July 29- August 5

In the Entry Garden you will find:

Vitex agnus-castus (Chaste Tree); this deciduous shrub has violet blue blooms from July to August; in zones 5-6, it has winter die back - often to the ground, but recovers well with up to five feet of new growth the following season

In the Show Garden:
Hydrangea paniculata Grandiflora (Panicle Hydrangea); this popular woody shrub can reach up to 25 feet, with white blooms aging to pink, prefers organically rich soil; one of the most cold- hardy hydrangeas

In the Perennial Border West;
Phlox paniculata 'Robert Poore' (Garden Phlox); a tall variety reaching two to four feet with bright deep pink flowers; known for its mildew resistance.




In the Perennial Border North:

Hibiscus 'Blue River II' (perennial hibiscus); the hardy form of hibiscus is well-known for its enormous dinner-plate size blooms for late summer displays - except for this year when it is already flowering in late July!

In the Knot Garden:
Echinacea purpurea 'White Swan' (White Coneflower); a white-flowered form of the purple coneflower, with drooping white petals surrounding a greenish-brown central cone, shown here with the native Purple Coneflower

In the Entry Garden Meadow:

Many beautiful herbaceous perennials are now at their peak in the Entry Meadow, including Liatris spicata, commonly known as Blazing Star, with spikes of magenta-purple flowers which are especially attractive to butterflies

July 12-19

In the Garden Hall Courtyard- Bank you will find:
Gentiana makinoi (Royal Blue Gentian); a summer-flowering perennial native to Japan with long-lasting blooms of royal blue which also make lovely cut flowers



In the Garden Hall Courtyard:
Platycodon grandiflorus (Balloon Flower); a long-lived perennial well known for its beautiful bell-shaped purple-blue flowers




In the Water Garden - West:
Allium sphaerocephalon (Round-headed Garlic); this drumstick allium has egg-shaped flowers in summer which start off greenn and deepen to rose, then purple




In the Water Garden - East:
Echinacea purpurea 'Green Envy' (Green Coneflower); a very distinctive selection of the purple coneflower, exhibiting an inky green central cone with petal tips of green, deepening to rose toward the centre




In the Water Garden - West:
Ligularia stenocephala 'The Rocket' (sometimes called Elephant Ears); reaching up to five feet, this perennial pond-lover prefers having its feet wet at all times, producing yellow-spiked flowers over huge leathery leaves



In the Entry Garden"
Hemerocallis 'Gentle Shepherd' (Daylily); this diploid cultivar is known for being of the best white-flowering daylilies

June 29 - July6

In the Entry Garden you will find:

Monarda 'Aquarius' (Bee Balm) with Geranium psilostemon (Armenian cranesbill); this bergamot has bright pink flowers known for their unique shape, atop 30-inch erect stem and, prefers moist soil. It is shown here with the vibrant pink of the Armenian cranesbill.

In the Garden Hall Courtyard:

Eryngium giganteum (Mrs. Willmott's Ghost/Giant Sea Holly); this species produces very large silvery-grey spiny flower heads with a greenish cone centre; drought tolerant once established, it is a self-seeding biennial

In the Nature Garden:

Echincacea pallida (Pale Purple Coneflower); this striking species has pinkish-rose ray flowers, extending from a purplish-red disc; prefers full sun, will adapt to a range of soil conditions but must have good drainage

In the Nature Garden:

Gaillardia aristata (Blanket Flower); this native wildflower is popular for its long bloom season, producing daisy-like yellow flowers with burnt orange markings - good for cutting.

In the Water Garden-East:

Delphinium elatum 'Sunny Skies' (New Millenium Delphinium); this English hybrid delphinium outperforms all other tall types in rich shades from pale to sky blue, with a white bee




In the Terrace Garden:

Opuntia humifusa 'Lemon Spreader' (Prickly Pear Cactus); this vigorous, low-growing, spreading hardy cactus is smaller than the species but has the same requirements: good drainage and lots of sunshine!

June 21-28

In the Terrace Garden you will find:
Achillea 'Moonshine' (Yarrow) with Lavendula 'Munstead' (English Lavender); lavender is actually a low-growing shrub of the Mediterranean region. The fragrance of its flowers and foliage make it popular for perennial borders and herb gardens. Here it is planted with Achillea 'Moonshine,' another popular plant with attractive grey-green foliage and bright yellow flowers lasting for weeks.

In the Garden Hall Courtyard:

Trollius x cultorum 'Pritchard's Giant' (Globeflower); this variety of globe flower is known for large golden orange globe-shaped flowers, reaching up to three feet. It blooms in late spring/early summer and again in late summer.




In the Garden Hall Courtyard- Bank:

Digitalis grandiflora ( Big-Flowered or Yellow Foxglove); the Garden Hall Bank is covered at this time of year (early summer) by many varieties of foxglove. Digitalis Grandiflora, shown here, has large yellow flowers on stems reaching three feet.

In the West View Terrace:

Rosa 'The Fairy' (Polyantha shrub rose); The Fairy flowers profusely from early summer till frost bearing light pink, double-cupped flowers in large clusters. It is a vigorous plant with excellent disease resistance.




In the Arrival Trellis:

Clematis 'Blue Angel' with clematis H.F. Young (clematis cultivars); Blue Angel is a very heavy bloomer with blue flowers that are paler on the inside, darker along the edges, giving it a veined look. H.F. Young holds the RHS-Award of Garden Merit due to its compact free-flowering nature, producing blue flowers with yellow anthers from late spring to early summmer and again in late summer.




In the Entry Garden:

Thalictrum 'Elin' (Meadow Rue); one of the tallest meadow rue selections with attractive purplish stems above lacy blue-green foliage which holds sprays of lavender flowers with yellow stamens - a must have for head gardener Sandra Pella!

June 9- 16

In the Water Garden - East you will find:

Delphinium 'Galahad' (Pacific Giant Delphinium); stars of the early summer border. This selection has spires of semi-double, pure white blooms.




In the Water Garden - East:

Phlox glaberrima 'Morris Berd' (Smooth or Marsh Phlox); this early flowering phlox is a long bloomer, flowering for six to eight weeks



In the Water Garden - West:

Iris germanica 'Picasso Moon' (Tall Bearded Iris); they reach heights of 27 inches or more and are the last group of irises to bloom in spring. At planting, be sure to barely cover the rhizomes with soil, if at all, to ensure they are fully exposed to sunlight.

In the Water Garden - East:

Paeonia 'Julia Rose' (Itoh Peony); they can produce up to 50 blooms in a single season due to the plant's ability to produce primary and secondary buds; the blooms of Julia Rose have a soft spicy scent.

May 29

In the Arrival Trellis:

Clematis Josephine (Cultivar of Clematis); this Chelsea award winner has doubly creamy green to pinkish mauve flowers with darker striping - a real show stopper!

In the Knot Garden:

Iris germanica 'Immortality' (Bearded Iris); this rebloomer has pure white flowers with a lemon yellow beard, flowering twice a year, early summer and again in late summer/early fall

In the Knot Garden:

Allium karataviense 'Ivory Queen' (Turkestan Onion); a lovely white form of the popular species, having dense ivory white flowers on ten-inch stems

In the Arrival Trellis:

Clematis 'Hyde Hall' (Cultivar of Clematis); a Raymond Evison selection with flowers five to seven inches across of white with a tinge of pink

In the Arrival Courtyard:

Gillenia trifoliata (Bowman's Root); a personal favourite of TBG head gardener Sandra Pella, this underused native wildflower was traditionally used for medicinal purposes but it adds form and flower to any perennial border - another real show stopper!

In the Entry Garden:

Paeonia lactiflora 'Bowl of Beauty' (Peony); a classic peony with very large pink-tinted flowers with creamy white, ruffled centres

In the Entry Garden:

Allium christophii (Star of Persia); a very showy allium with a large flower umbrel made up of up to 100 reddish-purple, star-shaped flowers

May 11- 18

In the Nature Garden:

Camassia leichtlinii (Quamash) ; growing two to four feet, including the flower spike, quamash is native to North America with a pyramidal raceme of bright star flowers atop a stem rising above a grassy clump

In the Show Garden:

Berberis thunbergii f. atropurpurea 'Royal Cloak' (Japanese Barberry); rich colourful foliage on this shrub is hard to miss - the leaves on this selection are larger, rounder, and a deeper purple than those of other barberries.

In the Knot Garden:

Tulipa 'White Elegance' (Lily Flowering Tulip) with Fagus sylvatica forma purpurea 'Cuprea' (Purple Beech) in the background; an elegant ivory tulip flowering in mid-season, good for cutting

In the Garden Hall Courtyard:

Acer palmatum var. dissectum 'Crimson Queen' (Japanese Maple) with Tulipa 'Queen of Night' and Tulipa 'Annie Schilder'; Japanese maples are exhibiting extremely rich colour this season, here A. 'Crimson Queen', a popular old cultivar hardy to zone 5

In the West View Terrace:

Daphne x burkwoodii 'Carol Mackie' (Daphne); extremely fragrant shrub bearing small pink flowers completely covering the plant for approximately two to three weeks. It prefers acidic soil and shade from hot sun

In the Arrival Courtyard:

Wisteria floribunda 'Issai' (Japanese Wisteria); Japanese Wisteria is a hardy, rampant, deciduous vine; the cultivar Issai has relatively short clusters of fragrant lilac-blue pea-flowers and is an extremely vigorous twiner, quickly engulfing the structure it grows up




In the Entry Garden:

Amsonia tabernaemontana var. salicifolia (Blue Star); a native perennial to Eastern North America, deservedly becoming more popular in gardens as is exceptionally long-lived, bearing clusters of light blue starry flowers

In the Entry Garden:

Allium 'Gladiator' (Ornamental Onion); a very stately Allium with six inch globes of violet blue for early - especially early this seaon - summer