Cerinthe major Purpurascens

There is genuinely nothing else like it in a cottage garden. Thick, almost succulent stems lined with rounded blue-grey leaves that turn progressively more violet towards the top, so the foliage is nearly as ornamental as the flowers.

The flowers themselves are drooping tubular bells in deep purple-blue, half hidden under bracts of the same colour. Bumblebees adore it — a patch of cerinthe in flower hums audibly through summer, and it is one of the most reliable bee plants you can raise from seed.

It is easy if you respect the taproot: sow direct, or into deep pots that can be planted out intact. Lean, well-drained ground suits it better than rich, and it is drought-tolerant once away. It self-seeds enthusiastically, so once you have it you tend to keep it.