Young gardening superstar Arthur Parkinson says that if he hadn’t taken up gardening, he would have been a bird keeper; birds and wildlife are his biggest inspiration for colour. When planning combinations, Arthur isn’t shy in his plant choice - “I know what colours I like and the plants I like and I’ve always been like that.” Drawn to deep sorbet tones and wary of pastel and white, Arthur’s style is bold.
Here is his pick of the 9 best flowers to grow, which are great for pots and containers, and for cutting for posies, bouquets, a boutonniere or buttonhole flowers and arrangements.
Arthur Parkinson's favourite flowers
1
Dahlia ‘Bishop of Llandaff’
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A favourite for good reason: it flowers for a long period with semi-double, brilliant-red petals and egg yolk-orange centres. The foliage is a deep kelp green, verging on black. 1m. AGM*. RHS H3, USDA 7a-11†.
2
Thunbergia ‘Sunset Shades’
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These exotic climbers with peach and nectarine petals and deep chocolate-brown middles, will be present from July into November and make surprisingly good cut flowers. Plant out seedlings in June. 40cm.
3
Cosmos bipinnatus ‘Double Click Cranberries’
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This cosmos looks at its most lavish when freshly opened. While Arthur generally avoids double flowers, because they are of little use to bees, he finds that semi-doubles give an extra thrill, while still being pollinator-friendly. 30cm.
Read abut the best cosmos varieties to grow.
4
Dahlia ‘Totally Tangerine’
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A nectar-rich anemone dahlia. Arthur feeds the dahlias in the containers fortnightly over the summer with soaked, organic, chicken manure pellets and waters almost daily. 90cm.
5
Dahlia ‘Roxy’
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This sun worshipper is perfect for a pot by the door, and requires no staking. Plush, velvet-pink flowers surround a nectar-filled central heart. 70cm.
6
Salvia ‘Amistad’
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With its profuse, deep-purple flowers, this bushy, upright perennial has become deservedly popular.
1.2m. AGM. RHS H3, USDA 8a-10b.
7
Cosmos bipinnatus ’Rubenza’
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A half-hardy annual with claret-silk petals and a golden centre, and divided ferny foliage. This is my favourite cut flower. 75cm. AGM. RHS H3.
8
Alcea ‘Blackcurrant Whirl’
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Soft, ruffled flower heads of blackcurrant-ripple ice cream hues. They are unaffected by rust in my garden and grow particularly tall in the courtyard where they are popular with the bees. 2.4m. USDA 3a-9a.
9
Dahlia ‘Waltzing Mathilda’
![](https://c02.purpledshub.com/uploads/sites/40/2021/12/DSC7038-9b508dd-e1640194484251.jpg?webp=1&w=1200)
This exotically striking dahlia has dark-green foliage and slightly twisted, pink, peach and tangerine petals, which remind me of the tail feathers of the Raggiana bird of paradise. 70cm. AGM. RHS H3.