Lavatera ‘Mont Blanc’

Some flowers just stride in and light up the room — or in this case, the border. Lavatera ‘Mont Blanc’ is one of those effortlessly radiant types, dressed head to toe in clean, crisp white, with a soft green throat that makes her look as if she’s glowing from within. She’s got that old-fashioned cottage garden charm but with a kind of understated elegance, like freshly laundered linen on the line.

I always think Lavatera is a flower that earns her keep. Sow her in spring and by midsummer you’ll have great towers of bloom, with each plant cheerfully covered in silky trumpets right through until the frosts finally call time. And because ‘Mont Blanc’ is white, she slips in anywhere — she’ll calm down a riot of zinnias, add a bit of purity alongside hot dahlias, or simply stand alone with nothing but the sky as her backdrop.

As a cut flower she’s a joy — long stems, masses of flowers, and that luminous white that makes every bunch look chic, whether you’ve bothered to arrange it or not. Snip regularly and she’ll just keep giving. Bees are fans too, so there’s usually a bit of happy buzzing going on among the petals.

She’s an easy customer: sow direct from April, or start her off in pots if you want a neat block in the cutting patch. She’ll shoot up to around a metre or so, and I promise you’ll be astonished at how much flower one plant can produce.

In short, if you want a border that looks as if you’ve made far more effort than you actually have — Lavatera ‘Mont Blanc’ is your secret weapon. She’s all generosity and grace.

150ish seeds in a packet

Hardy annual. Sow March/May and Early September.