The August garden – A window into summer

The August garden at Ednovean Farm is a window into a summer’s day this month, unfolding gently chapter by chapter with each day that has dawned. This month I’ve watched the dancing sunlight on the foliage and felt the warm sultry shadows of mid summer. This month the garden has seen the whole unpredictable yet satisfying drama of the summer days played out in this window into summer and so I thought I’d start my garden diary early too, just in case the camera should suddenly give up its task of recording our days!

The glorious Agapanthus

I’ve encouraged the Agapanthus to seed themselves around the garden and they are never happier that spreading their roots out across the mypex barrier below the gravel to happily bake where the wind has blown the seed in the winter months.

The huge blue and white blooms of Agapanthus Africanus

Dramatic skies

The seeds wafted to the edge of the terrace to shelter and grow

An inviting corner among the blooms

Golden light of evening

The echiums framing the lawn beyond the terrace

Lush glorious shadows

Do they almost beguilingly invite you to take a spectator’s view of the sunny world around and linger in their warm depths to watch the world go by? I’ve loved the huge blousy Agapanthus that almost seem to float above the terraces on their impossible delicate stems;   I’ve watched the Golden fennel seeds thrown into delicate, shimmering, contrast against dramatic evening skies, as they suddenly become stars from their self appointed positions around the garden.

The tree ferns love a corner under the stable roofs – they are caught here in a dramatic flash of sunshine

Shafts of flittering sunshine make magical shadows on an old urn

White Hydrangeas lift the light in this shady courtyard and form a focal point beyond our hall window

The stars of the corish show the wild crocosmia and buddleias make a relaxed side entrance

Sleek granite sets give no clue of the gardens beyond in entrance that brings our B&B guests to our door

I treasure this secluded shady spot to sit under the tree ferns in the height of summer

The discuss thrower in the Italian Garden

Warm mellow walls in the courtyard garden

Grasses and Echiums

The final chapter this week was made snoozing on a warm afternoon waiting for our latest B&B guests to arrive surrounded by the arching forms of the grasses. I watched the light change on the plump seeds as the sun probed the womb like cloud cover above and occasionally looked up to see the tall Echiums still framing the lawn beyond –they are nearly spent now but still form a stately swaying testament to the memories of summer days.

Architectural planting and fading Echiums

Tall swaying seed heads of the ornamental grasses are understated frame to the Italian Garden

Looking across our garden to Penzance across Mounts Bay

To be continued later in the month please drop back again to watch the month unfold ……………