Oleanders are a mainstay of Mediterranean gardens, widely used for screen planting, on hillsides and alongside roads. Flowering in summer, the large open flower clusters can be single or double, and come in many colours including white, pink, red and peach. Upright stems are clothed with evergreen leaves which are long, slender and an attractive shade of silvery-green. A pretty plant growing in a raised bed at the back of the house is nepeta or catmint. This upright plant reaches about 90cm in height and thrives in moist, well-drained soil with partial shade.