If you're looking for a quick filling plant that will provide an abundance of colour and ramble through your garden, then nasturtiums Tropaeolum majus should be at the top of the list. Vivacious, sanguine, effervescent; adjectives that wrap nasturtiums in a nutshell.

Not only are they a great plant to fill in bare areas but they are so easy to grow. Throw a small handful of seeds into the soil, lightly till and water and within weeks you will have transformed your garden into a kaleidoscope of colour. This is low-maintenance gardening at its grass roots.

The trick with nasturtiums is not getting them to grow but forcing them to stop. They are a wonderful self-seeder providing they flowered well the previous season. And why wouldn't they have flowered well previously? Growing nasturtiums in nitrogen rich soil will produce an abundance of foliage to the detriment of producing flowers so stay off the fertiliser for these plants.

Nasturtiums grow well in a sunny location in a free-draining sandy loam. They don't do well in the cold and should be planted in from spring through early autumn. Don't bother buying potted nasturtiums or seedlings either - it's like buying bottled water when you live next to a mountain spring.

These plants originated from South America so you can expect them to enjoy the warmth and be frost-intolerant. Nasturtiums will grow to about 30cm (1ft) and cover more than triple that in width. Their foliage differs from variegated khaki to dark lush green and seemingly ever shade of green in between while nasturtium flowers are bright colours. Bright yellows, oranges, reds. And they're edible. Wash them after picking from your garden and toss into a green salad along with your borage flowers.

Nasturtiums are an annual plant, classified as a succulent, but will reproduce themselves year after year.

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