A perennial plant, Stachys officinalis has become an almost essential part of any informal or grassland garden. Little wonder since it is at home in tall grasslands and meadows, and lends the same non-restrictive sense wherever it is planted. Known as the Common Betony, it has rosettes of oblong, grey-green leaves growing from upright stems, and produces an attractive array of small pink or purple tubular flowers on clusters around a single spike. Betony thrives in gritty, moist but well-drained soil, but may need some shade in hot summers.