SUMMER SKIES
When I think of summer, images of blue skies come to mind despite the often sombre reality. Here I’ve chosen a monochromatic scheme using just blue flowers to compensate for those occasional grey days. Set off beautifully by the zingy, fresh green of the Hakonechloa, the warm rust of the containers prevents the scheme from looking too cold and will later enhance the autumn colouration of these grasses. Repetition keeps the design simple, and more effective than a busy display.
How to achieve the look
These galvanised colanders are sometimes sold as vintage shellfish buckets, sometimes as olive baskets – either way, they make attractive planters. As the bases are slatted, I lined them with hessian. With the oil drum (centre), I removed the lid with an electric saw before drilling drainage holes into the base. I then cleaned the inside and filled it with broken polystyrene before sinking a plastic pot containing the penstemon into the top. All these plants enjoy sun and good drainage. Agapanthus will flower better when its roots are restricted, so allow it to bulk up for a few years before splitting clumps in spring. Both the cultivars here are reasonably hardy, but protect them with a thick mulch if overwintering outside. Salvia ‘Blue Note’ has aromatic foliage and, like the low-growing penstemon, will flower all summer if regularly deadheaded. Cut the latter back to about 15cm after the worst of the frosts in spring and take cuttings as an insurance against winter wet if planting in the ground. The deciduous Hakonechloa is a non-invasive, slow-growing grass from Japan. Fully hardy, it prefers moisture, so add some leaf mould to the mix. Propagate by division after cutting back to the ground in late February. For later colour, add Salvia uliginosa ‘Ballon Azul’, a dwarf selection, with blue-and-white flowers.