Don't worry Stuart. I could only count Cyclamen from that list. Does this mean I'm not in the cool crowd? : )

Sean

I made a list too. But I made sure I said plants I love and how great they did in my garden. I have worked at a garden center for so long that I know it's growing conditions that make a plant work or not. It's all about soil. I can grow most anything--but don't always like it. I like how you first stated that a list is personal choice. I've given Gaura to two people who have killed it....lol...so they took that off their list.

Entertaining list, and I have quite a few--though some are only annuals for us. But yes, plants are so darn personal--I might think the whole world would love to grow Erysimum planum (a bumblebee magnet if ever there was one) but it's not going to flourish for every gardener in Nova Scotia, let alone the world. And being a bit of a rebel, I get pissy when someone tells me I "should" have or do anything...

Another comment, because I'm still running experiments with browsers. Firefox forgets my info everytime I log into your website to leave a comment. I'm now checking to see if Safari remembers--it does other places.
I can ask my whiz-son about the stretching of avatars in Safari if you'd like, Stuart. He might have some ideas because he eats this stuff for breakfast.

One more, then I'm really off--I'm amazed at the prices of the reader offers--they're mind-marinatingly expensive, if my calculations are correct and a British pound is worth about 2.50 Canadian dollars (that's this week--with the wind blowing from the east). How on earth would a gardener starting out be able to afford all of the plants, given the prices they are giving in their "offers"?

Very opinionated list, we have several of these plants, others that are not the cultivar mentioned, does that count? So want to be fashionable...NOT

Frances at Faire Garden

The best plants are the ones that grow well in your garden, Stuart, so quit your sniffing, cause I've seen your gorgeous selection !

This list would never "Play in Peoria " ( a small town ) as we say in Chicago.

It's great though to be so opionated, isn't it?

This is a very comprehensive list! To me, the must-have plants are any that will actually "bloom where they're planted", especially with our fickle Maritime clime. :)

We all love lists. Here in California, the list would have to include plants which are native to the area or at least require very little water to live. When I moved here eight years ago, I read an article by a local garden guru. The point was to have California gardeners quit thinking they should have an English garden. We don't have the luxury of rain, fog, and mist found in GB. An English garden in California requires too much water which we do not have an excess of. (Most of our water in Southern California is brought in from surrounding states.) So I think it would be interesting to see a list like this created for all the areas around the world.