What to plant in May

Five to plant in May

Soft borders, long-flowering, and pollinator-friendly. Plant any of these now and they'll earn their keep until the first frost.

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  Statement

  Allium 'Purple Sensation'

  Allium hollandicum

  Tennis-ball heads of magenta float above the border in late May — pure architecture. Plant in drifts of nine or more, never in a tidy line.

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  Long-flowering

  Geum 'Totally Tangerine'

  Geum chiloense

  Apricot petals on wiry stems from May through October. Forgiving in any decent soil, and looks gorgeous threaded through grasses.

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  Foolproof

  Cosmos 'Purity'

  Cosmos bipinnatus

  Slim, ferny foliage and crisp white discs from June to the first frost. Sow direct now and you'll be cutting armfuls for the kitchen table.

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  Bee favourite

  Salvia 'Caradonna'

  Salvia nemorosa

  Slender black-purple spires that bees can't leave alone. Cut hard after the first flush in July and it will flower again by September.

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  Shade-lover

  Foxglove 'Sutton's Apricot'

  Digitalis purpurea

  The soft peach foxglove that everyone falls for. Loves a bit of shade and tells you exactly where the bees live in your garden.

Garden ideas to nick this month

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  Ferns, foxgloves, dappled light

  A romantic shade corner

  Layer hardy ferns under a small tree, drop in a clump of foxgloves, and finish with white astrantia. Reads cool and theatrical even on the hottest day.

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  Tulips done, dahlias next

  One bold container by the door

  A single statement pot near the front door does more than six small ones around the garden. Switch the planting twice a year — spring bulbs, then summer dahlias.

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  Greens first, colour second

  The 70/30 border rule

  Aim for 70% foliage, 30% flower. Restraint reads as taste — the eye rests on the greens, then notices the colour. Most cottage borders go too floral, too fast.

A garden to visit

Sissinghurst Castle, Kent

The White Garden, before the rush

In late May, before the roses arrive, the underplanting does all the work. Silver foliage, green velvet, white anemones — and not a single bright thing in sight.