Five discreet plants that gardeners regret forgetting

The British magazine Gardeners' World asked hundreds of gardeners about the most unfairly overlooked plants. Here, in response, are five of these forgotten plants to rehabilitate: modest, without seasonal brilliance, but which carry the garden from one end of the year to the other. Praise for the unremarkable.

The charm of the unassuming

There are plants in the garden that we show off - the roses, the hydrangeas, the tall perennials that make a splash - and then there are the others. The ones that go unnoticed, that ask for nothing, that silently hold the scene together. A recent survey by the magazine Gardeners' World of hundreds of British gardeners asked which plants they regretted seeing so little in neighboring gardens. Inspired by this tribute to the modest, here are five of these overlooked plants, chosen for their subtle charm and quiet generosity.

Five forgotten plants to rehabilitate

1. The burnet (Sanguisorba)

Delicate and airy, its small red or white inflorescences float above the foliage like fireflies. It stands tall without a stake, asks for almost nothing, and attracts late-summer insects. At the edge of a border, it brings a lightness that larger perennials lose in July.

2. The spurge (Euphorbia)

A vast genus (over 2,000 species) ranging from ground cover to small shrubs. Too rarely planted in our gardens, spurges offer graphic architectures year-round, resist drought, and their acid-green bracts light up the spring. Be careful, however: their milky sap is irritating. Wear gloves when pruning.

3. The yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

An old friend of herbalists, yarrow is also a superb plant for dry gardens. Flat umbels in yellow, white, pink, or salmon, upright growth, feathery foliage. It blooms for a long time, self-seeds gently, and feeds pollinators. It is even said to help neighboring plants thrive - an old adage from the gardens of the clergy.

4. The Buenos Aires verbena (Verbena bonariensis)

Long, lanky stems, small purple flowers in clusters, height of 1.5 m without a centimeter of support. It is planted in semi-transparency: you can see through it, it gives depth to the border. Loved by butterflies. It self-seeds from year to year with just the right amount of abandon.

5. The teasel (Dipsacus fullonum)

A tall wild plant with a candelabra-like shape, spines everywhere, mauve flowers in a sheath. Biennial: the first year a rosette, the second a majestic stem. In winter, its dried stems become sculptures for the garden and a pantry for goldfinches. Also useful: it captures water at the base of the leaves, like a small natural vase.

What these plants remind us of

All these forgotten plants share one quality: they don't seek to be seen. They adapt to the terrain, resist drought, self-seed, or simply are. A beautiful garden is not one that explodes with color for two weeks a year; it's one that maintains its right gesture, its own light, its quiet life.

A small invitation to slow down at the nursery stand - and to ask, rather than the star of the moment, for these old companions that never bore us.

The seasonal gesture

We are in July: it's time to spot at neighbors', friends', and public gardens the plants you like - cuttings, notes, photos. Planting will be done in the autumn, between September and November, in still-warm soil. Nature loves nothing more than patience.