Plant(s) of the Month: The Purples (June 2026)

Clematis ‘John Treasure’ (Viticella)
This free-flowering and vigorous Clematis has been growing on the north side of my garden fence – for many years, as the label reads £3.50!

Originating from Burford House Gardens, Worcestershire (former home of a National Collection of Clematis) and bred by the late John Treasure himself (a regular contributor to BBC Gardeners World in the 1960s and ’70s), this is an ideal plant for a difficult, shady spot in the garden.

It’s tough and vigorous, but puts on a delightful display of delicate, nodding purple-mauve flowers during the summer months, with its distinctive upturned sepals displaying its striped markings from all angles.

I discovered, quite by accident, last summer, that this climber recovers very quickly from being lopped (remedial fence work), with the plant taking off once again, putting on new growth very, very, quickly and then reflowering right through to October! Who would have thought it? It was a lovely surprise and such a relief!

Ipomoea purpurea ‘Black Knight’ (morning glory)

I like to colour co-ordinate, so growing through the Clematis is a morning glory, a rich deep-purple flower, in perfect harmony with the mauve-purple of C. ‘John Treasure’. The seeds were grown by Margaret T back in April/May time, in a seed tray but under glass. No soaking or filing the hard outer seed case was necessary, with germination taking approximately two weeks.

In order to have the flowers reach and mingle amongst the Clematis, I’ve had to cheat a bit by planting the morning glory in a container sitting on a garden table. Early-morning shade allows the flowers an exquisite, dark colouring, and in sun they glow, revealing lighter stripes and shadings. With each flower only lasting a day, I am hoping they will last all through the summer. I am treating them well!

Geranium nodosum purple (knotted cranesbill)

Adjacent, growing in large container with ginger plants and Melianthus, this Geranium is extremely content, flowering continually from May-October. There appears to be a slight edging of white to the petals, so it may be G. ‘Clos de Loudray’.

This is a tough Geranium, liking dry shade, but it’s also very dainty in appearance – both in its flowers and maple-like foliage – and adds much needed stand-out colour to the container at this time of year. It spreads by rhizomes so I would only ever grow it in a container to keep it in check.

Maurandya scandens – formerly Asarina scandens (violet climbing snapdragon)

Nearby, growing on a metal pole in the sun, this hardy perennial has rich-purple, tubular, snapdragon-like flowers with the palest-mauve centres, again flowering into autumn. It’s planted with yellow Bowles’ golden grass (Milium effusum ‘Aureum’) and yellow, red-hot-poker flowers. Asarina also comes in various shades of white, pink and mauve. If you like hanging baskets, this is a plant suitable for cascading down, so order your seed for sowing next year. I would not want to be without it.

Anna L