End of Month View - August 2015

I'd like to think that I possess enough self discipline to post a blog under this heading each month. We shall see. I have chosen a viewpoint from which to take the same shot each month. I'm looking forward to seeing those shots mount up over the coming months and years. Here is the first.

It's a roughly triangular plot, narrowest by the house and pretty much flat. The circular path was gravel until recently, when I paved it. When the slabs have weathered and plants have blurred the edges, I shall be happier.
At the moment, colour is coming from Dahlias, Heleniums and Fuchsias primarily. Notable foliage effect in this view comes from Schefflera taiwaniana, Zingiber mioga and Chionochloa rubra.

This picture was taken earlier this evening, looking through Stipa gigantea and Helenium 'Chipperfield Orange' to Chionochloa rubra. I often rush for the camera at this time of day, usually to be disappointed with the results!

Here's the Helenium again. The evening backlighting flatters the colour a little but it's still a superb plant. 1.2m tall but still self supporting, its been flowering now for three weeks. Nothing in the garden attracts half as many bees and butterflies. It is well behaved, stays in a tidy clump which gets a little larger each year.

The Chionochloa rubra was grown from seed I pinched from a well known garden and has been around for at least 10 years. I love its very linear explosion in a fireworks factory look. I have collected seed from it on several occasions but have never succeeded to germinate any. Perhaps it needs a mate. Its fellow kiwi is Astelia chatamica, another wonderful plant that I would not be without. Unlike Phormiums, it doesn't get duller with every passing year and it doesn't get remorselessly taller either. Spreads a bit, but is easily curtailed. Will tolerate shade as well, not that this one has to.

Chionochloa is only my second favourite grass. Top spot goes to Hakonechloa macra, in its various forms. This one is 'Stripe it Rich', which has a light green leaf striped white. It is one of the less robust forms and has taken three seasons to really get going, helped by this summers wet weather.

I am deeply indebted to The Patient Gardeners Weblog for inspiring me to put this blog together. I am conscious that I haven't really followed the brief, in that I've largely focussed on individual plants rather than the garden, but I'll try and do better next time. Helen's end of month view is at
https://patientgardener.wordpress.com/2015/08/30/end-of-month-view-august-2015/