Lavatera Week

The white flowerheads of Hebe are a main eyecatcher in week 2009/24, enhanced by towers of Digitalis blooms nearby, and Pyracantha blooms are at a rich peak. The cream-coloured tufts of Aruncus dioicus create another focus. Aruncus is a native perennial which grows furiously fast in the spring, and many gardeners become fed up with it because it takes up so much space, but I find it useful in difficult spots. There is a sense of gardeners' defeatism that sinks on us about this time every year, with vigorous shrubs, such as Cornus and Forsythia sending up so many shoots that they begin to overgrow narrow paths, while the early perennials fade and begin to look untidy: there are dry tulip stalks to clear, and Papaver orientale is in transition from glory to mess. There is still no sign this week of Lavatera blooming, but Deutzia comes into flower at last.