Harlow Carr In August

There was quite a change in the feel to Harlow Carr this month. You can tell that we're heading towards the end of the season as many of the bright hues of July are fading fast. This was most noticeable down by the stream where the banks are covered with mostly greenery and pale flowers with just the odd bright splash.

I like the frothy type of planting here, it makes you want to reach out and touch the plants as well as look at them.

The gunnera is looking splendid, it's hard to believe that this bank was bare at the start of the year, all this growth in just a few months.

The gardens have an Alice In Wonderland theme going on at the moment to coincide with the school holidays, there were lots of younger visiters. I loved this topiary, the White Rabbit, Queen Of Hearts and Tweedledum and Tweedledee. There were characters walking around the grounds too.

I couldn't get over the size of these flowers, they were as big as footballs. This is Hydrangea arborescens Annabelle.

Not all the areas are winding down quite yet though, this border continues to flower with hot colours.

I really like these echinops, apparently, they're great in a vase too.

One of my favourite flowers is astrantia, this one is Roma. I keep saying that I'll get one for my own garden but I still haven't.

The wildlife was enjoying this border, the bees were diving head first in to the Crocosmia Lucifer.

Another border with lots of colour still on show.

The Kitchen Garden has just come in to its own where colour is concerned. The dahlias are now blooming and many other types of flowers are dotted around growing amongst the veg.

There's a huge difference in the vegetables since my last visit, everything seems to have grown so quickly. This pumpkin is Atlantic Giant, there's some way to go until it will be harvested.

The squash are growing nicely. There's lots of different types sprawling in the bed.

The sweetcorn has its silks. I haven't grown any this year, I did buy the seeds but I never got round to sowing them.

They're going to have a great apple harvest. The trees are trained as espaliers against a framework bordering the paths.

No kitchen garden should be without sunflowers. These four beauties give a different meaning to Pretty Maids All In A Row.

The border I'm following has taken on yet another look. It seems new things pop up and flower each month.

Outside the Alpine House is a Pictorial Meadow, an annual flower meadow with a mix of plants which flower in summer and then die. A traditional wildflower meadow is perennial and flowers repeatedly year after year.

I like the use of cosmos, it's feathery foliage fills any bare spots giving the meadow a more fluid appearance.

I expect my next visit will see many of the vegetables in the Kitchen Garden being harvested and many of the flower beds starting to wind down ready for winter, however, I'm sure there'll be a few surprises too, there always is.