Once established, these perennials contribute a lot of useful colour to the garden. You may wish to make a special bog garden for these and other damp-loving plants, or plant these monkey flowers in soggy parts of the garden where very little else grows. The plants stay in flower for a long time and then the yellow petals fall off, adorning the mud and water.

There are several other different-coloured monkey flowers from which to choose, including wine-red and maroon. They are easy enough to grow from seed. In such damp conditions look out for slugs and snails that will eat tender leaves.

Looking Good:
See monkey flowers along the watercourse at the Royal Horticultural Society's Harlow Carr Gardens in Harrogate during June.

Best with:
Monkey flowers work well with colour-matching pansies. For extra ideas, see Pond Maintenance.