August - What's looking good in the Garden this month?

Musa basjoo - Subtropical Effect Garden (see Gardens plan number 2).  This hardy banana makes a striking addition to any exotic garden. Japanese Banana. Large green leaves and creamy-yellow flowers with brown bracts. Max height 3.5m. Max spread 1.6m. Flowers July. Fruits October.

Paulownia tomentosa - Subtropical Effect Garden (2).  Foxglove Tree. A broadly columnar tree with hairy bright green leaves and pretty pinkish lilac flowers marked yellow inside. Max Height 12m. Max Spread 10m. Flowers May to June. Full sun. Hardy. Cutting back this tree each year results in impressively large leaves.

Dahlia Bednall Beauty - Subtropical Effect Garden (2).  A superb dahlia with glossy dark green leaves and semi-double crimson-red flowers. Max Height 50cm. Max Spread 40cm. Flowers July to October. Full sun. Not hardy.

Hemerocallis Corky - at the start of the 100m Double mixed borders (3).  Daylily. A clump-forming perennial with handsome, narrow arching leaves. Mahogany buds open to dainty pale yellow flowers from early to mid-summer. Max height 60cm. Max spread 50cm. Flowers June to July. Full sun/partial shade. Hardy.

Romneya coulteri - again on the right of the 100m Double Mixed Borders (3).  Tree Poppy. An upright, deciduous shrub with grey-green leaves and cup-shaped white flowers with prominent yellow stamens in summer. Max Height 1m to 2.5m. Flowers June to August. Full sun.

Mina lobata (Ipomoea lobata) -100m Double Mixed Borders (3).   Planted to run through other plants this annual climber has flowers that fade from pink to white.

Verbena bonariensis - Grasses Garden (4).  A tall erect perennial with pretty clusters of lilac-purple flowers from mid-summer to early autumn. Max height 2m. Max spread 45cm. Flowers July to September. Full sun. Frost hardy

Perovskia Blue Spire - Grasses Garden (4). An upright shrub with deeply cut silver-grey leaves and spikes of violet-blue flowers in late summer and early autumn. Max Height 1.2m. Max Spread 1m. Flowers August to September. Full Sun. Hardy

Sedum Matrona - Grasses Garden (4).  Pink flowers, known for attracting bees and butterflies and succulent dark green to purple leaves.

Gunnera manicata - on the banks of Sandell Lake (17).  A very large architectural plant with massive deeply lobed bristly green leaves on strong prickly tall leaf stems. Greenish red tiny flowers on a conical flower spike, followed by red-green fruit. Max height 2.5m. Max spread 3m to 4m. Flowers June to July. Fruits July to August. Full sun/partial shade. Hardy.

All of the above plants are available for sale from our Garden Centre.