Goals: beauty

Needs space, sun and a lot of feeding, and gives back a bunch plus leaves for cooking.

Grows in a bottle of water on a windowsill and keeps going. Best first plant for a child or a new gardener;…

Upright, architectural and forgiving of dark corners. Releases oxygen at night, which makes it a favourite for bedrooms.

A pest guard as much as a flower — plant it at the edge of vegetable beds. Deadhead often and it flowers…

Flowers on new growth, so prune hard after the monsoon. Loves a monthly dose of potash.