The late late show
delicious warm orange and pink colours towering at the back of borders. These are Potomac Dark Orange, available from chilternseeds. co.uk.
They combined beautifully with the primrose yellow verbascums and burnt orange heleniums. In the central bed there were clouds of light purple Thalictrum ‘Splendide’, Sanguisorba ‘Lilac Squirrel’ heavy with pink feathery blossoms, and a violet phlox emitting its beautiful scent, along with hosts of cheerful cosmos daisies.
The colour extravaganza continued with rich pink dahlias, coleus with flame-coloured foliage in pots which will be easily lifted indoors for winter, and some spicy orange Tagetes such as ‘Cinnabar’. Old reliables Geranium ‘Rozanne’ and ‘Anne Thompson’ scrambled through any available gaps.
Other plants TJ uses and recommends for this time of year are Eupatorium, Sedum and Verbena bonariensis, great for butterflies, Anemone ‘Honorine Jobert’, Veronicastrum and Nicotiana alata. Many of these will keep going strong until the end of September.
It’s not just about perennials, though. There are many interesting foliage plants such as the giant Tetrapanax to greet you in the courtyard entrance, as well as fatsias, trochodendron and aralia.
TJ’s gardening philosophy is one of respect for nature, eschewing chemical interventions, and encouraging birds, bees and butterflies to make themselves at home.
All this combines to make Patthana a garden which is at once exciting and serene, and a masterclass for us all in late summer planting.