Its botanical name is Dianthus barbatus from the Greek for "flower of Zeus" and Latin for beard, referring to the tufts on the flower buds.

But the new variety, Dianthus barbatus "Noverna Purple", if sown with heat in mid-winter and planted in May, flowers until September.

They are: Dianthus barbatus Noverna Purple (a 100 per cent annual Sweet William, flowering 80-100 days after sowing and producing plenty of light purple from late May until late September); Viola x wittrockiana Ultima Morpho (a compact pansy plant covered with lots of flowers, each with a butterfly pattern on the yellow and blue petals); and Petunia Lavender Wave (a trailing lavender petunia which flowers from May to October - great for containers or for ground cover).