August

Cephalaria gigantea is a gentle giant that has an informal look that is perfect for looser planting styles. With pretty pale butter-yellow scabious shaped flowers, use it as you would Verbena bonariensis planted at the back of a mixed or herbaceous border. The stems are tall but airy and 'see-through'.

Daucus carota 'Dara' is a large flowered chocolate coloured Queen Anne’s Lace. Delicate, lacy, flat-topped clusters in shades of old rose-pink, through burgundy to chocolate, and bloom for most of the summer from just one planting. They look great en masse and the plant pairs well with almost anything in the garden or in the vase.

Treasured in the garden for their bright colour and strong fragrance, Dianthus barbatus 'Scarlet Beauty' flower all summer from May to August with clusters of single, brilliant scarlet red flowers, and best of all, they are intensely fragrant, with a delicious rich perfume.

Dianthus deltoides ‘Confetti White’ is a quite exceptional little plant. Growing to just 10cm tall it will spread up to 50cm wide. The pure white blooms appear in abundance, just poking their heads above the deep green foliage. In the early morning dew or after a shower of rain they sparkle like clear white diamonds.

Dianthus ‘Arctic Fire’ is a spectacular first-year-flowering perennial that forms a dense evergreen mat. The clear white blooms are complemented by an attractive, glowing red eye. This quite exceptional little plant will and grow up to 50cm wide, it covers bare spots quickly. Heat tolerant and hardy to minus 35°C.

Dianthus ‘Flashing Light’ is a spectacular first-year-flowering perennial that forms a dense evergreen mat. The real joy of this plant comes in late spring when a large number of flowers are borne in quick succession. Poking their heads above the deep green foliage, they sparkle like ruby-red diamonds.

Dianthus deltoides ‘Microchips’ has glaucous blue-green foliage that from late spring are covered with a seemingly impossibly large number of flowers. In shades of white, pink and rosy-red with crimson rings they give several months of both colour and clove-like scent.

Dierama pulcherrimum is a distinctive-looking perennial with tall arching stems of bell-shaped, flowers. The flowers bloom in shades of pink, mauve and carmine appear in mid summer. Each stem drops with the weight of the flowers which earns them the most romantic of names - Angel's Fishing Rods.

This rare and lovely foxglove from Spain is one of the very best in cultivation. Digitalis obscura, the Sunset Foxglove blooms from late spring to mid-summer with striking bell-shaped blooms in all the colours of the sunset. Rusty orange and amber with interior red veining and spotting.

A new a super-fast, first year flowering perennial, 'Dottie Mix' blooms just 20 to 24 weeks from sowing. The plants grow quickly and are more compact at flowering than other F1 series, the showy spikes carry large blooms and quickly fill large pots with ease. In a range of soft, modern colours: White, Cream, Purple, Peach and Warm Rose.

A new a super-fast, first year flowering perennial, 'Dottie Mix' blooms just 20 to 24 weeks from sowing. The plants grow quickly and are more compact at flowering than other F1 series, the showy spikes carry large blooms and quickly fill large pots with ease. In a range of soft, modern colours: White, Cream, Purple, Peach and Warm Rose.

Digitalis ‘F1 Dottie Purple’ is an outstanding colour, deep purple tubular flowers with contrasting dark speckling. The showy spikes provide numerous high quality stems for a flower-packed display. This first year flowering type that lends itself to successional planting. Sow in late summer to autumn for the earliest spring blooms.