SEVERAL years ago I was a given a few Cerinthe purpurascens seeds by my husband's aunt, who lives in Winchester. This plant was all the rage at the open gardens she had visited that summer. I had seen a few around York as well without being able to find out the name of the plant.

Since then it has appeared in our garden annually until this year when we had nothing, much to my disappointment.

However, in the past few weeks seedlings have appeared in the lawn and around where I have been digging to lay tiles for a patio and now they are bigger I have been able to identify them as the lost cerinthe.

Some have been moved into the border and still more have appeared in the grass. They will need to be relocated soon before the cold weather. If they survive the winter, we will have a good crop next year of these very attractive plants.

Cerinthe purpurascens is a hardy annual or short-lived hardy perennial with white mottled, fleshy blue-green leaves on stems up to 75cm tall. At the top of the stems there are tightly packed bracts of rich blues and purples surrounding clusters of purple-blue flowers in late spring and summer. It needs winter protection in exposed gardens and being a Mediterranean plant prefers well-drained soil in full sun.

I notice in the new Thompson and Morgan Seed Catalogue 2004 that as well as Cerinthe purpurascens (ten seeds/£2.99) there are two other member of the genus listed: Cerinthe major and Cerinthe minor aurea 'Bouquet Gold'.

Cerinthe major (15 seeds/£2.99) is a hardy annual with sea green bracts sometimes tinged with purple and yellow and maroon flowers in summer. It grows to around 60cm. Cerinthe minor aurea 'Bouquet Gold' is, as the name suggests, smaller in height, growing between 38-45 cm. It has white spotted foliage, green bracts and rich golden flowers.

For a copy of the Thompson and Morgan Seed Catalogue 2004, call 01473 695224. I'll review their new plants next week.

Updated: 08:37 Saturday, September 20, 2003