Macleaya
I love the subtle colouring of this rather naughty perennial. Macleaya does tend to creep around a bit, but the tall feathery pink and cream flowers are worth it. Its common name is 'Plume Poppy'.
Macleaya in the Border
My garden book says that Macleaya suits the herbaceous border and that it 'may become invasive'. I say let it! The invasion is relatively easy to cope with.
I've seen absolutely beautiful pictures of Macleaya in perennial borders in English gardens. Whenever I try to take photographs of this plant in the Moosey garden it doesn't seem to feature at all - is Macleaya just too subtle for the strong, warm, summer New Zealand light?