It's official, we have had a summer! It is lovely to have seen so many bees and butterflies too, buzzing round the poppies, sea holly (eryngium), agastache and echinacea. They are all in full sun and poor, well-drained soil. As the seeds dry, some are being scattered in the same place and some collected in case we have another poor winter/spring.

As the seasons have changed, different flowers predominate. Quietly in the background are the foliage plants which keep the whole scheme together. One of my favourites is 'Persicaria Black Dragon'. It can get quite leggy, but I just cut the stems back and put them in water and they quickly produce roots. They get put into pots which then get dropped into gaps in the border. They die down in winter, but are perennial. The 'Heucheras' and 'Tiarellas' have a wonderful colour range too, which seems to get better every year.

Another of my favourites is the 'Nandina Domestica Firepower'. It is rather slow growing, but lovely through summer and especially winter, when the leaves can turn a beautiful red. It is on my 'cuttings' list, which I continue to take (even though it is getting a bit late) through September, and put in the propagator. The grasses have been fabulous.

The most stunning are the Hakonechloa (shady), Stipa Gigantea (sun) and Carex Evergold (moist, shady, and evergreen).

The tomatoes continue to keep the Baines family well fed! They are still getting regular feeds of Tomorite,