The common foxglove, Digitalis, makes a bold statement in the border this month. They can grow up to 2m in height and although they are biennial, don’t forget that each plant can produce a quarter of a million tiny wind-borne seeds, which will reseed in your garden. Once a foxglove grower, always a foxglove grower!

The herbaceous border is always a delight throughout the summer months. A plant that has been around for a long time is the Thalictrum. This commonly called meadow rue is a tall perennial bearing soft pink flowers over very thin delicate foliage.

Another great plant is lady’s mantle, the Alchemilla mollis. This low growing perennial has soft green foliage and green flowers. It does self seed quite well and will tolerate slightly dry conditions. It looks well when it’s grown in a block or planted along a path or wall.

Geraniums are often forgotten in favour of the more brightly coloured perennials. However they come in all shades and colours. Try the Geranium ‘Wargrave Pink’ for a salmon pink colour, and Geranium ‘Johnson’s Blue’ for a bright blue flower.

The Aralia elata grows into a small interesting looking tree. This deciduous tree is gorgeous in late spring and all summer as it clothes itself with fresh new leaves which can be up to a meter long. The usual kind grown is the variegated form, which also colours beautifully pale yellow in Autumn. It is commonly known as the Japanese angelica tree.

Conifers, although appreciated more in the winter because of their evergreen needles, have a place in every summer garden. The blue Atlantic cedar, Cedrus atlantica ‘Glauca’, stands out very nicely with its blue-green needles. Against a backdrop of dark green foliage it’s very striking.

Although many Magnolias flower in the spring, the Magnolia wilsonii, the summer magnolia flowers throughout June producing scented white flowers.

If you want a small deciduous summer flowering tree look no further than the Cornus family. For example the Cornus kousa ‘Chinensis’ is clothed a flat white flowers, which stay on the plant for quite some time. Other varieties include, Cornus ‘Eddie’s White Wonder’ and Cornus florida. Remember that these small trees look better as they grow older and the amount of flowers they produce increase with age, so patience is needed if you buy this as a small shrub.

Scent is important in every garden and one of the best summer shrubs is the Philadelphus ‘Belle Etoile’. It’s commonly known as the mock orange and its white flowers are highly scented.

Climbers also provide a lot of colour in the summer. Try varieties such as Lonicera periclymenum, the honeysuckle, has yellow pink flowers. Solanum crispum ‘Glasnevin’ the potato climber has purple flowers, while Solanum Album has crisp white flowers.