How to recreate Beth Chatto's gravel garden – in pictures

Beth Chatto's gravel garden near Colchester in Essex. Follow Chatto's example by improving your soil with compost before planting. Photograph: Alamy

Euphorbia x martinii: a well-behaved plant that thrives in dry conditions and reaches 60cm. Flowers from March to July. Photograph: GFK-Flora/Alamy

Eryngium bourgatii ‘Picos Blue’: a perennial sea holly that reaches about 60cm tall with vibrant blue flowers. Photograph: Clive Nichols/Corbis

Anthemis tinctoria 'EC Buxton' Photograph: June Green/Alamy

Agapanthus ‘Back in Black’: a sumptuously inky-blue variety of the African lily, with drooping flowers on tall, 70cm-tall stems. Benefits from winter mulching. Photograph: PR

Agastache ‘Black Adder’: spikes of deep purple flowers rise above ­mid-green foliage for weeks. Photograph: Zena Elea/Alamy

Foeniculum vulgare 'Giant Bronze' Photograph: Holmes Garden Photos/Alamy

Rudbeckia fulgida ‘Goldsturm’: reliable displays of late yellow daisies lift the scheme – the bright yellow petals contrast well with the glossy black flower centres, and add movement and height to the plant combination. 75cm tall.
Photograph: Steve Taylor ARPS/Alamy

Festuca glauca 'Elijah Blue' Photograph: John Glover/Alamy/Alamy

Thymus serpyllum: a carpeting variety of the familiar low-growing, sun-loving herb, with aromatic leaves and a haze of purply-pink flowers in summer. Will reach around 25cm tall.
Photograph: GFK-Flora/Alamy

Allium christophii: The ornamental garlics are a useful punctuation among clump-forming plants – use as many as you can fit in. A. christophii reaches about 60cm and the dead seedheads look great in winter.
Photograph: Arco Images GmbH/Alamy

Allium sphaerocephalon: It is too late now to plant allium bulbs for flowering this summer, so buy them as potted plants instead; or wait until autumn to slot in bulbs for a display next year. Like A. christophii this reaches around 60cm tall.
Photograph: Rachel Husband/Alamy