Thompson & Morgan Kew 'Hesperis' seeds

Grown in partnership with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Sweet Rocket is a traditional cottage garden favourite that comes into its own when planted en masse in sunny herbaceous borders. Tall spikes carry clusters of single mauve-pink to lilac flowers, prized as much for their sweet, spicy fragrance as their looks, particularly as the scent intensifies into the evening. Once established, plants readily self-seed to form informal, perfumed drifts that suit both relaxed cottage borders and wildlife-friendly corners of the garden. The richly scented blooms are a magnet for bees, moths and other pollinating insects.

Sow from late spring to midsummer, either direct where they are to flower or in prepared seed trays for transplanting later. Being a biennial, plants will form a low rosette of foliage in their first year before flowering the following spring and summer, so a little patience is needed. Choose a spot in full sun or semi-shade with moist, well-drained soil. Once flowering is over, allow some seed heads to ripen and drop if you'd like Sweet Rocket to return and spread naturally year after year.

Hand-picked by us for its heady fragrance and value to pollinators, this is a lovely choice for cottage borders, wildlife gardens, or anywhere that could use a fragrant lift on a summer evening.