Spiraea Week

As the height of summer approaches in 2008/27, the bigger shrubs have dropped their bright dress and it is up to the lower shrubs to keep the colour showing, with Spiraea japonica my personal favourite. Strictly speaking, the plant is Spiraea x bumalda, with S. japonica only one of its parents. Ours is 'Anthony Waterer', a magnificent crimson variety named after the great rhododendron breeder of Victorian times. Its neighbours Laburnum x watereri and Cotoneaster x watereri are, as far as I know, also products of the Waterer family's Knaphill garden-cum-nursery. The Lavatera x clementii is the great eye-catcher of the garden, but has already received its honours in this diary. Also coming up are the mopheads of Hydrangea macrophylla varieties: perhaps they will be next week's glory. Among the perennials, the first of the "hel" flowers is out: Heliopsis helianthoides var. scabra is showing its great "ox-eye sunflowers" at chest height. Lower down, Coreopsis grandiflora 'Sunray' is showing a similar colour at ankle height, while Astilbe, which we planted to frame a low Prunus laurocerasus is also there with its bursts of white and pink.