It’s high season in the garden and lots of plants are blooming marvellous, so get out and revel in it...
like flowers attracting bees in their droves.
It’s prime season for Nepeta or catmint, one of those easyto-grow, delightful perennials. Depending on your space, go for the big ‘Six Hills Giant’ or dwarf ‘Walkers Low.’ The young green heads of ‘Annabelle’ are starting to turn white and I have some delicious purple mop heads – these I keep in pots because I don’t have acidic soil.
They’re quite a handy plant for shady areas so long as you remember to keep them watered. For sunny areas, you cannot beat lavender – the haze of purple flowers always seems to
Hydrangeas are at their peak at this time of year
me to be the essence of summer.
Roses are also a pure joy – ‘Munstead Wood’ is looking amazing with its deep crimson blooms. Named after Gertrude Jekyll’s own garden in Surrey, it’s a classic English rose with a delicious fragrance.
Finally, annuals are sprinkling their magic through gardens right now – performing best for me currently are bright orange pot marigolds and pale blue Nigella, or Love-in-a-Mist.
These hardy annuals are so easy to grow and such good value – if you’ve any bare patches, be sure to get a packet of these and sow this autumn.