With spring now well underway, many of us are looking at our outdoor spaces and thinking about giving them some TLC after another long winter.
According to the Scottish Environmental Horticulture Growth Strategy there are over one million people in Scotland who are regular gardeners.
From communal tenement gardens to expansive private grounds, we love our borders, rockeries, lawns and patios.
It’s hugely satisfying to see a plant you’ve cared for bloom into beautiful flowers, but you need to be careful what you choose and where you place it.
Many of us have shaded areas that see little in the way of sun and - let’s face it - sometimes it feels like Scotland doesn’t get much sun generally.
Luckily there are many plants with colourful flowers that need little in the way of direct sunlight and thrive in the notoriously unpredictable Scottish climate.
Here are 12 of our favourites.
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5. Foxglove
When it comes to native Scotish plants to populate your more shaded borders, it's hard to beat the surprisingly exotic looking Foxglove. Their tall and spiky spires of tubular flowers bloom from late spring and come in multiple shades of purple, pink, and white. It's a real favourite of butterflies and bees too - so you'll be doing your bit for the local ecosystem. | Canva/Getty Images
6. Japanese Anemone
For that last summer period when everything seems to have already flowered, the Japanese Anomone provides blooms in pink or white with yellow centres. This is a tough, clump-forming perennial that will provide foliage year-round and is ideal for planting in shady borders ir rockeries next to walls. | Canva/Getty Images
7. Lobelia
The easy-to-care-for Lobelia's bright, vibrant violet, blue or white flowers contrast wonderfully against its green foliage. This is the perfect plant to pop at the front of shady garden borders. | Canva/Getty Images
8. Solomon's Seal
The evocatively-named Solomon's Seal grows naturally across the Northern Hemisphere and mixes well with ferns and hostas to give a nice woodland-feel to shaded areas. The graceful arching stems flower in May and June, with small, dangling, creamy-white blooms. It looks delicate but is actually as hardy as they come. | Canva/Getty Images