Kim Wilde's top plants for beginners

Five of the best medicinal plants

1. Garlic
The king of all healing plants! Plant in late autumn or early spring in a well-drained sunny site. Avoid cloves from supermarkets which may harbour viruses.

2. Apples
If you don't have a garden, small apple trees are available to grow in containers. They help lower cholesterol, are great detoxifiers and more than live up to their reputation of keeping the doctor at bay! Look for coronet or ballerina trees to grow in containers.

3. Beetroot
Rich in iron, boosting the blood and circulation.

4. Nettles
Full of iron and vitamins. Early spring growth can be harvested to make soup with onion, carrot, celery and potato.

5. Pumpkins
Full of beta-carotene that helps protect us against cancer. Seeds can be dried and eaten and are packed with protein and B vitamins. Pumpkins need rich soil with plenty of well-rotted manure, sunshine and watering. A great growing project for you and the children.

Five of my favourite plants

1. Crambe cordifolia (Giant seakale)
Crambe is a herbaceous perennial plant that can reach a mighty 2.5 metres in height. I'm a bit of a sucker for herbaceous plants that can grow really tall and make a real statement and this giant is fabulously pretty too. The tiny white flowers arrange themselves on tall strong stems like an exploding firework, then later in the winter its delicate skeleton reminds you of the summer past, and looks stunning after a sharp frost.

2. Nectaroscordum siculum
This tall growing bulb (1.2 metres) has pinkish, grey/green bell shaped flowers that hang down in early summer on sturdy stems. These flowers have a strong garlic odour and if you put your tongue inside you're treated to its sweet garlic infused nectar. Later the seed heads face upwards like miniature fairy castles.

3. Buxus sempervirens
Sun or shade tolerant, this evergreen shrub is the perfect partner for herbaceous plants, or clipped into spheres, cubes or a multitude of interesting shapes. The fresh apple green growth in spring helps the plant to appear to glow, and in winter our clipped Buxus balls look like old fashioned Christmas puddings after a sharp frost or snow.

4. Equisetum hymale
This moisture-loving plant can reach 1.5 metres high, with its moody green tubular stems striped black. Without doubt it was the 'star' plant in the Chelsea courtyard garden Richard Lucas and I designed in 2005, lending a contemporary edge to an otherwise traditional and romantic design. We under-planted it with baby?s tears (Soleirolia Soleirolii), which also enjoys damp conditions. The two contrasted wonderfully both in form, texture and colour.

5. Iris unguicularis
The winter flowering iris is a real star, sending up delicate blue/lilac blooms on the coldest days. This plant does best at the base of a south facing wall in well drained soil where it will colonise happily bringing a touch of summer in the depth of winter. Flowers are scented when picked in bud and brought inside to unfurl.

Kim Wilde supports the Dig Your Dinner campaign to help save 10 endangered 'Heirloom' vegetables which were grown in the past but are not produced in modern, large-scale farming. Seeds of Change's Dig Your Dinner campaign encourages the nation to grow their own dinner and to help preserve tasty, endangered British vegetables for the future. For further information please visit www.digyourdinner.co.uk