Creating a right Royal garden

Ruth shows you how to grow the Windsors' favourite plants

- Ruth Hayes

Your Gardening Week with AG's gardening expert Ruth Hayes

THIS week we have been celebrating HM The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and it seems only right and fitting that we look at some of the plants that she and her close family hold in high regard.

Despite a lifetime travelling the world and visiting far-flung countries, it is reassuring to know that the plants and flowers they hold in high esteem will all thrive in our gardens.

The Queen’s favourite is lily of the valley, the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall favour delphiniums and ladies mantle, Princess Anne likes no-fuss hellebores and the Earl and Countess of Wessex have azaleas growing the grounds of their home.

We have all of them somewhere in our patch, though our chalky soil means the azalea has to grow in a large container on the patio. While some of the Royal favourites are more welcome than others – it’s always a relief when the delphiniums return, though the lily of the valley is becoming rather invasive – they all have a place and add richly to the overall character of the garden.

Predictably, the Royals’ choices include nothing too left-of-field nor likely to frighten the horses they are all so fond of, and none of them are too tricky to cultivate.

Most of them will thank you for fertile, enriched soil, though ladies mantle will happily thrive in poor ground and even between the cracks of paving stones.

Delphiniums and azaleas like a sheltered spot and when it comes to pests, make sure the former are well protected from slugs and snails, while gardeners with potted azaleas should be alert for vine weevils and their grubs.