When I give a garden talk or hold a workshop I am often asked what my favourite flower is. Some assume that it is a rose because I have a rose tattoo on my right forearm. While I love roses, they are not my favourite.

Actually it is impossible for me to pick just one. I am a big fan of sunflowers and have included them in every garden that I have designed over the past ten years. They are a great plant.

I am a big fan of marigolds, especially the French marigold (Tagetes patula). I think this maybe because they are one of the first flowers that i can remember from my mother’s garden and I have been growing them for quite sometime.

Do you have a favourite flower? Or can you name your top three favourites?