Red valerian

The blue-green foliage and deep coloured flowers of centranthus combine to perfection. Plants look best grown en masse on banks or when allowed to self seed in walls and paving, where they create a delightful random, natural effect. A background of stone gives them an ideal setting, or they can be teamed with other cottage garden flowers - especially lime-loving gypsophila, pinks and scabious - in a border. The plants are very attractive to bees, several different kinds of butterfly, and other pollinating insects.