Recommended for your garden in southern Spain -Dianella longifolia

Native to nearly all parts of Australia, where it grows in woodland, this hardy architectural plant is as tough as nails and is drought resistant once established.

It grows in large clumps and spreads by underground rhizomes, which help it to find moisture over a large area. It is fast growing and long-lived and can be used for edging along the base of fencing, mass plantings, filling in bare spaces or as a specimen plant. It can also be grown in a container.

Common names for Dianella longifolia include pale flax lily but it is not a true flax (Phormium genus). It has long, thin, strap-like greyish-green leaves and tall spikes of purple or blue, star-like flowers, up to a metre high. After the flowers, attractive purple berries form which are edible and also loved by birds.

As a woodland plant it grows best in a location with dappled shade and will thrive in both dry and moist soils with good drainage. Watering during the driest months will keep it thriving and it may flower from spring through summer if the conditions are right. Always water in the evening or early morning during the summer. This will give any water droplets on the leaves time to dry before the sun gets high. Mulching around the base will help conserve moisture and provide some basic nutrients. However, a liquid fertiliser given once a month during the growing season will ensure a healthy plant.

Spent flower stalks and dead leaves can be pulled out by hand or the clumps can be trimmed back with shears to form domes. This is best done when dormant, during the cooler months.

Propagation is by seed or division, division being the easiest method. Again, this is best done during dormancy in winter.