After what seemed like weeks of grey, yesterday the sun made an appearance. A thick, heavy fog welcomed dawn and the early morning cat walk was accompanied by constant face wiping to remove stray cobwebs. But the sun soon burned through and the butterflies arrived in clouds. It was wonderful to see a blue sky again. The garden is worryingly dry still so I won’t complain if the clouds return (for a short time) if they bring rain.

Salvia uliginosa is a wonderful thing. When it starts to bloom the flowers are sparse and it seems to take an age to make an impact. But now it is in full flood and enhanced by being taller than the sunflower ‘Monarch’. Bees love the blooms but they always seem to cheat and bite through the back of the flowers.

Dew was heavy and condensed on flowers and leaves, including Rosa glauca.

Lavatera is not rare and not a challenge to grow but has been a source of wonder for many months now. It is slowly starting to get straggly so the display won’t last much longer but it has been worth the effort of sowing.

The same is true of the pink annual Convolvulus minor which is a bold plant with delicate flowers.

The squash are producing fruit but they keep on blooming and this large, female bloom on the butternuts caught my eye.

And Bidens ‘Hannay’s Lemon Drop’, which I have mentioned before, is proving itself to be a great plant, now at its prime, with masses of vibrant flowers on wiry, 2m stems. I think I need to interplant this with the salvia above next year. A big patch of the two intermingled would be a joy.

bidens hannays lemon drop, salvia uliginosa, september flowers