THE WEATHER -

After the heat of last month, August has been a bit of a letdown! Mostly it has been quite cool, even cold for the time of year. Although many parts of the country were treated to copious amounts of rain, we still had no rain until the 13th, but then only light showers for a couple of days, certainly not enough to penetrate beneath foliage. Even the odd distant thunderstorm failed to produce enough rain to be of any use. However, after a day of playing at raining on the 18th, we actually had some decent rain for a few hours during the evening, which helped to freshen things up. More good rain followed on the 19th. Sunny periods followed for the next few days, and on the 23rd, we got some heavy rain for several hours which finally managed to penetrate beneath the foliage of shrubs and trees. The 24th was a lovely day, with warm sunshine, but the 25th was dull with light showers in the afternoon. Turning decidedly chilly by the 28th with a cold wind, and a mixture of sunshine and showers continued until the end of the month. Maximum temperature 31°C (83°F), minimum temperature 7°C (44°F).

An interesting shrub in flower this month is Itea ilicifolia. It has evergreen foliage, rather like a Holly, but thinner and softer, and can grow into a small tree over time. It needs a fairly sheltered position as it isn't completely hardy and won't withstand a cold, exposed position in winter. I love it for its unusual flowers, like long wagging tails, which start off green and mature to pale cream. They are very long lasting, and stay on the plant for several weeks.

I'm a real fan of GIANT PLANTS, and this is one of them! It's the so-called tree Dahlia, Dahlia imperialis. If grown outdoors, it needs to be treated just the same as ordinary Dahlias, the tubers being lifted and stored in a cold dry frost-free place for the winter, and started off again in spring. The huge stems on a mature plant can be two or more inches wide, and can soar up to 15 feet high. Mine is only a baby really, although it's already about nine feet high and still growing. I doubt it will flower though, as our growing season outdoors in the UK is not really long enough. It needs to be grown in heat in a very high greenhouse or conservatory to give of its best in terms of stems, flowers and foliage. Still - I can't resist this one!

Eucomis species are some of my favourite summer and autumn flowering bulbs. They have such unusual flowers, consisting of many waxy bell-shaped flowers clustered on each stem, each one being finished off with a top-knot of leaves, hence its common name of Pineapple Flower. Probably the most commonly available one is Eucomis bicolour, and the flowers and leaves can vary from one bulb to another, some having plain white flowers, and plain green leaves, whilst others have slightly pinkish flowers with purple markings on the leaves and stems. The ones pictured here are the plain variety, but they are no less attractive for that. They produce green fleshy seed pods which last for weeks, either on the plant or as a cut flower. If left on the plant, the seeds scatter themselves around and new plants will appear all over the place in spring!

Hardy Fuchsias are some of the stalwarts of the late summer border. This a variety that is reliably hardy, and is called Genii. It is a very strong grower, and has beautiful soft yellow foliage, with loads of small pink and purple pendent flowers. It will flower over a very long period of time, from about June or July until the first frosts. What could be better than that?

Dahlias are in full flower this month, and I grow lots of different ones. There's such a variety of shapes, sizes and colours that there's sure to be one to suit all tastes. They went out of fashion for some time (but not with me!) and now they seem to be enjoying a comeback. The two pictured above are ones which I had last year, and have flowered for the first time this year. On the left is a wonderful variety called 'Floorinoor'. It has a mixture of pink, orange and yellow which only Mother Nature could pull-off successfully! A neat frill of pink petals surrounds a large double centre of orange and yellow. Stunning! On the right is one of a number of Dahlias which a friend of my father's gave to me last year. They were all grown from seed, and I particularly like this one which is a soft peach colour, with curled petals.

That's all for this month...... Happy Gardening!!

Blackbird, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Collared Dove, Crow, Dunnock, Goldfinch, Great Tit, Greenfinch, House Sparrow, Long-tailed Tit, Magpie, Robin, Rook, Seagull, Starling, Swallow, Thrush, Wood Pigeon, Wren.

RAIN
Patience Strong

A sudden shower burst from the skies upon the dusty lane -
In gardens thirsty flowers looked up, and sipped the cold sweet rain.
Beneath a tree's green parasol, I found a sheltered place
Where wet leaves dropped capricious kisses on my upturned face.

The storm swept like an angered god across the distant hill -
Defenceless in its path, the mighty trees bent to its will.
A cottage door swung open and a woman rushed outside
To gather in her sturdy arms the washing she had dried.

A man went by - a man of earth - bronzed by the sun's deep stain -
He touched his cap and smiled, and said, "A lovely drop o' rain!
This be a god-send for us folks - this be just what we need -
It's good for man and good for beast and good for soil and seed."

And I, beneath the dripping tree, remembered that in towns -
Men greet the gift of God's good showers with fretful words and frowns.
But wise and patient earth-brown men don't grumble or complain -
They say a courteous "Thank you" for a "lovely drop o' rain."