Sunny ideas for your summer garden

Wow your friends with a super selection of show-stopping plants

Avoid the late-summer slump that befalls many gardens at this time of year by adding some striking plants to your borders. Whether you want scent, height, architecture, colour or even wildlife, here are some really special ideas....

Tropical trump cards
Large leaves, vibrant colours, unusual blooms and a touch of the exotic in your garden will create a holiday feel

● With its whopping leaves, Paulownia tormentosa will certainly add a focal point to your garden. Cut this plant down almost to ground level each spring to ensure the largest leaves and to keep it in check.

● A palm will create that true castaway feeling. Trachycarpus fortunei is the nation's favourite hardy palm.

● Acanthus mollis can create a jungle atmosphere all on its own, with large glossy leaves that last well into winter and an attractive blue flower spike appearing around this time. Though acanthus prefers full sun, it will tolerate some shade, allowing you to add tropical drama wherever you need it.

● If you're looking to spice up your borders with exotic bloom, Crocosmia ‘Lucifer' sizzles. Vibrant red flowers are produced on arching spikes above swords of mid-green lush leaf. Give it a fertile, moist, but well-drained soil and watch it smoulder from midsummer onwards.

Soaring spires
As your borders start to become a little tired, squeeze in some vertical plants to add impact in the minimum of floor space.

Late summer is when grasses reach their best. Stipa gigantea, miscanthus, calamagrostis and panicums are the most significant of the tall grasses and work beautifully with many perennials.

● Eupatorium purpureum has gigantic purple-pink puffs of flower reaching up to 1.8 metres! Great for impact in your borders, Eupatoriums are butterfly magnets and look great if left to stand through the winter.

● Eremurus ‘Cleopatra' opens its flower spike from the base upward in an impressive glowing orange. Ligularia stenocephala ‘The Rocket' will give a similar striking effect with yellow florets against purple-black stems.

● Verbascums are the real fireworks of any grass border, with tall spikes rising above silvery foliage. Verbascum olympicum is the largest of the species, rising to 2.5 metres high with an enormous spike of yellow flower. Verbascums need well-drained soil to thrive, and should self-seed.

● Other spires to choose from include lupins, hollyhocks (Alcea rosea ‘Nigra' flowers a sumptuous deep blackcurrant) and red hot pokers (Kniphofia ‘Royal Standard' is very popular; try K. rooperi or K. recta for interesting alternatives).

Sweetly scented
No garden is complete without a lingering perfume to sweetly lace the air. Plant close to your patio or beneath your windows to make the most of it. Lavender Lavandula angustifolia produces the most amazing scent and attracts bees into the garden late in the season. It's perfect as a low-growing hedge. For the patio, plump for the ever-flowering Nicotiana alata, chocolate-scented Cosmos atrosanguineus and pots overflowing with aromatic herbs.



Wild at heart
A good mix of trees, shrubs and perennials is the best way to attract birds, bees and butterflies. With the addition of some bird feeders, you'll be enjoying wildlife sooner than you think

● Malus ‘Red Sentinel' produces red crab apples; Sorbus ‘Joseph Rock', orange-yellow berries; and Sorbus cashmiriana, white fruit. All are perfect for a small garden, producing attractive fruit that you and the bird population will enjoy, with the added bonus of flowers in late spring or early summer.

● Shrubs may be the answer if you're truly stuck for space - grow them in a large pot if your borders are full. Cotoneaster horizontalis, Daphne mezereum, or Gaultheria mucronata are smaller shrubs that could be planted close to the patio.

● Buddlejas are one of the most popular plants for butterflies and bees. I love B. davidii ‘Harlequin'. Lavandula angustifolia is thronging with bees when it blooms in midsummer, and common sage (Salvia officinalis) is popular with chefs and butterflies alike!

● Even in a small garden, there should be space for one tree. Many produce fruit in the autumn, making them a valuable source of food for birds.

Kaleidoscope of colour
Red-hot pokers come into their own at this time of year, a real eye-catcher being Kniphofia caulescens. These glow like embers when mixed with tall grasses, and is even more impressive when seen as a colour clash - its orange pokers sizzle when mixed with purple drifts of Verbena bonariensis.

● Summer sees yellow, orange and red daylilies create a colourful climax in any border - there are thousands of varieties, but my favourite is the deep red day lily Hemerocallis ‘Stafford'

● A South African perennial, agapanthus produces huge blue blooms now and would enjoy sitting centre-stage in a steel container on the patio.

● July sees the arrival of the first late-summer grasses - their bronze-hued flower heads draw in the light, creating a perfect backdrop for fiery Crocosmia ‘Lucifer' and Knautia macedonia. And, if you were clever enough to sow pockets of Eschscholzia californica earlier in the season, you'll soon be enjoying embers of colour haphazardly scattered through your garden. If not, remember them for next year.

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