Alliums: great all round

Alliums are one of my all-time favourite plants. They may be related to the onion family but these fantastic bulbous plants are real showstoppers. Guaranteed to make you smile - rather than cry like their common cousins!

So what's so great about alliums? they are just divine.

design - they are the garden designers no1 friend - great with both architectural and cottage schemes.

impact - the spectacular round heads with delicate flowers suspended in a perfect sphere create a real wow factor

variety - from compact drumsticks to showy plate sized spheres alliums come in all colours and sizes including yellow, purple, blue and white

intricate - each allium head draws you in to marvel at its detailed composition with tiny flowers held aloft on slender stems in a perfect sphere

nature loving - the butterflies and bees love them

elegant - with graceful long perfectly straight stems holding striking heads they give balance and height to borders and containers

Alliums are easy to grow - they just like a sunny spot and they'll return happily every year. With so many different types they flower from April to August in my garden.

My favourites include:

Allium cristophii: this was the first allium I bought (because of the name it shares with my husband) It has a large metallic purple spherical head that looks great in flower or dried.

A. schubertii: another large allium with a head that looks like a burst of fireworks.

A. sphaerocephalon: compact pinky drumsticks on long wiry stems that last for ages.

A. nigrum: dome shaped white flowers on a long tall stem

Allium hollandicum 'Purple Sensation' - a tight deeper purple round head on a tall stem. For really tall and massive purple heads try Allium giganticum or globemaster.

Allium moly: a small allium with yellow flowers

Allium bulgaricum - an unusual drooping flowerhead in white with purple markings

Glad all over

No more blues - I'm in the pink this week. Yes, my gladioli and lilies are a stunning crescendo in pink. The first of the pink dahlia's, elegant pink fuschia's and the willowy verbena bonesaris flowers are also poking out.

Other treasures from this weeks garden include the striking bell shapes of the agapanthus, the strong velevety blackcurrant flowers of the hollyhocks, the gold and orange fronds of crocosmia and the delicate and spiky silvery balls of the echinops.

In the veg garden we enjoyed the first yellow tomatoes at the weekend - but its not looking like it will be a bumper crop this year so we'll have to treasure each tasty one. Small green peppers are dangling from the capsicum but the chilli are still being blighted by greenfly. The beetroot are looking great and we saw the first tiny cauliflower head tonight.

butterfly heaven

Today is defintely a day for flying. Around my deck is a swirling cauldron of butterflies, hoverflies and bees. Attracted by the asiatic lilies that have just opened on one side and the buddlejia in full flower on the other, its a veritable feast.

The hoverflies also seem to be loving the orange shuttlecock-like flowers of the helenium on the bank and the bees have even taken to sleeping on the contorted lilac arms of the veronica fascination, they cant get enough of it!

Here are some of the photos from this mornings winged wonders on the buddlejia.

small tortoiseshellpeacockpainted ladies