Easy-to-grow plants

Plants

1. Primrose, Primula vulgaris; a spring wildflower that comes in a variety of colours. Great for planting in pots and containers.
2. Wild strawberry, Fragaria vesca; children will love hunting for the small, sweet, delicious fruit.
3. Bellflower, Campanula medium 'Canterbury Bells'; a blue, white or lavender, summer-flowering plant.
4. Pansy, Viola; the cheery face of the pansy is a popular choice for an abundance of both summer and winter colour. Ensure you deadhead them regularly.
5. Crane's-bill, Geranium; grown for its white, pink, blue or purple saucer-shaped flowers and its dense foliage, which is great for keeping down the weeds. Not to be confused with the summer-bedding plant pelargonium, which is often referred to as geranium.
6. Lamb's ears, Stachys byzantina; grown more for its foliage than its flowers. As its name suggests, its downy leaves resemble the ears of a lamb.
7. Houseleek, Sempervivum; a rosette-forming succulent that produces flowers on long stems. It is a great plant for dry areas of the garden.
8. Lavender, Lavandula; a familiar garden favourite, producing white, pink, blue or purple aromatic flowers during the summer months. Flowers and foliage are often used for making pot-pourri.
9. Lady's mantle, Alchemilla mollis; produces greenish yellow flowers from June to August. Provides good ground cover.
10. Forget-me-not, Myosotis; pretty clusters of small flowers in either blue, white or pink. They love well-drained soil.

Seeds

1. Runner beans, Phaseolus coccineus; water well in dry weather, otherwise the plants will not produce beans.
2. Radish, Raphanus sativus; a great starter vegetable for kids because as well as being easy to grow, the colourful roots are ready for eating within a month of sowing.
3. Sweet pea, Lathyrus odoratus; sow seeds outdoors in March or April for blooms in June and July. Pick the flowers regularly to encourage more growth.
4. Marigold; French or African Tagetes; plant out in early summer for beautiful yellow and orange blooms until autumn.
5. Pot marigold, Calendula officinalis; plant a pinch of seeds in March or September and you will be rewarded with a mass of flowers in about 10 weeks. The petals can be eaten in salads!
6. Lettuce, Lactuca sativa varieties; lettuces can be grown all-year-round; simply choose from the many varieties to ensure you have a crop for every season. Seeds, once sown, should begin to sprout within 12 days.
7. Nasturtium, Tropaeolum majus; sow seeds in pots in spring, then make a colourful salad from the beautiful, peppery orange, red or yellow flowers.
8. Cosmos; in mild weather seeds can be sown outdoors in May. Produces ferny foliage and large brightly-coloured flowers. Likes a sunny position.
9. Cornflower, Centaurea cyanus; plant seeds in September or April where you want them to flower. This beautiful flower, surprisingly, used to be a weed!
10. Tobacco plant, Nicotiana x sanderae; plant seeds indoors and plant out when the danger of frost is past. Flowers give off a wonderful scent during the evening, from June to October. Don't worry, you won't be producing any tobacco!

Herbs

1. Spearmint, Mentha spicata; mint will thrive in most soils, to the extent that it can easily become a nuisance. To avoid this, try growing it in a container on the patio. Use the leaves to flavour new potatoes and peas.
2. Rosemary, Rosmarinus officinalis; this pretty herb produces blue flowers and has highly-scented, needle-like leaves. Plant in a sunny, sheltered area of the garden.
3. Thyme, Thymus vulgaris; grow thyme in a well-drained, sunny area of your garden. The leaves of this evergreen herb can be picked throughout the year. Their distinctive taste goes well with a variety of dishes.
4. Chives, Allium schoenoprasum; grow in moist soil and full sun. For a regular supply of delicious leaves for your salads cut off the flowers before they open.
5. Lavender, Lavandula; a pretty herb that produces beautiful scented flowers during the summer months. Cut and dry some to make pot-pourri.
6. Sage, Salvia officinalis; this strong-flavoured herb has grey-green leaves and spikes of blue flowers. Grow in a sunny area of the garden.
7. Oregano, Origanum vulgarea; planted in a sunny area of the garden, marjoram will grow as vigorously as mint. Children may recognise its taste as it's often used in pizza and pasta.
8. Coriander, Coriandrum sativum; this popular herb, frequently used in Indian cookery and salads, favours a sunny, sheltered area of the garden. Both leaves and seeds can be used for flavouring.
9. Sweet bay, Laurus nobilis; this evergreen shrub or small tree likes a sheltered position in the garden. Its leaves are the key ingredient for bouquet garni and are great in stews.
10. Tarragon, Artemisia dracunculus; grown in a sheltered spot, tarragon can spread at the same rate as mint but is not totally hardy, so cover with straw as winter approaches.

Fruit and vegetables

1. Runner beans, Phaseolus coccineus; water well in dry weather otherwise the plants will not produce beans.
2. Strawberry, Fragaria; dig up old plants and replace with new ones after three years to ensure a good crop of fruit. Long stems with small plants at the end, called runners, are sent out from the adult strawberry. Peg these stems down to the soil to encourage the small plants to root and produce new fruiting plants.
3. Radish, Raphanus sativus; a great starter vegetable for kids because as well as being problem-free to grow, the colourful roots are ready for eating within a month of sowing.
4. Lettuce, Lactuca sativa varieties; lettuces can be grown all-year-round. Simply choose from the many varieties to ensure you have a crop for every season. Once sown, seeds should begin to sprout within 12 days.
5. Courgette, Cucurbita pepo; courgettes are simply marrows harvested before they have been allowed to grow to full size. Plants get quite big so be sure to give them room.
6. Carrot, Daucus carota; sow carrot seeds thinly in a sunny area of the garden and they should germinate within 17 days.
7. Potato, Solanum tuberosum; potatoes can grow in most soil types but prefer a sunny site. Don't leave potatoes, once dug up, in the sun as they will turn green and poisonous.
8. Spinach, Spinacea oleracea; start picking the young, tender outside leaves of the spinach as soon as they reach a reasonable size, this also encourages new growth.
9. Swiss chard, Beta vulgaris; one of the hardier vegetables, chard is able to survive winter and can be harvested during the milder winter months. Planted in mid-spring, chard will be ready to pick by summer.
10. Beetroot, Beta vulgaris; a slow starter but once seedlings start to push through it picks up speed. You could speed up germination time by soaking seeds for a few hours before planting. Keep plant well watered in dry weather.