GARDENER’S NOTEBOOK

Gardening editor Paula Mcwaters tells you how to get the best from your plot in August

Everything you need to know to get the most from your plot this month

Back in the spring, I received a surprise gift from an old friend – a batch of Abyssinian gladioli corms. I duly planted them up in pots and now look forward to them blooming this month. Confusingly, these highly fragrant white flowers, each with a burgundy blotch at the throat, have changed their botanical name several times over the years: you might know them as acidanthera or callianthus but they are now officially named Gladiolus murielae.

They make a pretty late-summer highlight, especially beside a seating area where you can fully appreciate their lovely scent. Sending bulbs or corms in the post hadn’t occurred to me before, but it’s super-easy to do. Now’s the time to scour the catalogues and pick out some beauties to order for green-fingered friends – powder blue grape hyacinths, maybe, or fluttery narcissi. It’s as good as sending them treasure to bury. Follow Paula’s progress on Instagram @paulalifeandsoil.

Thanks to its arching stems, Dierama pulcherrimum is also known as angel’s fishing rod and ‘Blackbird’ is a particularly charming variety. With deep purple bell-shaped flowers, it’s clumpforming and grows to 1.5m tall. Site it beside a pond for the best effect. £8.50 for a 7cm pot, Westcountry Nurseries (01237 431111; westcountry lupins.co.uk).