Ian Hodgson
Kew-trained garden designer Ian enjoys all aspects of gardening. This week he provides support for raspberries.
It’s tempting to think the garden has all but stopped now, and that there’s not a lot else to do except enjoy the plot and look at everything. Well, midsummer is a relative downtime compared to spring and autumn when it comes to planting, but there’s so much you can squeeze into gaps now, either for colour later in the season or looking ahead to late summer next year.
The key now is to think about what you want to look good through August, September and indeed into October, and choose and plant flowers that will brighten up the waning season. It’s all too important, particularly this year when there’s been li le to enjoy these past few months, to extend the garden’s term and bring joy in the form of flowers for just a li le bit longer.
Take a trip to the garden centre and, though they’re often more expensive, there’ll be plenty of perennial plants in full flower to choose from; often it’s nice to see up close how the plant will look on your plot. Plus this way you’ll get instant impact. Alternatively you can source smaller plants from nurseries or online that will grow into themselves, either just about this year or properly next.
Hopefully you’ve got some gaps to fill – or perhaps plant a few into large pots if you’ve no more space. Here are some perfect latesummer lovelies to spot and pick up in the shops now.