This is quieter, perhaps, than the others listed here, but no less useful for it. Honeywort has a blue-green, almost waxy foliage that hints at its drought-tolerant nature, built for long, dry summers.
Flowers are produced in spring if you have sown during the winter months, or from June onwards with an April sowing, hanging in small, tubular clusters in deep purple and inky blue. Rich with nectar, they are the perfect landing shape, foxglove-like, drawing bees and insects in. This is not the star of the cutting patch, but every garden (and vase) needs its supporting cast – the plants that hold everything else together.
As with other seeds with a tough outer coating, I soak these overnight in a small pot of water before sowing.