My other half discovered Erigeron – or Mexican fleabane – and bought our first plants at the shop at Great Dixter many years ago. She planted them at the edge of some stone steps in our garden in an attempt to create that shabby-chic overgrown and wild style that you see in the gardens of many a boujee country hotel.

Unfortunately, we were left with less of the chic and style and more of the shabby and wild. In one of my attacks on the relentless waves of weeds that assail our garden I accidentally removed them all and that was that.

But as everyone knows, gardeners are stubborn creatures when it comes to plants that they wish to grow, so I tried again. This time I went for the my cup runneth over effect by planting them in a container. And I felt rather smug when this worked very nicely.

Now Erigeron is famed for growing in any old crack or crevice. Treat them mean, they said, and they’ll be oh so keen. But I took this a little too literally and barely watered them. A year later and they had lost all their zip and zest. I considered throwing them away but my wiser, other half advised me to transplant them to the stone steps and replace the container ones with new plants.

Now, the newly-planted ones in the container are happy – thanks in no small part to actually receiving water…

…and the transplanted ones by the stone steps are thriving.

As I write this we have left the city and are visiting family in the countryside. Family who once lived and thrived in the big smoke but are now living and thriving in a very different environment.

We thrive, fade, move on, and rejuvenate.

Erigeron tips

• Can thrive in poor soil and dry conditions.
• But do water if growing them in a container!