It's the real thing

Having just returned from a summer holiday in Florida, I was surprised how many flowers I noticed that we try and grow here in good old blighty. One plant, in particular, that stood out was tibouchina. I'd seen one or two in pots at both Gravetye Manor and Knoll gardens and always thought - 'what an eye catcher! After a year of deliberation, I was able to locate one from Great Dixter nursery.  Sadly, despite the reasonable summer weather we've enjoyed, I fear that I planted it up in a pot that was initially too big and the potting medium needing more drainage.  It's still alive (just) but having seen these beauties in Florida I'm left a little envious.

Colour in August

August can be a pretty difficult time to rely on shrubs for some colour but one group of plants which must hit the top spot, or thereabouts, are hydrangeas. Probably not in fashion with many due to poor maintenance but if properly pruned and subsequently fed they give so much pleasure.

One of my favourites is the furry leaved Hydrangea villosa.  Fergus, from Great Dixter, kindly gave me a cutting a few years a go and it now fills a shady corner of a clients garden. Its luminescent flowers provide a stunning, dazzling effect and is a magnet for bees; invariably too many to count.

If you haven't got a hydrangea in your garden, maybe you should reconsider.