Plants for a Formal Garden

Formal gardens have lots of geometric shapes and hard lines, with the framework of the garden often being clipped into neat topiary. To soften the overall effect, you also need to include a layer of plants that help add colour and seasonal variation.

By type

Bulbs (427)
Perennials (102)
Shrubs (102)
Bedding plants (59)
Roses (58)
Large plants for instant impact (45)
Trees (42)
Conifers (29)
Hedging (28)
Seeds (27)
Connoisseurs collection (25)
Climbers (21)
Fruit (20)
Plants & pots (10)
Alpines & rockeries (9)
Herbs (9)
Plants for gifts (7)
Grasses (6)
Pond plants (5)
Indoor plants (3)
Ferns garden (1)
Wildflowers (1)

Facing

East (564)
North (124)
South (783)
West (793)

How much sun

Bright light (1)
Bright, indirect light (1)
Light shade (201)
Shade (15)
Sun (797)

Soil type

Acid (228)
Aquatic (4)
Chalky (658)
Haven't a clue (585)
Heavy clay (686)
Light sandy (727)
Moderately fertile, moist but well-drained soil, or peat-free general purpose compost (191)
Normal (777)
Peat-free general-purpose compost (129)
Prefers acid soil (25)

Special conditions

Boggy or damp shade (4)
Coastal conditions (26)
Dry shade (22)
Dry sun (77)
Exposed positions (31)
Tolerate air pollution (166)
Tolerates drought (69)

Ready made borders

Ready-made border Autumn colour (1)
Ready-made border Blending purples (1)
Ready-made border Blue and silver (1)
Ready-made border Budget (2)
Ready-made border Chalky soil (2)
Ready-made border Clay soil (1)
Ready-made border Cool grasses and hot exotics (1)
Ready-made border Cool shade (2)
Ready-made border Cottage garden scheme (4)
Ready-made border Dark and light (2)
Ready-made border Divine summer (1)
Ready-made border Elegant and architectural (2)
Ready-made border Fresh and wild (1)
Ready-made border Keep it cool (4)
Ready-made border Lime-green and orange (1)
Ready-made border Mediterranean (2)
Ready-made border Planting the woodland edge (2)
Ready-made border Red summer (3)
Ready-made border Sandy soil (1)
Ready-made border Soft Summer (3)
Ready-made border Soothing green and white (1)
Ready-made border Spring colour (2)
Ready-made border Sun lovers (2)
Ready-made border The grand experience (4)

Planting combinations

Acid shade plant combination (1)
Acid sun plant combination (1)
Astrantia and Digitalis plant combination (1)
Attracting wildlife seed combination (1)
Blue and silver plant combination (1)
Blue and yellow plant combination (1)
Create a praire plant combination (1)
Create a prairie plant combination (1)
Dazzling colour weed-smothering plant combination (2)
Drought tolerant plant combination (1)
Edible flowers plant and seed combination (1)
Evergreen groundcover plant combination (1)
Iris and Trollius plant combination (1)
Long flowering plant combination (1)
Pinks and purples plant combination (2)
Plants for pollinators plant combination (1)
Purple and gold plant combination (2)
Shade lovers plant combination (1)
Slug resistant plant combination for shade (1)
Spires and spots plant combination (1)
Sun baked plant combination (1)
Sunny and dry plant combination (1)
The Highgrove Mixed Delphinium Collection (4)
The Highgrove Purple Delphinium Collection (2)
Year round groundcover plant combination (1)
Yellow and gold plant combination (1)

Flowering month

January (23)
February (31)
March (82)
April (281)
May (382)
June (201)
July (241)
August (199)
September (182)
October (120)
November (15)
December (8)

Flower colour

Colourful collections / bicolours (144)
Black (18)
Blue (44)
Green (22)
Orange (75)
Pink (200)
Purple (133)
Red (84)
White (180)
Yellow (69)

Evergreen / deciduous

Deciduous (596)
Evergreen (135)
Semi-evergreen (28)

Fragrance

All scented flowers (117)
Aromatic foliage (98)
Highly scented (37)
Roses that are slightly scented (21)
Roses that are well scented (27)
Roses with a knockout scent (13)

Attractive to wildlife

Attractive to bees (201)
Attractive to birds (80)
Attractive to butterflies and moths (54)
Attractive to pollinators (128)
Attractive to wildlife (220)

Quick growing

No (60)
Quite (655)
Yes (189)

Eventual size

Large (120)
Medium (565)
Small (248)

Special features

Architectural silhouettes (174)
Attractive bark (1)
Attractive seedheads (38)
Autumn foliage colour (47)
Berries or fruit (102)
Coloured leaves (24)
Colourful bark or stems (6)
Columnar (6)
Deciduous (177)
Dinner plate dahlias (6)
Easy to grow (240)
Evergreen / semi evergreen (150)
Fast growing (130)
Flower spires (59)
Flowering (744)
Large leaved (2)
Long flowering (151)
Low maintenance (164)
Makes a good hedge or screen (66)
Plants that are native (9)
Plants that don't need pruning (42)
Plants that help filter noise (38)
Plants that show resistance to deer and rabbits (194)
Plants that will cope with the odd football (154)
Plants to deter vandals and burglars (63)
Resistant to diseases (219)
Rose hips (37)
Scented Leaves (5)
Scented flowers (49)
Small leaved (24)
Stylish in the border (360)
Sublime umbelliferas (30)
Suitable for containers (586)
Suitable for hanging baskets (28)
Tough plants that are harder to kill (48)
Weeping (4)
Winter colour (104)

Indoor plants by room

Bedrooms (1)
Conservatories (1)
Hallways and landings (2)
Home office (3)
Living spaces (3)
Offices (3)

Bulb planting time

Autumn planting (386)
Spring planting (74)

Bulb divisions

Dahlia (Division 1) Single-flowered (3)
Dahlia (Division 10) Miscellaneous (1)
Dahlia (Division 12) Star (1)
Dahlia (Division 2) Anemone-flowered (2)
Dahlia (Division 3) Collerette (7)
Dahlia (Division 4) Waterlily (1)
Dahlia (Division 5) Decorative (25)
Dahlia (Division 6) Ball (4)
Dahlia (Division 8) Cactus (3)
Narcissus (Division 1) Trumpet (2)
Narcissus (Division 11) Split-corona (2)
Narcissus (Division 12) Miscellaneous (1)
Narcissus (Division 2) Large-cupped (7)
Narcissus (Division 4) Double (2)
Narcissus (Division 5) Triandrus (4)
Narcissus (Division 6) Cyclamineus (4)
Narcissus (Division 7) Jonquilla (1)
Normal (1)
Tulip (Division 1) Single early group (7)
Tulip (Division 10) Parrot group (8)
Tulip (Division 11) Double late group (22)
Tulip (Division 13) Fosteriana group (4)
Tulip (Division 14) Greigii group (3)
Tulip (Division 15) Miscellaneous group (5)
Tulip (Division 2) Double early group (16)
Tulip (Division 3) Triumph group (79)
Tulip (Division 4) Darwin hybrid group (15)
Tulip (Division 5) Single late group (12)
Tulip (Division 6) Lily-flowered group (22)
Tulip (Division 7) Fringed group (11)
Tulip (Division 8) Viridiflora group (12)
Tulip (Division 9) Rembrandt group (1)

Bedding planting time

Autumn & winter planting bedding (23)
Spring & summer planting bedding (36)

Fruit pollination group

Cherry pollination group 3 (1)
Plum pollination group 1 (2)
Plum pollination group 2 (3)
Plum pollination group 3 (1)
Plum pollination group 4 (2)
Plum pollination group 5 (1)
Self-fertile (8)

Sowing month inside or protected

January (2)
February (9)
March (18)
April (15)
May (13)
August (3)
September (3)

Sowing month outside

February (1)
March (4)
April (13)
May (15)
June (9)
July (3)
August (4)
September (9)
October (9)

Multibuy packs

6 packs (9)
Multibuy offers (134)
Selected offers (89)

Pot size

20cm - 29cm (1)
60cm - 69cm (1)

Pot colour

Grey (1)
Terracotta (1)

Pot material

Metal (1)
Terracotta (1)

Hardy

No (40)
Semi (96)
Yes (691)

Leaf colour

Blue (21)
Bronze (16)
Green (781)
Purple (7)
Red (12)
Silver (17)
Variegated (18)
Yellow (15)

Ground cover

No (655)
Yes (102)

Position

Arches & pergolas (14)
Back of border (179)
Bottom of hedges (19)
Conservatories (1)
Covering eyesores (20)
Front of border (475)
Middle of border (273)
Next to a patio (160)
Next to a pond (6)
Next to an entrance (200)
Next to seating areas (219)
Steep banks (52)
Through hedges (4)
Walls & fences (72)

Shape

Ball (6)
Bushy (17)
Columnar (7)
Fountain (5)
Hummock (4)
Pyramid (7)
Spiral (2)
Spreading (3)
Weeping (2)

Soil moisture

Damp (15)
Dry/Sandy (142)
Normal (813)

Used at Chelsea

2002 - HRH The Prince of Wales - Laurent-Perrier (3)
2003 - Tom Stuart-Smith - Laurent-Perrier (3)
2004 - Sir Terrance Conran - Laurent-Perrier (2)
2005 - Tom Stuart-Smith - Laurent-Perrier (5)
2006 - Tom Stuart-Smith - Laurent-Perrier (9)
2007 - Jinny Blom - Laurent-Perrier (7)
2008 - Arabella Lennox-Boyd - Daily Telegraph (7)
2008 - Tom Stuart-Smith - Laurent-Perrier (8)
2009 - Luciano Guibbilei - Laurent-Perrier (9)
2009 - Ulf Nordfjell - Daily Telegraph (11)
2010 - Andy Sturgeon - Daily Telegraph (5)
2010 - Tom Stuart-Smith - Laurent-Perrier (7)
2011 - Cleve West - Daily Telegraph (12)
2011 - Luciano Guibbilei - Laurent-Perrier (6)
2012 - Arne Maynard - Laurent-Perrier (7)
2012 - Sarah Price - Daily Telegraph (3)
2013 - Christopher Bradley-Hole - Daily Telegraph (9)
2013 - Ulf Nordfjell - Laurent-Perrier (6)
2014 - Luciano Guibbilei - Laurent-Perrier (4)
2014 - Tommaso del Buono - Daily Telegraph (4)
2015 - Marcus Barnett - Daily Telegraph (7)
2016 - Jekka McVicar - St John's Hospice (2)
2018 Tom Stuart-Smith - Garfield Weston Foundation (10)
2019 - Andy Sturgeon - M & G (1)
2019 - Sarah Eberley - Forestry Commission (4)
2022 - Andy Sturgeon - Mind Garden / Crocus (3)
2023 - Sarah Price - Nurture Garden (10)

Kitchen garden planting guidelines

Propagate in green house (9)
Suitable for compact container gardening (6)
Suitable for grow beds (13)
Suitable for large container gardening (13)
Suitable for window boxes (6)
Use cloche (9)

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830 items

40% off

Iris foetidissima

~~£18.99~~ £11.39

2 litre pot In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

40% off

Iris 'Tropic Night'

£7.49 - £24.00

2 litre pot In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

2 × 2 litre In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

9cm pot available to order from late spring

3 × 9cm pots available to order from late spring

1 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 5.0 5 5

25% off

Liriope muscari

£6.74 - £33.75

9cm pot In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

2 litre pot In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

3 × 9cm pots In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

6 × 9cm pots In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

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0.5 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 4.4 5 28

25% off

Nepeta racemosa 'Walker's Low'

£4.49 - £29.99

9cm pot In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

3 × 9cm pots In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

6 × 9cm pots In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

2 litre pot available to order from late spring

3 × 2 litre pots available to order from late spring

0.75 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 4.8 5 16

25% off

Nepeta × faassenii

£4.49 - £33.75

9cm pot In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

3 × 9cm pots In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

2 litre pot In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

6 × 9cm pots In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

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0.5 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 4.4 5 12

Escallonia 'Iveyi'

£23.99 - £69.99

2 litre pot In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

7.5 litre pot | 40 - 60cm tall In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

1 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 5.0 5 3

Hydrangea arborescens 'Annabelle'

£9.99 - £84.99

2 litre pot In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

3 × 2 litre pot In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

10 litre pot | 80 - 100cm tall In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

9cm pot available to order from late spring

0.75 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 4.7 5 22

Ilex × altaclerensis 'Golden King'

£34.99 - £119.99

2 litre pot In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

3 × 2 litre pots In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

10 litre pot | 1.0 - 1.2m tall available to order from late spring

1 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 5.0 5 3

Lavandula angustifolia 'Hidcote'

£5.99 - £79.99

9cm pot In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

2 litre pot shipped within 2 weeks

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5 litre pot In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

3 × 5 litre pots In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

0.25 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 4.4 5 57

Lavandula pedunculata subsp. pedunculata

£16.99

2 litre pot In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

1 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 5.0 5 1

25% off selected

Magnolia grandiflora

~~£37.99~~ £28.49

3 litre pot | 30cm tall In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

1 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 5.0 5 6

25% off selected

Olearia × haastii

£14.99 - £74.99

2 litre pot In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

7.5 litre pot available to order from late spring

Prunus laurocerasus 'Rotundifolia'

£24.99 - £79.99

2 litre pot | 30 - 40cm tall In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

3 × 2 litre pots | 30 - 40cm tall In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

10 litre pot | 1.0 - 1.25m tall In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

10 × bare root | 40 - 60cm available to order from autumn 2024

10 × bare root | 60 - 80cm available to order from autumn 2024

0.75 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 4.7 5 3

Prunus lusitanica

£25.99 - £69.99

3 litre pot In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

7.5 litre pot | 80 - 100cm tall available to order from late spring

1 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 5.0 5 1

Taxus baccata

£9.99 - £119.99

9cm pot | 20cm tall In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

3 litre pot | 30cm In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

6 × 9cm pots In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

10 × bare root | 20 - 30cm In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

12 litre pot | 80 - 100cm tall In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

10 × bare root | 40 - 50cm In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

1 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 5.0 5 5

Thuja occidentalis 'Danica'

£8.99 - £19.99

3 litre pot In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

9cm pot available to order from late spring

Viburnum plicatum f. tomentosum 'Summer Snowflake'

£29.99

3 litre pot In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

25% off

Rosa 'William Lobb'

~~£36.99~~ £27.74

4 litre pot In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

25% off

Rosa Flower Carpet Amber ('Noa97400a') (PBR)

~~£22.99~~ £17.24

4 litre pot In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

0.75 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 4.8 5 4

Hydrangea arborescens Sweet Annabelle ('Ncha4') (PBR)

£37.99

3 litre pot In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)

1 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 5.0 5 2

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