WE’VE HAD a busy time recently, media wise. At the end of last month, local TV broadcaster Latest TV visited the garden and filmed an interview with me which aired last week on the channel. We were blessed with a nice sunny morning and spent time talking about my charity fundraising and wandering around the garden identifying some of my favourite plants. You can see me pictured with cameraman Nathan and reporter Angi Mariani, both of who enjoyed home made cake and tea during the shoot, along with Bill Smith who took the picture. Look out for the film on their social media channels.

Another interesting media event was my being approached by a mother and daughter duo who make gardening podcasts on people who have appeared on BBC Gardeners’ World. They chatted to me about my dream garden for over an hour, a couple of weeks ago and the podcast has now been published on their social media. You can find the link on the media page of my website to listen.

Looking good in the garden this week are three fabulous plants at the back, Eucomis, calla lilies in pots and the sea lavender, planted in the ground.

EucomisEucomis

Eucomis are show stoppers, commonly known as pineapple lilies, these exotic-looking plants are generally hardier than they appear and can bring a fresh burst of colour and scent to late-summer gardens. When in flower they certainly live up to their common name of pineapple lily, having a bold, unmistakably tropical appearance that would suggest to the uninitiated that they are a specialist and difficult plant to grow. But unlike pineapples, they are far more adaptable to the UK climate and much less demanding in their cultivation, making them a fun plant to have in your plot. Mine are all in large containers around some central steps.

My calla lilies, also known as Zantedeschia Cantor are a deep dark purple, one of the blackest of the black callas. Just as the cantor leads the choir Cantor will surely lead the show in your garden. They look amazingly exotic and make a dramatic statement in your pots or borders. Mine are planted in a large container and are kept in the heated greenhouse until all chance of frost has passed, then put in a prime spot in the garden for all to see.

The third, sea lavender, or Limonium vulgare is a clump-forming perennial, native to coastal areas, about 30cm tall, with basal rosettes of slender, green to grey-green leaves. Magnificent papery, lavender-lilac or pinkish-mauve flowers are produced in sprays, on branched, wiry stems to 45cm tall, over a long period during summer. Mine are growing in the gravel bed in full sun. They are also tolerant of dry stony soils and ideal for coastal gardens.

The sea lavender is an undemanding ornamental perennial that brings a touch of Mediterranean charm to your plot. Sea lavender is not actually related to the lavender family. The flowers range in colour from white to pink to lavender. There are also sea lavender varieties with yellow flowers, but these are quite rare. Butterflies and other pollinators often visit the flowers. I have three large clumps across the back garden and are usually a plant visitors ask about, not having seen it before.

When we were open, I had many comments about the six wall pots at the back of the house, mainly containing trailing fuchsias and geraniums. Those pictured,sit on the north facing wall, either side of the new French windows and have done really well this year as you can see. The pretty fuchsia is called Lena, which is a vigorous, free-flowering, deciduous shrub of open habit growing to about 60cm in height with arching stems bearing dark green leaves. Its flowers are semi-double, with pale pink tube, short, broad, green-tipped, pale pink sepals, and violet petals flushed pink at base, flowering from summer to autumn. I’ve had several plants now for about ten years and they flower well from summer right through to the autumn and work well with geraniums all in the same pot. If fed well, they will dazzle all summer long. Why not give them a try?

There is one garden open for the National Garden Scheme this weekend in the county that you could visit, in Groombridge, near Tunbridge Wells. Penns in the Rocks opens tomorrow, Sunday, from 2pm to 6pm with entrance £7. This is a large garden with a spectacular outcrop of rocks, 140 million years old. Take a stroll around the lake, see the 18th century temple and wander through the woods. You can enjoy the old walled garden with herbaceous borders, roses and shrubs and see stone sculptures by Richard Strachey too.

Read more of Geoff’s garden at www.driftwoodbysea.co.uk