Large, lightly scented heads create great impact These elegant, architectural plants create a light, open appeal in summer borders with their huge blooms in shades of pink, lilac and white. Colour Fountain also makes an unusual cut flower. Cleome is a half-hardy annual, which flowers the same year as sowing. Originally from the West Indies and South America, it does best in a warm, sunny position on light, fertile well-drained soils, especially sandy ones.