St John’s Wort is a cheerful, long‑lived perennial grown for its bright yellow midsummer flowers and gently spreading habit. It’s a brilliant plant for relaxed borders, wildlife‑friendly gardens and naturalistic plantings, where it settles in easily and returns reliably each year.

The flowers are loved by bees and hoverflies, and the plant’s airy structure blends beautifully with grasses and other meadow‑style perennials.

Sow from February to June using a fine seed compost. Surface sow the seed — it needs light to germinate — and keep the compost evenly moist and warm. Seedlings appear within two to four weeks. Grow on somewhere bright, potting up as needed, and plant out
once the young plants are sturdy.