The purple bed was built and planted in autumn 2003 and continues to undergo frequent changes in planting. The “purple” shades range rather loosely from pale lilac through to near black, and we have deliberately included a number of creamy-white plants to lighten the planting scheme and provide links with adjacent beds. The season starts with spring bulbs, the star being the deep purple tulip “Queen of the Night”. Next come the bearded irises (‘Langport Wren’) followed by Dutch irises and the lovely giant flower heads of Allium christophii. We have picked up the colour theme with a number of herbaceous perennials, including several hardy geraniums, Campanula persicifolia ‘Amethyst’, and Penstemon ‘Raven’. A number of purple-flowered clematis scramble through the shrubs at the back of the border. The season is extended with a number of asters, including the dark-leaved Aster laterifolius ‘Lady in Black’