What’s Going On

August 2016

After a night with heavy rain, we are starting the first of August with a marvellous fresh display of flowering plants.

Pause awhile

I made myself a delicious Latte Macchiato to pause awhile by sitting on our garden bench at the end of the Long Border. Purple and pink are the prevailing colours and most noteworthy are the pink puffy clouds of the bonesets (Eupatorium purpureum).

Daylily’s

Reblooming Roses like the Austin rose ‘Gertrude Jekyll show there second flush of flowers. There are also still some water drops on the several Daylily’s. Although our soil is a little dry, the Hemerocallis ‘Purple Rain’ is developing pretty well.

Most noteworthy are the spikes of the purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) and the low growing knotweed (Persicaria affinis). Their verticality counteract the dome-form of the many hardy geraniums.

The lovely Emilia Plater

I am walking to the end of the Long Border. On my way, my eye catches the Purple coneflower. This is an outstanding perennial which is in flower pretty long and even the dried flowers buds retain their architectural form. In addition, their dark buds are accentuated and clearly delineated after a snowfall.  On arriving the end of the Long Border I am welcomed on the right side by the lovely Emilia Plater. A late flowering Clematis with pale lavender-blue semi-nodding flowers 4 inches across (10cm).