A gathering of Gladiolus nanus, a smaller and brightly coloured version of the traditional Gladioli, also known as ‘Sword Lilies’. These are ‘Small Swords’ since gladiolus is Latin for "sword" and nanus is Latin for "small". Gladiolus nanus date back to the 1830s in Britain when they were first developed from crosses of different wild species.

They’re cold hardy and usually bloom before the big fancy Gladioli. Depending on the climate they grow from early spring through summer. This year some even bloomed in my November garden due to warm days and chillier nights.

What grows and is planted in the garden is inspired by the wildflowers that spread across the nearby fields, meadows, and hillsides.

The countryside fills with wild field Gladiolus, while the cultivated varieties sway away in the garden. The hybrid purple-flowered Rock Rose blooms at the same time as the wild Cistus in the hills. Love-in-a-Mist self-seeds across flower beds, while tiny wild ones appear amid wild poppies. Breadseed poppies show-off along borders and Sweet Peas climb along fences, adding a joyful blend of colours to garden paths.

All the flowers in ‘Poppy and Gladiolus’ were grown in my garden – apart from the fragile wild pink poppy, which could be a rare hybrid or simply a garden escapee.