June planting ideas

With 20 self-seeding plants to try

One of the most pleasing elements of gardening is the way that a planting scheme can evolve and change if you allow things self seed and let nature take the driving seat. So the skill lies not in planning rigid planting combinations but recognising plants as they pop up and imagining what they will look like among the existing cohort. It’s a more fluid and exciting way to garden, and you can end up with much more diversity and intricacy in your planting this way.

Deep magenta Rosa ‘Charles de Mills’ with Geum ‘Totally Tangerine’, Santolina pinnata ‘Lemon Queen’, Cenolophium denudatum, Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’, Anchusa azurea and white valerian, Centranthus ruber ‘Albus’

I want to show you some examples of these happy accidents in my own garden. So in the photo above, you’ll see three or four plants that were deliberately placed and others that weren’t. The deep pink rose ‘Charles de Mills’ forms a strong focal point, while Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ and Santolina ‘Lemon Queen’ form green, textured mounds. I also put the geum in, and the half collapsed Anchusa azurea (which I left toppled as its flowers started to grow upwards from their sideways slant to mix rather beautifully with everything else).