July is a great time to get out in Hyde Hall's garden and enjoy the huge range of plants that are bursting with colour, scent and perfume as they reach their full glory, creating a crescendo of summer colour.
Clematis is a large group of plants and there is always one in flower throughout the year. The majority though bloom through spring and summer and this particular variety, Clematis 'Pagoda', reaches it peak in July when its pendulous, bell-shaped flowers emerge in shades of mauve and dark pink. It should be pruned in early spring and prefers to be grown where its roots are in shade but its foliage is in sun.
Cynara cardunculus, or Cardoon, is a bold architectural plant that makes an outstanding feature in a border. Grown primarily for its fantastic grey foliage, the large leaves are deeply divided which gives the plant its superb architectural feel. Its stout, straight stems produce the globe ‘thistle-like’ blue flowers. It prefers a warm, sunny location in well-drained soil. In exposed sites the flowering stems may need staking due to their weight.
Many grasses begin to flower through high summer and Deschampsia cespitosa 'Goldschleier' is a brilliant smaller grass for the front of a border or naturalistic scheme. It produces dark green basal foliage before flowering shoots emerge bearing golden-yellow feathery flowers that gradually fade from yellow to brown in late summer. Deschampsia prefers to be grown in a moisture retentive but well-drained soil.
Echinacea is a great summer flowering perennial that produces large flower heads with burnt orange petals which surround a dark red central cone. Echinacea is a versatile plant and can be grown in a formal herbaceous planting or a naturalistic scheme where its seed heads add further structure and interest. It looks impressive between groups of grasses and other herbaceous perennials.
Phlomis flower in early summer and this species produces hooded lilac pink flowers that emerge among the evergreen, woolly grey foliage. Phlomis prefer to be grown in a warm, sunny location in well-drained soil and benefit from a light prune in the spring. They are not long lived shrubs and softwood cuttings should be taken after four or five years to renew them.
Lysimachia ephemerum needs to be grown in soil that is boggy or stays moist throughout the year but can be grown in sun as long as the soil remains moist. It reaches around 4ft through summer and produces silvery or grey foliage before candle-like, white flower spikes emerge at the tips of the foliage.