The garden in June:

This very pretty yellow aquilegia or grannie’s bonnet is just going over

This lovely white and pale green astrantia came from a sport on a ruby wine astrantia. I divide it and spread it every year now

A good combination

My friend Sarah calls this the poodle plant. The foliage is evergreen and in autumn the dead flower stalks can be taken in and dried. If you are as Blue Peter as me you can spray them gold and silver for christmas decorations

This came from Mount Venus nursery and lasts for ages. Lovely and frilly and a more delicate alternative to euphorbia

Alchemilla or ladies’ mantle can be a nuisance but it is so pretty, its frothy yellow flowers look great mixed with the mauvy blue catmint

I think the colours go well together

Late June is a funny time in the garden, lots of things are ending and it takes a while for the next lot of flowers to come on. This beautiful browny/claret iris is almost over

These lovely white foxgloves were grown from seed by my friend Hannah Bielenberg. They have seeded themselves ever since. I try not to allow too many pink ones to set seed, even though I do like them. Can’t wait for the holly to cover the fence there. It was a present from the birds who dropped the seed

Now ending, this has never done so well for me. Ever. So thrilled to see it this year.

I need to paint the wall. Can’t decide whether to take out the Aucuba japonica or not… any opinions?

Pilosella is really a weed, but I love it and it looks so pretty here with the (dying) orage geum