No planting scheme should be complete without some long-flowering, aromatic ornamental sage like Salvia 'Madeline'. Vibrant blue blooms in a border both contrasts with and tones down the hot colours of midsummer, or blends beautifully with a soothing pastel scheme if that's more your style. The nectar-rich bicolour blooms of purple-blue and white provide a colour pop which lasts through the summer season, as well as bounty for bees and butterflies. To top it off, you'll catch the occasional cloud of fragrance from the leaves of Salvia pratensis 'Madeline', particularly on a warm day.

Resilience to hot and dry summer conditions is one great thing and makes this a reliable choice for a low-maintenance or sun-baked planting area. And, for the cold season, you'll be pleased to hear that Salvia 'Madeline' is fairly hardy, tolerating temperatures down to around -10°C. You can leave the stems and foliage of this bi-coloured sage intact over winter to offer extra protection if it's likely to get colder than that.