Gardening expert Alan Titchmarsh revealed the plants that will spruce up your garden this summer, including one he says will “flower its socks off”
10:21, 04 Jul 2026Updated 10:35, 04 Jul 2026
The gardener said the plant ‘will flower its socks off’ this summer(Image: YOUTUBE/ALANTITCHMARSH)
Alan Titchmarsh has shared which plants he believes gardeners should prioritise this season. Back on his Gardening with Alan Titchmarsh YouTube channel this week, the 77-year-old told his audience he was taking advantage of the sunny conditions by undertaking two significant garden tasks.
The first saw him finishing the feature bed in his cottage garden, where he meticulously chose and positioned perennials to enhance the existing shrubs.
He subsequently focused on the patio, converting it into an inviting outdoor area with attractive raised planters positioned on both sides of a new dining set.
Discussing June, Alan described how the month had delivered “an explosion of colour” to his garden, with roses, peonies and poppies creating a magnificent spectacle as they flowered.
Turning his thoughts to July, he explained it was the moment to plant out the annual flowers he had cultivated from seed earlier this year.
Alan added Verbena bonariensis to his outdoor space(Image: Getty)
While filling one of his raised patio planters, the gardening authority noted that foxgloves (Digitalis) “are really useful plants in either sun or dappled shade”.
“Here, they’re making this semi-permeable wall that we’ll be able to look through,” he continued while demonstrating.
He went on to say: “You can use lots of tall plants in situations like this. I wouldn’t choose delphiniums or lupins because they’re fairly short lived in terms of their flower and also pretty brittle in the wind. These [the foxglove plants] flex about a bit.
“Another one to use is the verbena bonariensis, the thin wiry one with little tiny pom-poms of purple flowers on the top that butterflies and bees love. They will flower their socks off right the way through the summer.”
Alan also suggested lavender, noting that it “loves full sun and adores sharp drainage”.
Alan Titchmarsh shared his advice(Image: Getty)
He explained that cultivating annuals is an excellent way to garden affordably while providing a vibrant finishing touch to borders.
Alan’s most recent guidance follows his revelation about the two plants he would gladly leave out of the garden permanently.
Speaking to Stephanie Mahon on the Talking Gardens podcast, when asked which plants he dislikes the most, he responded: “Pampas grass.”
Elaborating on his reasoning, he said it looks “like a collection of feathered dusters sticking out of a mountain of grass”, adding: “If you ever want to get rid of it, you’ve got a real task ahead of you.”
Alan also expressed his aversion to large-flowered gladioli, though he conceded they can appear “very good in church.”
Nevertheless, he made clear that his disapproval doesn’t apply to all varieties.
“I like little gladiolus Byzantine,” he told Stephanie. “That’s the one that grows in the hedgerows and in Cornwall.”