Gardening expert says there's one plant 'everyone' should be growing in their garden next month

Gardening expert Andrea Brunsendorf has shared her top tips on what plant to grow in your garden as we move into autumn - and it's one that 'everyone' should be growing

As October approaches, a gardening expert has recommended one plant that everyone should be adding to their gardens. Andrea Brunsendorf, the head gardener at the prestigious Lowther Castle in Cumbria, told Gardens Illustrated that green-fingered Brits should be planting Vernonia arkansana next month.

She explained: "It's native to central and northern United States, and it's also known as the great iron bead because it can reach two to three metres. It really enjoys moist, retentive wet soils, even really wet soils it will tolerate and it's a very beautiful, versatile plant for a late flowering border."

She added that the plant blooms from mid-September through to October and is popular with bees and butterflies. Despite using it in a formal setting at Lowther Castle, she believes it would look perfect in regular gardens, especially if properly staked and placed in a rain garden where it can enjoy plenty of water.

Another 'wonderful' quality of this remarkable plant, she notes, is its resilience. Being 'one of the toughest perennials I have known, it's very very hardy, it (can survive) down to minus 20 degrees Celsius.

' She also shared: "It's actually named after an English botanist that found it in Maryland, US in 1698 and the botanist was called William Vernon.", reports the Mirror.