Perennial wallflowers are among the most cheerful sights in spring, their blooms appearing in shades of everything from yellow to deep purple.

Among the most popular is E. 'Bowles's Mauve', a shrub-like plant with a long season of colour, while E. cheiri 'Harpur Crewe' produces pretty yellow fragrant double flowers from April to May. Unusual varieties include 'Plantworld Lemon' and 'Plantworld Gold', which have a twotone colour, with flowers ageing from lemon or gold to mauve or purple.

Wallflowers like welldrained, slightly alkaline soil and benefit from a trim after flowering, which will delay the time when an older plant needs replacing. Choose a sunny site on welldrained soil, enriched with garden compost.