Nurseryman's favourites – August

Sedum ‘José Aubergine’
The trouble-free habits of most Sedum spectabile justify the energy invested in breeding new colourful varieties. Sedum ‘Matrona’ introduced us to exciting beetroot-toned foliage, but had a tendency to get too tall for some spaces. Not so the newer Sedum ‘José Aubergine’, which boasts the same colours, but retains a slightly more stocky and manageable habit. I team this with Penstemon ‘Andenken an Friedrich Hahn’ and Salvia verticillata ‘Smouldering Torches’ in a south-facing border to make sure the garden doesn’t go down with a whimper in August.

HEIGHT/SPREAD 50cm x 45cm.
ORIGINS Species occurs across Russia and China to Japan.
SOIL Well-drained garden loam in sun or part shade.
SEASON Flowers form in August and stand deep into December.

The other eight plants chosen by Chris this months are:
Stachys officinalis ‘Hummelo’
Euphorbia seguieriana subsp. niciciana
Sanguisorba officinalis ‘Arnhem’
Teucrium hircanicum ‘Paradise Delight’
Aster x herveyi (previously Aster macrophyllus ‘Twilight’)
Romneya coulteri
Kniphofia ‘Green Jade’
Agapanthus praecox
You can find out more about these plants in the August issue of the magazine - issue 188

PLUS 
Chris suggests places to visit to enjoy summer garden displays:
As the season ripens, I am drawn to gardens that boast a productive orchard. Lytes Cary Manor in Somerset was formerly the home of herbalist Henry Lyte, and still houses his 16th-century plant directory ‘Lytes Herbal’. The Grade II-listed house and Arts and Craft-style garden were rescued from dereliction in the early 20th century by Sir Walter Jenner. Imposing long herbaceous borders have been replanted to an original Graham Stuart Thomas design, and good examples of Elizabethan-style topiary and outdoor rooms lead you through the space. Step into the secreted old orchards where medlars and quince trees stand decked with forming fruit and you can almost believe that time has spun back 400 years.
Lytes Cary Manor, Charlton Mackrell, Somerton, Somerset TA11 7HU.
Tel 01458 224471
www.nationaltrust.org.uk

There are more orchards at Waterperry Gardens in Oxfordshire, where lines of old-fashioned fruiting varieties peel off into the distance. Come back in autumn for Apple Weekend, (5-7 October) when you can bring up to three examples of garden fruit for variety identification.
Waterperry Gardens, nr Wheatley, Oxon OX33 1JZ.
Tel 01844 339254
www.waterperrygardens.co.uk

Once considered one of the most innovative gardens of the 19th century, Biddulph Grange in Staffordshire has been rediscovered and restored by the National Trust. The 15-acre garden boasts many design features, but of particular merit at this point in the season, is the splendid dahlia walk, which is brimming with more than 600 dahlias. Biddulph Grange, Grange Road, Biddulph, Staffordshire ST8 7SD.
Tel 01782 517999
www.nationaltrust.org.uk