August roundup.

Just thought I would do a quick whizz around the garden to record what is still in flower, found there was more than I had anticipated.

The white Buddleja has been fantastic, the perfume is far stronger than the others and brings in more butterflies, this one is a comma butterfly.

Allium sphaerocephalon has been flowering for ages now, must get more, so lovely.

Arum italicum pictum is shining out of all the dark corners now that its berries have formed, looks really autumnal.

A huge flowered Dahlia, bought years ago as a mixed packet, they all turned out to be this large white one which I don’t really like as it is so huge, the flower is at least 9 ins across. One by one the others have all disappeared and I thought last winter would kill this one off – I leave them in the ground -but even temperatures down to -15 didn’t manage to kill it!

Cyclamen hederifolium make me think of autumn. Lots in the woodland now with the seeds spread by ants, white, pink and magenta colours. This corm is now huge – at least 10 inches across.

Rosa Charles R. McIntosh, lovely shade of blueish pink.

Eupatorium atropurpureum is fantastic for bringing in the bees and butterflies, they love it. This one has a small tortoise shell butterfly visiting. My friend Jill gave me this from her garden, she has been so generous over the years.

Aeonium zwartkop is in a pot, has to come in for the winter.

Agapanthus are now flowering all along the front border and are visited all the time by the bees.

This Penstemon Garnet has been flowering all summer and shows no sign of stopping. Have just taken loads of cuttings so I can spread it along the front border.

This Anthemis has also flowered all summer attracting the bees and butterflies to the front border, another one which has had cuttings taken to increase the nectar  available.

Roses are now well into their second or third flowering, this is Abraham Darby.

Rosa Graham Thomas has never stopped flowering since June.

Echinacae need to be increased, such wonderful plants for wildlife.

Evening primrose is allowed to seed gently round the garden for the bees to enjoy and later in the winter the  goldfinches come to eat the seeds.

Rosa The dark Lady looks tiny in bud, but opens out very full just like all David Austin’s roses, fantastic scent to this one, just like a red rose should be.

Inula magnifica is another that flowers all summer long for the bees and butterflies to enjoy.

Speading gently is Crocosmia solfaterre, nice that it is increasing at last.

Lacecap hydrangea in a delicious shade of blue, needed to water all the hydrangeas when we had a bit of a drought, not a pretty sight when they are short of water !

My favourite grass, Stipa gigantea, waving in the breeze like spun gold, I love it !

One of the butterflies favourite, Verbena bonariensis.

More cuttings taken of this one, Penstemon White Bedder, to increase the plants in the white border, I only usually buy one of each plant, then propagate either with seeds or cuttings.

Where has this Verbascum come from, it has popped up all over the garden and it must be at least 10 yrs since I had this flowering here, will save seed this time so that I will always have it.

This Rudbeckia is another one to be increased, maybe by splitting this time.

Feverfew is another plant that pops up all over the garden, so easy to pull out if in the wrong place.

This Japanese Anemone is spreading too much, have to dig some of it out and move to the woodland where it can spread at will.

Signs of autumn, rosehips on Rosa glauca.

All the fuchsias are flowering madly, this one is Delta Sarah.

Bought one plant of Erigeron karvinskianus which eventually died, but it seeded into the paving round the house where it seems very happy indeed so is allowed to stay. Nature knows best where to put its seeds !

All the Astilbes have been good, this is the last one  flowering.

This is an herbaceous Clematis, C. durandii, growing through golden Lonicera.

In the woodland there are a few Liriope muscari, don’t often have any flowers on them, the slugs love them.

I know, not exactly a flower, but the seedhead of Crepis incana, my pink dandelion. I have never seen a seedhead like this on the plant before and therefore thought it didn’t set seed, must collect a few and try sowing them.

This is the only clump of Colchicum that are showing so far, but then they are the only ones in the sunshine, so lots more to follow soon.

This is a seedling of a purple leaved  Angelica, leaves not quite as deep a purple as its parent, but still a nice contrast in the border, very pretty flowers loved by bees, wasps etc.

Tulbaghia are a lovely, small member of the onion family, loves good drainage so I only have a couple of places where I can grow it.

This is a tiny limonium which I have in one of my alpine troughs, just starting to flower, another week and it should look lovely. The mulch around it was brought back from my holiday in Scotland, from Chanonry Point and contains mussel shells and various bits of flotsam and jetsam thrown overboard by people at sea. There are lots of bits of glass,green and white, tumbled smooth by the waves of the North Sea and also bits of crockery, a bit of blue and white pottery and others all beautifully smooth thanks to Mother Nature.

Did I say a quick whizz round the garden, it has turned into a Marathon !! If anyone has persevered to the end, then thank you very much, you have stamina !!!