It hardly mattered whether the story was true or not, for tabloid logic demanded the pairing of these two supremely wicked women: Nightmare on Cromwell Street meets The White Devil. The subtext was clear: not just the women’s nauseating hypocrisy in their public display of religious observance but the irresistible image of depraved Rosemary West sitting obediently at the feet of her evil mentor, the child-killer Myra Hindley. According to unnamed “sources”, they had made “unsupervised visits to each other’s cells and have prayed together in the jail chapel”. The friendship flourished “when West began to confide in Hindley, who later assumed the role of adviser”. “Rose’s pact of friendship with Hindley” was the headline in the Daily Express, over a short article claiming that “the women are said to have been drawn together by their love of religion”. Rose and Myra, Myra and Rose. Immediately after Rosemary West was given a record 10 life sentences for murder at Win-chester Crown Court in November 1995, the tabloids reported that she had been seen holding hands, in the high-security wing of Durham Prison, with her predecessor as Britain’s most hated woman.

Cheaper than bedding and much more original, both these neglected plants add valuable late-summer colour !. Growing them is not as difficult as fuchsias if you respect their need for water in summer and their inclination to rot in winter if waterlogged. Like fuchsias, lobelias provide the “bright objects in the autumn garden” that Canon Ellacombe admired. But even the fussier forms can be kept with the help of a bell jar, or a cloche over the plants in winter. Lobelia tupa, the best of all varieties, has survived four Cotswold winters. For those who like the strange and the beautiful, this is the one to go for. Tupa’s large, pale green leaves and spikes of coral flowers can reach 6ft if it is happy.In August, the lush leaves and fresh flowers of lobelias can lift the spirits.

Gardeners who want blue flowers can choose Lobelia siphilitica, but it does flop about. Like all lobelias it needs rich, damp conditions in summer and a dry, sheltered place in winter. For those who do enjoy red, “Queen Victoria” is one of the best known with dark beetroot leaves and scarlet flowers. A new darker plant, “Dark Crusader” with crimson flowers and dusky green leaves is also said to be reliably tough, unless the winter is exceptional. For lovers of purple (rather a dingy mauve really), “Vedrariensis” is another durable lobelia.

Lobelia cardinalis, which has been grown here since the early 17th century, has green leaves and scarlet flowers and is hardy, and there is now a pinky-white form of this which is perhaps a more universally acceptable colour than red. These are not the blue bedding lobelias of hanging-basket fame, but tall spikes of red or purple which make a dramatic exclamation mark in any summer flower bed. Thrips (another plant pest) can also be a nuisance and delay flowering. They are harder to control out of doors, but biological control is possible under glass.Lobelias are thought of as tender plants, but breeders have been busy on our behalf and there are now several sorts which are not too difficult to keep through the winter. In extremis, Rapid, which is not harmful to beneficial insects like bees, ladybirds and lacewings, is the insecticide to choose. Unless you are a specialist, the differences between the big hybrids are marginal, but there are two varieties which I would always want to grow. One is “Lye’s Unique” which is a tall and graceful fuchsia with coral and white flowers.

The other is “Thalia” with dark leaves and orange scarlet droppers. Cuttings of these can spend the winter on a sheltered window ledge.Anyone who can overwinter a plant has the chance to grow the standard variety fuchsia. They take two years to mature, but the wait is rewarded with a huge head of flowers on a single woody stem. The other advantage of a standard is that fuchsia-popping children often cannot reach the buds.Whitefly do attack the soft growth of these plants, but they seem to be able to cope with this if they are not too stressed by lack of water Most well-grown plants can throw off pests and diseases.