Because we have had lots of rain but little sun, the garden is still looking fresh, and although some plants are a little behind, and we have had a few casualties, the borders are burgeoning. The vegetable garden is looking good despite the weather; beans (several varieties), courgettes, squashes, onions, and cucumbers are just a few of the crops being harvested this month. The roses in the rose gardens and the cottage garden are looking wonderful, filling the air with their fragrances; the Long Border and Hot Garden are a mass of colour but each with their own special characteristics.
With large globes of dark blue flowers and dark green strappy leaves, Agapanthus 'Midnight Star' is one of the best Agapanthus cultivars. On the Long Border, it is combined with bright, contrasting colours such as orange Hemerocallis ‘Burning Daylight’ AGM. Grasses provide a contrast in form, for example Miscanthus sinensis ‘Strictus’ AGM, with its spiky foliage and yellow banding. Agapanthus 'Midnight Star' is a small plant reaching about 70cm. Grow in full sun in moist, well-drained soil.
Alstroemeria 'Red Beauty' is a tall Peruvian lily, growing up to 90cm. Sporting bright scarlet flowers with a yellow throat, it makes a striking statement at the back of the border. This plant will tolerate partial shade and is invaluable for adding a bit of heat in a variety of situations. The Hot Garden at Rosemoor is the perfect home for this plant where it combines well with other hot colours such as Kniphofia ‘Atlanta’, Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii 'Goldsturm' AGM.
Begonia grandis subsp. evansiana AGM has especially eye-catching leaves at this time of year when the sun gets behind them and the bright red veins stand out within the pale yellow/green flesh of the leaves. The fragrant pink flowers with their bright yellow stamens dance among the leaves in the partial shade of the exotic plants in Lady Anne’s Garden. This plant sensibly hid underground beneath a blanket of mulch during the winter so it escaped the worst of the snow.
Veratrum album subsp. lobelianum is one of those plants that, due to the large elliptical leaves and tall, bold flower spikes, fit easily into the Exotic Garden. The numerous creamy-green star-shaped flowers are borne on erect freely branching panicles. It loves the moist soil of the Exotic Garden, thriving in the partial shade created by surrounding trees and shrubs. Although fully hardy, it likes to be sheltered from cold drying winds.
Cuphea cyanea is a tender perennial, native to Mexico, and at Rosemoor it is grown as summer bedding in the formal garden and in Lady Anne’s garden. The racemes of green/yellow tipped orange tubular flowers are borne prolifically from late spring to autumn. Cuphea cyanea has a tropical feel which makes it ideal for the exotic borders; its tolerance of shade means that it can be grown successfully beneath large leaved plants such as Musa basjoo AGM and Ensete.
Echinacea purpurea is one of the more striking plants to be found in the herb garden where it earns its place as a medicinal herb. The golden brown, cone-shaped discs are surrounded by partly reflexed, purplish red ray-florets. A native of the dry North American prairies, it associates well with grasses and other perennials from the same habitat such as asters, Coreopsis, Geum, Helianthus and Solidago.
Hydrangea paniculata 'Pink Lady' is a handsome shrub ideal for a shady corner or woodland border. The creamy flowers mature to white and then later in the season become flushed with pink. The large leaves make this an attractive shrub from late spring and it has a long flowering period from July to October. We grow it in Lock’s Trail with other shade loving shrubs and herbaceous perennials such as viburnums, rhododendrons, hostas and epimediums.
No self-respecting sunny border would be complete without red hot pokers, and the soft yellow/orange flowers of Kniphofia 'Bees Sunset' make a hot spot in the Long Border combined with Aster, Crocosmia and Hemerocallis cultivars. The sturdy flower spikes rise to about 90cm and are especially attractive to bees.
Lobelia x speciosa ‘Hadspen Purple’ is another plant in the Hot Garden and is a visitor favourite. The vivid purple flowers are held on straight, sturdy stems from mid summer to mid autumn. We use it in repeat plantings throughout the Hot Garden combined with the other sizzling colours of Kniphofia, Geum, Achillea and Helenium, but softened by grasses, for example Miscanthus and Molinia cultivars.
We have a whole host of clematis growing through the roses; trained up the towers and along the catenary ropes in the Shrub Rose Garden. Clematis 'Perle d'Azur' is one of our favourite late flowerers. Here it twines around the stems of buff yellow Rosa 'Rève d’Or' and Rosa 'Alister Stella Gray' which fades from golden yellow to ivory as it ages. These yellows combine beautifully with the azure blue flowers and creamy stamens of the clematis. More inspiring combinations can be found in the Queen Mother’s Rose Garden.