August certainly feels like a good planning month for planting schemes next year, by this point you’ve seen what has been working (and in the case of this summer especially, not working), where the gaps of colour are and what needs amending for next year.
That’s the practical part, but also as we go forward each year, in and around the garden, we also get to know ourselves and our tastes a little better. The garden for me, at home at least, has been fairly successful given the drought (apart from the grass, but we do not speak about that). What has been a real game-changer for me this year is my further development into the horticulture career path, having a job in a beautiful space, but also the varied and interesting conversations which come from working/spending time around other gardeners.
The added experience has developed my personal taste, but also understanding of plants as much as, or even more than my formal qualifications. So whilst I could stand back and say that my own garden has been somewhat of a success, I’d be lying if there isn’t several planting changes I’d like to make next year.
On my notes app I have a continuous list of plants to look into deeper, to write about and of course, to perhaps acquire (if only there was enough space for everything, and for everything to look harmonious). This month, highly, highly weighted by herbs, Salvias in particular. Sometimes in the garden, it is good to know a group, or genus of plants that you know you can work with, happily and without continuous issue. If it’s not broken and all that.
So first up, Salvia austriaca which was completely new to me, upon seeing it, I felt like it had a form - especially it’s flowering spikes - that I had seen before, that were not necessarily tied to it being a Salvia. For me the structure is reminiscent of Digitalis and Phlomis, of course on closer inspection it’s clearly a Salvia but the way the spikes tower out of their setting, gives the effect that I sorely miss from Digitalis earlier in the year.
At this time of year I really feel gravitated towards whites and light yellows in flowers, naturally with all this heat, the end of the day is sometimes the nicest to actually spend outside. Having these light, bright flowers really adds noticable touch points to the garden.
In terms of planting, as with many Salvias it seems pretty compliant, this one accepting richer soils - I did see it noted on Beth Chatto that the basal foliage can in turn be larger for it, which is a delight due to it’s gorgeous purple midrib down the centre of the leaves.
The head gardener where I work sowed some Pelargonium seeds and as they began to move past germination into their true leaves and eventually flowers, it became clear that they were not Pelargoniums at all. Instead these delicate trifoliate leaves appeared before little powder blue globe-like flowers appeared. On first glance I figured it must be a type of Clover, but on some further research I found it to be Trigonella caerulea - Blue Fenugreek.
Fenugreek is another one of those herbs which has existed for me in the kitchen without much thought, which now I will be growing massively for it’s delicate ornamental value. That said, young shoots are supposedly good on salad, so I will be trialling and testing how it works in the kitchen also.
I do love a happy accident, although not what was promised, for me it was an opportunity to discover a new herb to fall in love with.
Last weekend I headed over to the RHS Hyde Hall flower show, getting to meet nursery owners and speak about their plants really is one of life’s greatest joys. I came away with a few things, but I was restraining myself a little - it was an incredibly hot day and my drive back home was reasonable. There was one plant I didn’t get… until I got home and ordered it. Restraint can only last for a while, apparently.
I’m always learning, that’s the wonderful thing about horticulture - I had a look into the hybrid that is Salvia x jamensis - it turns out this naturally occurring hybrid is between two Salvia specie, Salvia greggii and Salvia microphylla which belong the Jamena canyon in Mexico.
Interestingly, this hybrid is notorious for the distinctive bicolour characteristics in some well known cultivars such as ‘Hot Lips’. Anyway, that fact help me decide that this delicate ‘Lemon Light’ beauty needed to join my garden. When I first started out in my own garden, with very little idea of how to do so, I planted a Salvia x jamensis ‘Hot Lips’ that I had acquired from that very Hyde Hall flower show and it has since thrived. It is an absolute beast of a plant, tolerating poor soil, winter wet and drought without question. It flowers continuously, it might not be a trendy plant currently, but I have an true admiration and love for it, you never forget your first (plant) after all.
I digress! Just realised I’d written nothing about the ‘Lemon Light’ - essentially, I’m having a moment with yellow, especially delicate lemony delights. Having realised it’s connection to ‘Hot Lips’ - I’ve used that knowledge to know it will absolutely thrive going forward in my garden. Win-win.
— Salvia x jamensis ‘Lemon Light’
Another lemony flower, what can I say, yellow is the colour I seem to be noticing the most lately. Apparently also flowering spikes, although this one feels more delicate that the aforementioned Salvia austriaca. I’m partial to a Nepeta, the more I learn about the genus, the more I’m drawn to slightly different species than what is usually presented in garden centres.
The leaves are far more lush, larger in size and in turn the plant holds itself upright compared to some of it’s more regularly selected counterparts. Flowers hold the delicate lobe form, but perhaps it’s the height, or the spacing between flowers themselves, it feels quite unique.
There’s varying information on planting, full-sun to part-shade - a fair amount of mentions around moisture retentive soil. So for me I think I’d be keen to plant it at least shaded around the roots to keep moisture in, especially if summers continue to keep getting warmer.
Living by the coast means that early summer is awash with Hollyhocks, in people’s gardens, the cracks on the paths, the motorways (in fact there’s a really beautiful red one on the verge near my local Sainsbury’s that I’m desperate to take seed from). In my own garden I let them totter around freely, as well as sowing more each year - I’m a woman obsessed.
What draws me to them is their ease, their waftyness (real word, I swear it) and informality. Height feels important to me, I appreciate the need for all different heights in a border, but I like to feel engulfed by plants essentially. So I’m always on the eye for how to extend the season of certain towering plants.
I stumbled across Althaea cannabina when ordering some Hollyhock seeds for autumn sowing - and it ticked all of my boxes (tall, wafty…) - according to the seed packet the flowering should see me into September, which really helps extend my Hollyhock-esque season. I think cropping up out of grasses at the base, becoming another plant that you can appreciate by looking through it as such will be such a benefit to the garden.
Another month, another reason to believe I do truly love yellow flowers and the Lamiaceae family. Maybe September I’ll break the mould. Maybe. What plants have caught your eye this month?
Thank you for reading, allie x
Hopefully, you enjoyed this post, if you did, I would be eternally grateful if you would share/restack so I can reach more people like you.
Also, you can find me on other parts of the internet, if you fancy: IG, TikTok.
I use affiliate links on this Substack - if you order anything from my list, I’ll earn a small commission (which I will probably put towards more tools! )
More like this post:
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.