Gomphrena Strawberry Fields

Small clover-like globes in a glowing strawberry-red, flecked with tiny yellow stars, on bushy plants at 60 to 75cm. Most everlasting flowers are straw, cream and muted pastel. This one is not, which is why it is worth a row.

The petals are papery bracts rather than true petals, so the flower feels dry to the touch while it is still growing. It follows that it dries almost perfectly, and the red holds for years rather than fading to brown within a season. For a Christmas wreath or a winter vase it is about the best red you can grow yourself. It holds an RHS Award of Garden Merit.

It is half-hardy and it wants heat. A hot dry summer that flattens everything else is when gomphrena is at its best, and a cool wet one gives a thin crop. Give it the sunniest, driest bed you have and resist watering or feeding it. It keeps going right through to the first frosts, well after most annuals have finished. Cut for drying when the globes are firm and fully coloured.