Readers’ gardens
This summer’s been different on more than the obvious front. With new rescue dog Chester around, who’s incredibly inquisitive, it’s hard to get away from him! He loves being around you, be it inside or out, so trying to deadhead invariably means doing it one-handed as he wants to be picked up and join in!
The area at the back of the house is a kaleidoscope of colour, with a mixture of fuchsias, alstroemeria ‘Indian Summer’ and hydrangea ‘Red Baron’ to name a few. I’ve recently bought a new bistro set for this area, which makes it a fabulous spot to sit, especially for breakfast. Right behind the table there’s a wonderful Aralia cordata ‘Sun King’. It's a great foliage plant, which forms a handsome mound of large, goldengreen (or lime-coloured in shadier spots) leaves, held on mahogany stems. In late summer tall flower spikes appear, smothered in rounded clusters of tiny white flowers, and later black inedible fruit.
The small patio beyond the central steps has looked beautiful, despite not being overplanted in expectation of visitors. I scaled back planting as it seemed futile to spend so much money and only have the three of us enjoy it. Nonetheless, the finished product looks very lush and inviting.
A lovely new plant I’ve invested in recently is sedum ‘Atlantis’, a great drought-tolerant plant suitable for small spaces and attractive to bees. Its striking foliage forms rosettes of serrated, green leaves with thick, creamy margins and tips that turn a pink blush in the autumn. So far, Chester hasn’t tried to damage it! Last month I also took delivery of a fabulous new plant, jacaranda ‘Bonsai Blue’. I’m now one of the first in Europe to own this plant, so it's not just beautiful, it has a great story, too!
Other plants looking lovely at the moment are the acanthus, with its stunning spires tinged with mauve, and my many buddlejas. One of my favourites, Erigeron karvinskianus, or Mexican fleabane, has done really well. I’ve got many clumps of it throughout both the front and back garden. The last weekend of July should have seen the Macmillan Coastal Garden trail take place. Obviously it was cancelled and in its place I’ve created a virtual trail tour with many of the gardens featured, which readers can view at www. macmillangardentrail.co.uk. We've a Just Giving site and many have already donated to our 2020 fundraising effort for Macmillan Cancer Support.
Read more about Geoff’s garden at www. driftwoodbysea.co.uk.