The tin bath in late summer

The Tin Bath in Late Summer

The tin bath by the back door is now in full bloom. Using another pot behind it with taller things growing in it gives a great effect that it's one big flower bed. As well as two dahlias 'Waltzing Mathilda' and 'Totally Tangerine', the salvia 'Burning Embers' is an amazing draw for pollinators and gives colour to the garden for months and months. The salvias cope really well with dry hot conditions as well as the cold and wet, and so should really be a staple of any English garden.

The Panicum 'Frosted Explosion' is such a great foliage filler because it takes very little energy away from the soil and so doesn't compete with the other flowers in the pot.

The 'Black Cat' scabious are hardy annuals so if you sow them in late summer or early autumn the seedlings will be big enough to over-winter and like the salvias, they cope very well with the heat too.

A late sown pumpkin is a nice addition to the garden with its yellow flowers and large flat leaves. They are unlikely to produce pumpkins when sown this late but they add to the sense of abundance at this time of year, and because the plant isn't putting the energy into producing a crop the leaves should stay looking green and healthy for longer.

Lemon Verbena

A lemon verbena plant not only provides some zingy green foliage and a gorgeous scent in the garden, but also makes a delicious tea. It is tender so will need to be brought inside over winter. If it starts to look a bit sad, cut the foliage. Later on in the year, when it is placed back outside in April or May, the plant will come back to life.

Plant Directory

• Dahlia 'Waltzing Mathilda'
• Dahlia 'Totally Tangerine'
• Salvia 'Burning Embers'
• Panicum 'Frosted Explosion'
• Scabiosa 'Black Cat'
• Lemon Verbena