Your absolute must have plant.

[countessbabycham]

I have a large, (though not big enough for anything other than the most compact shrubs) freshly dug, and, empty patch to fill and very little money to do it with.

What is your star plant you can recommend that is hardy,resilient,doesn't need a lot of fuss and staking,colourful,and ideally seeds all over?

I already have:
foxgloves
hollyhocks
feverfew
sedum
yellow loosestrife
grannies bonnets
polyanthus
evening primrose
day lilies
ladies mantle
lychnis
michaelmas daisies
hellebores

What have I missed that you would consider 'a staple'?

Thanks in advance and any suggestions gratefully received!

You've got most of my favourites on your list already!

Some others to think about:

Honesty (because it looks good in autumn/winter too)
Alstromeira (if happy, very hardy, and multiply via their roots)
Dead nettles
Lemon balm (and or mint - handy for Pimms - but both invasive)
Chamomile
Snap dragons (don't seed much, but should reappear reliably year after year)

Herbs are usually low maintenance - I'd want lavender and rosemary, and maybe a creeping thyme.

Do you have a wall with this bed? Climbers need a bit more attention, but tough ones like honeysuckle don't need that much attention and smell wonderful.

scarevola thanks for that! I'd forgotten about Honesty which I love and I've never tried snapdragons so I reckon I'll give them a go.You are so right - it takes a lot to beat the scent of some honeysuckles and there is a decent height wall.

I've just got back from the garden centre where I got a reduced japanese anemone and a verbascum and at a fete this morning I got some wallflowers,dianthus and stocks - so getting there!!

If you love shrubs as I do try this website for some great ideas
www.headgardenerplants.co.uk/default1.asp

Have you got some geraniums, countess? They don't exactly seed but they do spread, and can be dug up and split to make more. There are some gorgeous varieties and they're so reliable. 'Rozanne' is a favourite of mine - in fact mine's still (just about) flowering.
Another really nice plant I've discovered recently is cerinthe, which seeds everywhere like mad and has very pretty, drooping, unusual flowers. They say you're never without one if you just plant one of them, as it keeps seeding everywhere.
And what about verbena bonariensis? lovely to give some height...

Personally I'd steer clear of dead nettle because I have it everywhere and it's a devil to get rid of!

All my favourites have been mentioned - I am obsessed with geraniums and alchemilla mollis - but what about campanulas? astilbes?

Lamium (dead nettle) can be a pest - lamium galeobdolon spreads a mile a minute - but lamium maculatum is better-behaved. Both of them are quite shallow-rooted, so easy to pull out if they outgrow their allotted space.

I'm making notes here everyone and thanks very much.There's some great suggestions.I thought I was quite good on plants but I've never heard of cerinthe Terpsichore so I'll look out for that.

Cerinthe is very easy from seed, Countessbabysham. If you want me to PM me your address I'll send you some.

ComeInto that's very kind but I tend to have to get established plants as the chickens dig up any seedlings or smaller plants!!!!

I can't get rid of bloody campanula!!! Mind, it is pretty and still flowering now. I have given it away to everyone I know and yet it still remains....

Anyhoo, my vote is for lily of the valley

Ha! That's a problem I never have - here, it's squirrels and foxes that are the problem!

It'd be lovely just to chuck down handfuls of calendular and love in a mist seeds,but the chickens would be delighted with their exotic meal

Oh and hellebores for the winter.

I'd put in another vote for hardy geraniums and also one for dicentra (bleeding heart) - it has the most beautifully shaped flowers and comes in pink or white. So pretty. Doesn't self-seed (AFAIK), but is perennial so it pops up year after year.

What is a 'grannies bonnet'? - never heard of this.

Perennial geraniums (not the pelargonium type)..... a must for any garden, so easy and pretty.

grannies bonnet = aquilegia

Bit of a marmite plant but I like Crocosmia. Has a long season and is rhizomatous so multiplies underground. You can dig up and separate yearly to start new clumps.

Verbena bonariensis for height in the summer. Other plants show through its long thin stems which do not need to be staked. Lasts for ages, just cut back in winter. I'm looking at some now in my garden in Australia. Lovely plant.

sis - ah, thanks. Otherwise known as columbines aren't they? Lovely, anyway.

Nearly every plant in my garden has been listed so I've only a couple to add to the list-

antirrhinum
forget-me-nots
violets
alyssum
violas

Sorry, I'm not great with scientific names but hopefully you'll know which plants I mean.