It’s a kaleidoscope of colour with masses of different plants such as pink Salvia, geraniums, day lilies and Coreopsis.

The garden just looks wrong! A bit like a sock draw full of single socks!

A friend of mine is busy planting endless Chinese Elms.

She says it’s more peaceful to look at plants or trees en masse and much more appealing to the eye.

I hate to say it but I think she’s right.

Last week we had the good fortune to gather at a country garden near Glen William.

It was mainly lawn and trees, a great vegetable patch and a river that hugged the bottom of the garden.

This is perfect I thought. I don’t need to create yet another garden bed….but I probably will.

One plant I am interested in at the moment is the beautiful Crowea saligna with its large pink star like flowers that cover the plant from Autumn to Spring.

It will grow to a height of 80cm and 60cm wide.

Bees love this plant with its aromatic perfume.

It is now time to think about Camellia sasanquas which are much more tolerant to heat than their cousins Camellia japonica with the larger flowers.

Sasanquas are also faster growing than japonicas and start flowering in autumn through winter.

They are like roses and citrus in so much as they love air and light to filter through the centre of the plant, so after flowering, prune back and cut out any dead wood.

You can prune to one third of the shrub each year. 

They also have a major growth spurt after flowering so this is the time to fertilize as well as prune.

I have also been hunting for plants that will naturally repel mosquitoes.

I have found that mosquitoes have a thorough dislike to the pungent scent of lavender, marigolds and catnip.

Oh, and it is thought that the essential oil in catnip is 10 times more repellent than deet found in sprays.

So, it’s time get ready for our next hot, humid rainy season now!