A heavy fall of rain has miraculously revived my flagging garden. Massive purple leaves of Canna ‘Wyoming’ have recovered from their December shredding by hail, a perfect backdrop to the velvety orange flowers.
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Eucomis comosa ‘Sparkling Burgundy’, another great purple foliage plant, has finally condescended (five years after planting) to produce a stout spike of pink flowers crowned by a small tuft of pineapple-like leaves.
Best of all the soil is suddenly damp enough to tackle weeding, and combined with a blissful spell of cooler weather has inspired me to catch up on chores.
It’s easy to lose your gardening mojo in midsummer’s energy-sapping heat and one of the best ways to recover it is a gentle pruning session. I like to prune my two evergreen Star Jasmines now, once their flowering has finished but before new growth starts to make headway.
These are two of the best climbers I grow, undeterred by heat or frost, with shiny evergreen leaves and a profusion of small, scented flowers for about a month from Christmas and well into the New Year.
Star Jasmine, unlike ivy or Virginia Creeper isn’t self-clinging, so needs a stout support in the form of strong lattice, either open or attached to a wall.
Cut it back closely to create a neat, glossy green hedge that will look as beautiful in the bleak midwinter as it does now. Winter flowering Laurustinus can be pruned now to flower in winter, also the long whiskery shoots of ornamental grape, wisteria and honeysuckle.
Perennial borders look all the better for a regular summer trimming too. I’ve cut back furry grey lamb’s ears, Shasta daisies Moses-in-the-Bullrushes and two pretty. giant hyssops, deep mauve Agastache ‘Sweet Lilli’ and pale orange A. ‘Tango’.
It didn’t take long and has transformed the look of the border, giving me the pleasant – if, regrettably, temporary –illusion of being on top of the garden. All should bloom again in time for a good display in autumn.
My last pruning job is to remove the tatty leaves of last year’s winter roses, so make way for next winter’s fresh new leaves and flowers.
For this reason I attack weeds in early February and there’s no better time than immediately after rain, which transforms a slow and occasionally disheartening job into a rewarding one.
In fact if you’re happy to spray with glyphosate this is the easiest time of year to do it, before spring bulb leaves emerge. Mulches often need topping up in February.
Almost any mulch is better than none when it comes to keeping soil cool and damp. Lawn clippings are fine, and I always keep an ear out for Bill hooking up the slasher.
Early evening in summer is a lovely time to collect seeds. Winter Sweet seeds are ripe now, also poppies (Papaver), Love-in-a-Mist and Honesty. Store in brown paper bags in a dry corner until needed.
