Flowering at the same time as iris, or just after, this sun loving perennial has grey-green iris-like leaves in miniature.

The foliage looks good with grey and silver leaved plants and provides a useful upright shape at the front of the border. What makes it really special are the slender spires of pale-yellow flowers which rise up above the leaves to about 50-60cm high. A very pretty, cottage garden plant. There is a smaller, variegated version called ‘Aunt May’ – leaves boldly striped with creamy-yellow.

Easy and hardy if given a sunny spot, good drainage and can cope with poor soil. My memory of this plant as a child is that it seeded itself around the base of a clothes post bringing prettiness to a bare stoney site.

In early spring it will need a tidy. The leaves die off black and need cutting or pulling out gently to restore it’s appearance. This puts some people off the plant, but not me! One I would not be without.