower heads in Spring with shears for younger plants. For more mature plants I almost cut it to the ground.

You can divide a mature plant or sow seeds in spring to propagate it.

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