Gardening expert Alan Titchmarsh shared his top plant picks to brighten up your garden this summer, including one he says will "flower its socks off"10:34, 04 Jul 2026Updated 10:39, 04 Jul 2026Alan Titchmarsh has shared which plants he thinks gardeners should be concentrating on this season. Returning to his Gardening with Alan Titchmarsh YouTube channel this week, the 77-year-old revealed he was taking advantage of the weather by undertaking two significant garden tasks.‌The first project saw him finishing the feature bed in his cottage garden, where he meticulously chose and positioned perennials to enhance the existing shrubs.‌He subsequently focused on the patio, creating an inviting outdoor area with attractive raised planters flanking a new dining set.‌Looking back on June, Alan said the month had delivered "an explosion of colour" to his garden, with roses, peonies and poppies providing a magnificent show as they flowered.Turning to July, he explained it was the ideal moment to plant out the annual flowers he had cultivated from seed earlier in the year.While filling one of his raised patio planters, the gardening guru highlighted that foxgloves (Digitalis) "are really useful plants in either sun or dappled shade".‌"Here, they're making this semi-permeable wall that we'll be able to look through," he added while showing viewers.He continued: "You can use lots of tall plants in situations like this. I wouldn't choose delphiniums or lupins because they're fairly short lived in terms of their flower and also pretty brittle in the wind. These [the foxglove plants] flex about a bit.‌"Another one to use is the verbena bonariensis, the thin wiry one with little tiny pom-poms of purple flowers on the top that butterflies and bees love. They will flower their socks off right the way through the summer."Alan also suggested lavender, noting that it "loves full sun and adores sharp drainage".He went on to say that growing annuals is a fantastic way to garden on a tight budget while adding a vibrant finishing touch to borders.‌Alan's latest tips come after he disclosed the two plants he would gladly remove from the garden for good.Speaking to Stephanie Mahon on the Talking Gardens podcast, when asked which plants he dislikes the most, he replied: "Pampas grass."‌Elaborating on his reasoning, he said it looks "like a collection of feathered dusters sticking out of a mountain of grass", adding: "If you ever want to get rid of it, you've got a real task ahead of you."Alan also confessed to his dislike of large-flowered gladioli, though he conceded they can look "very good in church."Nevertheless, he made clear that his aversion does not apply to all varieties.Article continues below“I like little gladiolus Byzantine,” he told Stephanie. “That's the one that grows in the hedgerows and in Cornwall.”