With all the very lovely plants in full flower now, you will be surprised to hear our star plant of the month… No, it’s not the pretty salvia hot lips, the regal monardas, the lovely achiella pommegranate, even verbascums in all their striking yellow candelabra glory; as lovely as all the aforementioned are; our fave plant o’ the month is the humble runner bean…

We say, no matter how lovely a climbing clematis, or a single petaled rambling rose, for the months June-Sept, grow a runner bean in a pot besides your front or back door, as well! Runner beans this month are at their peak of growing and twining, almost indiscernibly on a daily basis weaving their lattice of green, with pretty little white and red flowers, completing a pretty picture. To top it all – from mid August through September, you will be rewarded with a feast of beans.

Talking edible landscaping, July is the month when you need to get your winter veg seeds going (sorry!) To this end, we are busily sowing the incredibly striking rainbow chard. Also kale for winter structure (and nosh!)

To us, growing veg is not only for culinary, and health purposes, but we love the aesthetic that an edible landscape delivers. This year we are particularly loving planting the fab new salvia cultivar –  salvia amistad with red cabbages, surrounded by a flourish of verbena bonariensis.

This month, it is also important to plant up any late season colour, where you think you have gaps; we are talking sedums, japanese anemones, and asters. We partic. love aster novae angliae harringtons pink with its incredible flourish of bright pink. Surrounded by the plumes of sept peaking grasses like pennisetums, and you will have a great late season look.

Anyway, enough talking of promise to come…back to my pimms with homegrown borage flowers and apple mint….