What's looking good in August 2017

Passion flower is producing a lot of fruit already








Monbretia in front of Stipa arundinacea


Liatris spicata just starting to flower


Cosmos lemonade (trial version) but the lovely pale yellow doesn't really show up in these pictures




This really doesn't look like a Euphorbia but it is! It's called Diamond Frost and only grows about 8" high. (Not like our Euphorbia mellifera that grows 10ft high)

 

This Annabelle flower is 17" across

 

Generally it's tough as old boots and should get on well in your garden. Although very hardy it prefers not to be in a very exposed position. I'd be inclined to prepare the soil first by digging in plenty of compost and, if possible, horse manure. That should feed the plant and give it some drainage.

It does grow big but can be chopped back fairly harshly. After flowers have finished cut out stems that are too woody or growing too thickly together. Some of ours we cut very low each year.

Also, have a look at the golden version. It's less common but can be quite striking.

 

I think it's called 'Golden leaf' or 'Golden lantern'.

No time is late for me.

 

They're easy to grow but they can suddenly die on you. So we tend to take cuttings and bring some new ones on in pots. It's easy for us because we can then sell them when we open our garden for charity. We sold quite a lot this year.