Nurserymen's favourite: June

Bupleurum longifolium subsp. aureum
This is one of those plants that doesn’t make any great ballyhoo but that brings a lot of charm to the garden. The slender stems support umbels of small pincushion flowers that draw your eye in. You need to pause and examine the flower closely to appreciate its beauty. A ruff of caramel-coloured bracts surround the bronzy-red flowers. The bracts also serve as a shallow bowl to hold the ripe seed. I let the plant self-seed. If you want to sow it yourself, do so immediately: you get better germination from sowing fresh seed.

HEIGHT/SPREAD 75cm x 30cm
ORIGINS Central European meadows
CONDITIONS Well-drained soil in sun
SEASON June to August

To see eight more plants for summer colour, chosen by John Hoyland, buy the June issue of GARDENS ILLUSTRATED (Issue 174) available 27 May.

Photograph by Rachel Warne