The lilies have finally opened, despite the torrential rain, and the scent is heavenly!
Tag: summer flowering
Shrubs and plants that flower during the summer – they flower during the months of June, July or August.
Purple Flowers
I love cutting flowers from the garden to bring into the house. I recently bought this cute little basket and bottles recently and decided to go with a purple colour theme of this arrangement, which includes Thalictrum, scabious, lavender, poppy, fennel, allium.
Rudbeckia (Coneflower)
The rich colours of this Rudbeckia look like chocolate! The cone-shaped centre of this flower attracts bees and butterflies and give it the common name of ‘coneflower’.
Sedum
I love sedums, they grow so well in our garden and require little attention. This is a low-growing, evergreen sedum which the bees have been buzzing around all day. After flowering I cut off the dead flower heads and pull up some of the plant if it spreads too far.
Oenothera biennis (Evening Primrose)
The Evening Primrose flower (Oenothera biennis) preparing to open. As it’s name suggests the flower opens in the evening and by the following morning is already starting to shrivel up. It is said to have a number of medicinal properties. I believe in some parts of the world this is considered a weed, but here in the UK, although it does self-seed, it is never enough to be a nuisance.
Rosa High Hopes (Climbing Rose)
Thalictrum delavayi
Thalictrum delavayi is just starting to flower and caught my eye today, along with the spider’s web suspended between the buds. Thalictrum, commonly known as Meadow rue, is such a delicate looking plant, with leaves like maidenhair fern, but it not only survives on our heavy clay soil, but positively thrives! It flowers all summer long and when foliage dies back, I cut it right down to the ground. It regrows the following Spring – with possibly a new seedling or two nearby.
Lavendula (Lavender)
The lavender is at its peak right now. One of my favourite flowers and loved by the bees as well! It is easy to grow in a sunny border or container. I always like to dry some of the flowers for winter flower arrangements indoors. Just tie together some of the flower spikes and hang upside down until dry.
Onopordum acanthium (Giant Scotch Thistle)
This Giant Scotch Thistle stands majestically in the border at around nine feet tall and has just started to flower, which the bees will go made for! It is a biennial flower which will self seed readily. When I see the seedlings pop up I move them to where I want them to flower, usually at the back of a border where they are not going to attack passers-by (the leaves are very prickly!)
Knautia macedonica
This is an easy to grow perennial flower for a sunny aspect, which flowers from early summer to well into the autumn. The clumps of Knautia (pronounced ‘naughtier’) do get large and sprawl about, so give them plenty of room. The crimson pompom flowers are a big hit with bees and butterflies and the seed heads are loved by the birds. It self-seeds prolifically and I often replace the large clumps with younger specimens. It can be affected by powdery mildew, however I simply cut back the stems and allow to re-grow.
