Welcome
July is a fabulous month for flowers. Most herbaceous borders really come into their own at this time of year, with favourites such as crocosmia, day lilies and taller delphiniums producing dramatic blooms that are well worth the wait. Garden centres are full of choice perennials in flower too, making the flowergreedy gardener feel like a sugarcrazed child in a sweetshop. The main dilemma is: how to choose between them? One way of editing down the choice is to partner contrasting plants together to form dynamic duos. On page 14 we look at how opposites attract: spiky with soft and fluffy, short and round with tall and strappy, and so on. By pairing two very different plants together – for a contrast of height, shape, habit, texture or colour – you can highlight each plant’s key characteristics and make an easy, eye-catching ensemble. Foliage contrasts are particularly useful, not least for the way they add bold new shapes and colours to your seasonal planting palette. On page 36 we’ve got a fabulous example of how lemon and lime foliage plants can add some citrussy zing to a border. Who would have thought that shade-tolerant groundcover could look so exciting?! Do write in to tell us about your own favourite plant combinations: I love the gentle fronds of Stipa tenuissima with bright red astrantias… Happy gardening!
Liz Potter Editor