Summer flowering plants

During the summer months, I really appreciate and enjoy spending time
in my garden, as it is somewhere I can relax after a hard day's work to
plan future activities, as well as being a place for my children to
play in safety.

In July, the wonderful aromas from the many plants
that make their flowering debut this month enrich the warm evening air
in my garden. These include Cottage Garden Roses, Honeysuckle, Jasmine,
Lavender, CatMint and Sweet Peas to name but a few.

Many of the
herbaceous perennial plants that I planted in the Spring are also
starting to reach their flowering peak, and include Echinops, Knautia,
Verbascum, Verbena, Linaria and Achillea, which will give a continuous
display of colour for weeks. The perennial plant Hemerocallis, which is
commonly known as the 'Day Lily,' is looking particularly stunning at
the moment, with its trumpet shaped large flowers that open in shades of
yellow, orange and red.

Many wonderful shrubs will also be coming
into their full flowering glory during the next few weeks. These
include Lavatera, Hydrangea, Potentilla, Spirea and Hebes, as well as
the shrub Philadelphus, otherwise known as the 'Mock Orange', which is
grown for its citrus scented flowers. The white flowers are a stunning
addition to any summer garden and can either be single or double
flowered. The foliage can be green, golden or variegated, depending on
the variety you choose. Most Philadelphus prefer to be grown in full sun
or light shade, in any soil. Popular varieties include 'Belle Etoile'
and 'Virginal'.

Buddlea davidii, commonly known as the 'Butterfly
Bush', is a strong growing hardy, deciduous shrub, which can grow to a
height of three metres, if left unpruned. This is a lovely shrub for the
back of a border and will produce a profusion of fragrant, plume shaped
clusters of flowers from July to October. My own children particularly
enjoy this shrub as it attracts many different types of brightly
coloured butterflies, which are drawn to the highly scented, bright
coloured flowers. 'Black Knight' is a stunning variety with dark
purple-blue flowers. 'Royal Red' has vivid magenta blooms and 'White
Bouquet' has striking snow-white flowers.

A plant that I would
certainly not be without in my garden at the moment is the modern garden
pinks. These plants have all the charm of old fashioned pinks, but with
the advantage of being repeat flowering, which will give two or three
flushes of flowers throughout the summer. Pinks grow best when
positioned in full sun, in a slightly alkaline, well-drained soil.
Choose the New Devon Hybrids, which come in a range of attractive
colours ranging from creamy whites to pale pinks, all deliciously
scented with a clove-like fragrance.

Kim's tip of the week

If
you are growing Sweet Peas, remember to pick the flowers regularly to
encourage a succession of new blooms to form. The scented flowers that
you have picked are great for positioning in a vase indoors and will
fill your home with beautiful fragrance.