Summer

Mary Keen’s greenhouse is cleverly positioned to form part of the circuit around the garden; you can admire her collection of pelargoniums by walking right through it. The path here is lined with jewel-coloured dahlias and the tall, luminous-blue Salvia patens ‘Guanajuato’ emerging from clouds of Erigeron annuus.

Inside Mary Keen’s immersive, atmospheric, compact garden

Pelargonium ‘Berkswell Harmony’. A highly distinctive, two-toned cultivar with burgundy upper and pink lower petals and intricate claret ‘feathering’ (fine lines). It’s tall, and needs staking. Aim for three to four leaders initially with constant pinching out to create a full bush that eventually supports itself. 60cm. RHS H1C†.

Angel pelargoniums: choosing and growing the best Angel pelargoniums

Perpetual Carnations

Discover the world of the perpetual carnation

Clematis x durandii. A much-loved hybrid between C. ‘Jackmanii’ and C. integrifolia with rich, saucer-shaped, indigo-blue flowers with deep midribs. The semi-nodding flowers, with beautifully contrasting pale-yellow anthers, appear from June until the autumn. 1.5m. AGM. RHS H6, USDA 5a-9b.

Herbaceous Clematis: choosing and growing the best herbaceous clematis

The deep beds are crammed with a complex tapestry of perennial interest, with an emphasis on foliage that ranges from the fresh, grassy growth of Hakonechloa macra to the deep-plum leaves of Cercis canadensis ‘Forest Pansy’.

Planting for a dry and shady urban garden

In this mixed House Border, the
red flowers of Rosa ‘Florence
Mary Morse’ bring early colour alongside the white sprays of Persicaria x fennica ‘Johanniswolke’. The tall, slender annual corncockles are woven through the border plants, and, along with alliums and bronze fennel, help to unify the plantings
and create a naturalistic scene.

Summer planting at Malverleys: borders, layering and planning ahead

In a hilltop location, bands of Persicaria amplexicaulis ‘Rosea’, Phlomis russeliana and self-seeded Lychnis coronaria support each other in a densely planted flower garden. The sun is setting through a Catalpa bignonioides and great plumes of Miscanthus sinensis ‘Gracillimus’ hide the parking area.

How to create a flower-filled hillside garden

Benton End in Suffolk, where the artist and gardener Cedric Morris and his partner Arthur Lett-Haines moved in 1940, is where Morris bred many of his beautiful and painterly coloured bearded irises

Benton irises: how to choose and grow them

Winter succulents

Discover winter-to-spring planting combinations

Begonia 'Red Tempest'

Begonias: the best for your garden and how to plant

Persicaria amplexicaulis 'Firedance'

Plant profile How to grow Persicaria

Seedscape: future proofing

Gardens to visit

Garden events and things to do this month

A late summer container

Easy charm and subtle colour until early autumn

Mixed borders at Gravetye Manor garden

Planting at Gravetye: the borders

Lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis)

Convallaria majalis or Lily of the valley and how it is grown