August Garden

Around mid-August my garden seems to have a bit of a "swan song" when everything blooms and then dies off suddenly. Every year I promise myself that I'm going to plant something up for autumn interest and every year I forget! If you have any suggestions of plants that will extend the flowering season (but not too tender) then please comment below.



Alchemilla Mollis just before the heads turn brown. Next to it is an Apricot Sage - a bit of an impulse buy as it won't survive outside in the winter, but it smells fabulous.



My Mum and Dad bought me this deep red Geum last year from Parcevall Hall and it has really flourished.




Lilium Longiflorum in a pot to protect it from the b*ggers, the slugs! Pots are great for filling in bare spaces.

Bright orange Day Lily which is spreading quite rapidly. The colour zings against the green.

Crocosmia Lucifer. I always wanted one of these and the first one I ever planted came up orange (!) Obviously it was mislabelled. But placing red, pink and orange together looks like Guatemalan woven textiles.

I'm digging up my strawberry patch soon as I am replacing it all with lavender. The neighbour's hideous laurel has made the soil so poor and shady that I think only rosemary and lavender will
give the patch some colour. I quite fancy wild strawberries in a pot next year.

There are still some plants in my garden that are flowering - I have a very nice apricot coloured Dianthus and a purple Liatris and an assortment of wild poppies too. Unfortunately, I haven't had ANY success with my three iris as they never recovered from the chomping they got from the snails earlier in the year. But I'm considering replacing them with alliums and also getting a few varieties of Delphinium. Almost time to get the gardening books out....