As we pass midsummer, our stunning daylilies have now finished their main show and we move onto our late summer perennials. 

 

Thanks to the long spell of sunshine we have had this year along with our irrigation, our dahlias are off to an early start. Our herbaceous team has been busy staking the dahlias to prevent them from breaking in the wind as well as regular deadheading to keep them flowering till the end of the season. 

 

The sundial garden is looking as vibrant as ever, with dahlias, lilies and salvias flowering in abundance. A new addition to the sundial garden this year is the eye catching flame lily, Gloriosa rothschildiana, a tender bulb from Africa with its climbing tendrils and exotic looking reflexed flower petals.   

 

Drought tolerant plants are in abundance in our gravel garden. Gaura lindheimeri, with its rosy whirling butterfly-like flowers will continue flowering till late in the summer whilst the pollinator friendly Solidago and Asters (now called Symphyotrichum) catch up with colour. Our tall and striking cardoons, Cynara cardunculus, are coming into flower alongside the small but tough Berkheya purpurea 'Zulu warrior'. 

 

The wildlife have been in abundance and we have happily reported many species of butterflies and bees in the gardens, including our favorite hummingbird moth spotted on lavender and verbenas last week. 

 

The gardeners and flowers are both looking forward to a drop or two of rain in the following weeks!