These are held on hairy stems above coarse bristly foliage. The flowers are followed by handsome, pepper-pot seed heads which can be cut and dried for winter decoration. Cultivars of P. orientale are legion, but the double ‘Salmon Glow’, orange-scarlet ‘Marcus Perry’ and the single-flowered ‘Perry’s White’ are all reliable. ‘Allegro Vivace’ is a dwarf red flowered kind with a dark centre that rarely grows more than 75 cm (2-1/2 ft) high and one of the few pop­pies that comes absolutely true from seed. Unless you want mixed colours, seed raising is not a good idea. Root cuttings taken during the winter are the only way of suc­cessfully increasing named kinds.

Phlox can be increased in a similar way. Truly moisture-loving perennials, the vari­ous cultivars of the border phlox, Phlox paniculata, do best in a cool summer, but must be grown in the open if they are to flourish. Dependable sorts are ‘Balmoral’, lavender, ‘Brigadier’, red and ‘White Ad­miral’. These all produce magnificent scented flower heads, unlike ‘Norah Leigh’ which is mostly cultivated for its variegated foliage; bright contrasting leaves on rather skinny stems, a plant that clearly does not belong in the cottage garden but which would like to suggest otherwise.

Daylilies certainly belong in the tangled informality of the mixed border, providing an excellent contrast to the later flowering phlox, but enjoying the same situation and soil conditions. These provide a marvellous display for much of the summer. Even though each individual blossom only lasts for a single day, there are so many that the show is continuous. Trumpet-shaped and carried amongst clumps of strap-shaped leaves, colours vary according to cultivar from deep purple-red through orange and yellow to pink. Try the old-fashioned Hemerocallis lilio-asphodelus, better known now as H. flava, with its clear yellow scented blossoms on wiry stems and carried amongst neat tufts of bright green foliage. Together with the richly fragrant citron-yellow, H. citrina, it makes a duo which for elegance and simplicity are unsurpassed by any of the modern cultivars.

There are certainly plenty amongst the mimulus, popularly referred to as monkey musks. Especially the various strains and cultivars derived from the complex inter­crossing of M. luteus, M. guttatus and M. cupreus. These are numerous, and a detailed account of all that is available would be tedious. However, four selections are out­standing and deserve special mention. The vivid red ‘Bonfire’ and boldly spotted ‘Queen’s Prize’ strains, together with the recently introduced hybrids ‘Royal Velvet’ and ‘Yellow Velvet’. Both M. luteus and the closely allied M. guttatus are old friends, straggling stoloniferous perennials that are never more happy than when spreading around in wet soil at the poolside. Both have bright yellow blossoms, those of M. guttatus being spotted with red, while M. luteus sports golden flowers which are promi­nently etched with reddish-purple.

Mimulus cupreus is a smaller and more restrained character with orange-red flowers. A stunning contrast, and the parent of the most outstanding mimulus of all, the tiny ‘Whitecroft Scarlet’. This is a little gem with neat mats of bright green foliage and small hooded blossoms of the brightest red.