Last summer I noticed that the formal borders around the garden seemed oddly lacking in colour during June and July. Why was this?

Well, most of the formal borders face east, and were shaded by overgrown shrubs and perennials which hadn't been divided in many years. The south-facing border is unfortunately super-dry and in parts quite shady, thanks to the huge eucalyptus tree that sits in the middle of it. 

So - what to do? 

There was nothing I could do about the drying effects of the eucalyptus, so I edged the front of that border with drought-tolerant plants. 

We pruned back the shrubs to let in a bit more light , and I lifted and divided as many of the perennials as I could. I planted some Hydrangea aborescens 'Annabelle' along the east-facing borders, and these are now popping out in large white balls against the green background. Interestingly, the day lilies have flowered much better this summer, and with a much stronger peach colour, after I divided and replanted them last autumn.

Then I planted a lot of bulbs - tulips for spring, and alliums for summer - as well as plenty of penstemons, mainly the 'Garnet' cultivar, which is pretty hardy. I also grew from seed and planted on some purple and blue-coloured annuals like Delphinium grandiflora 'Gentian Blue,' Agastache 'Black Adder,' and Cosmos, as well as some Verbena bonariensis and a few green-globe Artichokes.

Did it work? Well, this summer has certainly been an explosion of colour. Now, if we can only tackle that eucalyptus... 

Mr. P questions my sanity. Somehow or another, despite me planning to tackle the pond in a few years time, I have begun tackling the pond... now. No idea how that happened! 

I am being more sensible than the first winter we lived here, when I hand dug and cleared nettles from several large chunks of land, and knackered my back repeatedly. This time, I've had some help. Tom valiantly removed rushes from the pond and dug out the remains of the diseased bamboo. Jan, too, helped removed the ground elder, while I've tackled the bind weed. But it's a big project, nonetheless, especially without using contractors or chemicals. So I'm tackling it bit by bit.

How then?
Step 1: Clear overhanging shrubs and trees and mow nettles and acanthus so that we can actually access the pond! Getting there.

Step 2: Carry out repeated "weed removal" exercises, over the growing season. One round down, but since these are all repulsive perennial weeds, I'll be at it again later this summer, and autumn, and next year...

Step 3: Clear pond of built-up muck and decayed rushes. Done for this year.

Step 4: Replant banks. Work in progress!

Step 5: Monitor, weed, replant, and weed... repeating often, over the next few years. 

Nothing like a challenge! 

Rambling sailboats
Neats Home Garden has some lovely old rambling roses. One of them, possibly Paul's Himalyan Musk, hangs off our one surviving Robinia tree, flowering in late spring in a cloud of fragrant pale pink blossoms. However, that same scented beauty also acts as a huge sail. The rose stems and branches are so thick and heavy that they made the tree "swing" in heavy winds. 

What survived...
We had already lost our other Robinia tree two years ago in heavy gales, and I didn't want to lose the remaining one. So a few months ago I asked a tree surgeon to give it a hefty prune. This was timely work indeed. Both rose and Robinia have survived the recent winds and rain unscathed.

... and what did not
Not so, however, the other rambling rose in the Wild Garden. This one, which produces lovely apricot-coloured blossom, had rambled so far that it hung in a thicket, not a cloud, over three trees - a walnut, crab apple, and magnolia. The walnut was so swamped by the rose, and also by the overgrown Viburnum shrubs which had grown up around it, that it split and fell during the recent gales. 

I kicked myself for failing to realise that this rose was also a danger. Those trees weren't even half the height of the Rubinia, but the rose was still too great a weight for them. 

So out we went, Mr. P and I, armed with chainsaw and hedge-trimmer, and cut back that rose and Viburnums from the two surviving threes. I painstakingly stripped it off the magnolia, trying to avoid damaging the already weakened branches. 

Smothered skeleton 
Three hours later the poor magnolia was revealed to be a thin skeleton of only three branches - the rose had so smothered it that it had stopped developing strong side-branches. Hopefully, now that it's clear of that weight, and will benefit from some sunlight (and some top dressing), it might recover its strength and flower vigorously next spring. 

No more ramblers for the moment
I had planned to plant more rambling roses around the Garden. But now I think I won't. Trees are too precious. The Robinia tree, for instance, has a lovely fragrant flower - as does the magnolia. The crab apple produces a delicious crop. Rambling roses are glorious, but I can do without their beauty if instead my trees flourish and prosper. 

The online gardener
I often buy gardening items online. It's convenient and reliable, and although I often visit garden centres searching for plants and tools, I'm frequently disappointed by their narrow range of stock, leading me to turn online. Recently, though, I've had a few bad experiences shopping online that have changed my mind. 

Railway Sleepers
I bought 30 railway sleepers from a well-known online timber supplier, and paid in advance. I based my entire design for the Kitchen Garden around their advertised length of 2.6m. However, every sleeper that the company delivered was 2.5m, not 2.6m long. After much wrangling and chasing, they eventually exchanged some of them for sleepers that were... once again... 2.5m long. 

Fruit Trees
I also sourced some mulberries and apricot trees, which can be difficult to find, from what was meant to be a reputable specialist. When they arrived I was shocked to see how badly the trees had been packed. Many of the main stems were twisted and damaged. This particular nursery guarantees their plants "until the spring." However, I'll only see how the trees fare over the course of the summer and autumn, so the supposed "guarantee" is useless. My follow-up questions to them about how best to prune them were answered unintelligibly. Customer service is also not their strong-point.  

Buy local or ask for recommendations
All in all, a warning. If you have time to hunt around and buy locally then that's a good bet. If you can't find what you want and do need to buy online, then choose a company recommended by gardening pals. I'm happy to let you know the names of the companies that I'd recommend - as well as those I'd never buy from again.  

Dreaming of summer's harvest
I'm enjoying imagining the garden in summer: trellising laden with sweet peas, runner beans and pumpkins... beds brimming with rocket, beetroot and lettuce. But there are still plenty of practical things to do before the real fun starts. 

First, a bit more work
Next week Ashridge Trees will deliver my hedging and fruit trees and I'll be busy planting these around the kitchen garden. In a few weeks time, the beds will be filled with top soil and compost, then edged with old railway sleepers. After that I'll cover them with weed-suppressant membrane or black plastic to stop weed seeds germinating and to warm the soil for spring planting.  I've been nurturing my poor asparagus crowns, keeping them cool and moist in the pantry, but these will also need to go into the ground as soon as possible, along with the fruit bushes. 

Then onto the real fun 
After that, the real fun can begin - planning which seeds to sow next year. I'm consulting Thomas Etty's incredible catalogue of heritage veg for ideas... and planning a local seed swap so that I can gain from my neighbours' experience. More on that in the New Year. Until then, back to work!  

After months of planning, it's finally time to create the kitchen garden.

The location for the new garden is an over-grown but sun-lit gravel courtyard behind the old barn. I tested the location this past year with a temporary veg patch, to make sure plants received enough light and were sufficiently sheltered. All went well. The only real problem, predictably enough, came from the rabbits.

The plan now is to use a digger to scrape off the remaining gravel and level the soil. Then 10 beds will be set into the ground, and the area around them turfed. The beds will be edged with something cheap for this next year, because I want to make sure that the design works well. Once I'm comfortable that it's working, I'll install a permanent edging, probably using reclaimed railway sleepers.

Jack Drewe, a friendly local landscaper and garden maintenance firm, is doing all the groundwork. Stay tuned for more updates. Jack and the digger, and groundhog, below... 

Gardening in the sweet shop 
When I first started gardening, in London, I was a little like a kid in a sweet shop. I would visit a garden centre, buy lots of interesting plants, and plant them in the garden. Although I paid attention to shade and sun, I did not understand the pros and cons of gardening with London clay soil, and often chose inappropriate plants.

Lavender in London
My most memorable experience of this was also my very first foray into planting. I bought half a dozen lavenders, dug them holes, threw in some fish, blood and bone, and watered well.

The next morning when I went into the garden to admire them I found them dug up and ripped to shreds. In London you are never far from a fox den, and a very active den, with new cubs, lived next door. The foxes had been attracted by the smell of fish, blood and bone, and had gone hunting. 

Soil is King
I replanted lavender several times, but each time I did, they died. In truth, lavender does not thrive on heavy, thick clay soil, and it took me a while to learn that soil is king. I can plant lavender here in Oxfordshire, of course, just as I can plant sedums, euphorbias, marjoram, sage, aquilegias - all plants that tolerate or even prefer dry sandy soil. 

Replanting the sunny border
I began to reflect on this principle - soil is king - recently, when planning my new design for the sunny border. This border is in the formal garden, and faces south. It is currently dominated by mature eucalyptus tree and a number of mature shrubs. Once heavily infested with ground elder, it is now, after about 18 months of repeated weeding, only moderately plagued. 

Dreaming of helenium
Initially I had dreamed of planting it with drifts of Helenium 'Moreheim Beauty' and scarlet Mondard (Bergamot). But the more I researched those plants, the more I realised the folly of such dreams. These plants need full sun, certainly, but also reliably moist soil, and this is one thing I do not have. That pesky eucalyptus, which Mr P so loves, and those mature shrubs, suck all moisture from the sandy, gravelly soil, leaving the remaining plants parched. 

Planting for dry, sandy soil
So I bowed at the throne of King Soil, looked around the garden to see which plants thrived in such conditions, and replanned. It will not be quite what I would dream of, but it will, I believe, be both a beautiful and sustainable design. The bees, too, should be happy, and I will have plenty of herbs for the kitchen as well. 

So the border is to be edged with drought-tolerant and fragrant herbs, beloved of bees and hover flies: sage, marjoram, catmint, curry plants, and thyme. The middle of the border will be stacked with sedums in contrasting reds, pinks and greens. The back of the border will be filled with Rudbeckia and Asters, plants which also prefer moisture and can suffer during drought, but after good rain will perk up and flower well. I hope King Soil will nod approvingly.

A wonderful bridge between summer & autumn
September can be a great month for time spent outdoors and in the garden. On the hills and along the coast, the skies are often clear, and the temperature is pleasant enough for long walks. In the garden, it's the perfect weather for planting: warm and rainy, so plants can establish their root systems before the cold weather sets in. It's also a wonderful time to plan next year's great adventures - whether new crops (berries galore) or new plans (a kitchen garden). 

It's also a great time of year for colour, shape and texture in the garden. Here are a few of my favourite plants for September...

Shrubs
Abelia x grandiflora is a medium-size shrub with an arching habit. It's covered with small, creamy or pale pink bell-shaped flowers from mid-summer through to October. It really comes into its own in September, when few other shrubs are flowering. It prefers full sun and moist, well-drained soil, but it's also doing well for me in a sheltered but dry east-facing site, so you could stretch its reach a little.

Purple leaved shrubs 
Another interesting shrub is Physocarpus opulifolius. This has several cultivars, including 'Diabolo'. It is a tall shrub, growing to about 1.5-2m high, with wrinkled purple leaves ending in a graceful tip. The colour is similar to that of a purple beech (Fagus sylvatica purpurea), and is a lovely choice if you wish to create purple accents throughout your garden. It grows in full sun or part shade, and works well in the middle to back of your border. In summer it has clusters of small, white-pink flowers.

Of course, if you like purple accents in shrubs, then you can't go wrong with my absolute favourite, Cotinus 'Royal Purple.' The purple foliage become red-tinged as autumn progresses, while the pink-purple flower plumes are a sight to behold in summer. Almost delicious! 

Perennials
My favourite perennial for autumn is Penstemon 'Andenken an Friedrich Hahn' (syn. Garnet). I grew this in London, where it thrived despite heavy clay and a semi-shaded position. Penstemons are meant to be half-hardy, but mine are doing well here in Oxfordshire, where the frosts are heavy and last well into late May/early June.  

Penstemon Andenken is not easy to get hold of, despite being well-known as the toughest of the numerous cultivars. But don't bother with many of the cultivars for sale - although they have large flower-heads, they're not tough, and the overlarge flower heads often droop unhappily. 

To give penstemons a fighting chance, trim the foliage lightly in late autumn, after flowering, but wait until the spring to cut it back fully. This will provide some protection from frosts over the winter. 

Sedums
The other great perennial for this time of year, and for Oxfordshire soil, is the Sedum. It needs full sun and well-drained, poor soil to do well. There's a huge variety, from the small ground-creepers, to the taller, purple varieties like 'Morchen' (which can be seen at Waterperry Gardens). They're also great for splitting and potting on. I recently split and potted up several, and they're already ready for replanting after only 2-3 weeks, so they're a cheap way to fill your borders, or, if your garden is smaller, to add some colour to your patio plants.

Asters are also wonderful. We have too many of the washed-out pale pink ones in our garden, which are also prolific along the Thames this time of year. Choose, instead, some of the more striking cultivars, and consider visiting Waterperry Gardens for ideas - their aster display, along the main border, is amazing. 

Bulbs
Cyclamen are lovely annual bulbs to pot up or plant in mixed beds for autumn colour, and I'm enjoying them right now.

Dahlias are, properly speaking, perennials, but are generally treated in England as annuals, as they are frost-tender. I first realised their potential when I visited a friend's garden in mid October. He had mixed a huge variety of dahlias together, higgedly piggedly, in one long border, and the view from his kitchen window was a sensational blaze of spiky, starry fireworks. This is the first year I've planted them. My display is not a patch on my friend's, but they're still a real pleasure to behold. 

Muddy Foodprints
The driveway into Neats Home was laid a while ago. When we moved in, it was as much soil as gravel, well sown with weeds. That first winter, when it rained, the builders trekked mud into the house. The same thing happened the following year. One day I had enough, and asked Mr. P for "emergency help." 

That weekend, we stripped off the old surface, laid down weed-suppressant membrane, and paid the local gravel merchant to dump several tonnes of gravel onto the drive. The mud disappeared overnight. Order was restored. All was well again. 

Gardening Madness
But around the same time, I decided to create a small garden bed next to the drive. Why I decided this, I cannot recall - in retrospect it was a little mad, since I was already clearing overgrown beds, and the area that I had to dig up was hard-packed sand and bedrock - incredibly hard and dry. But the site was south-facing, sunny, and the main view from the kitchen. So, after a fair amount of hard labour, I managed to create a rough bed, and began to stock it with plants. 

Thrifty Gardening
I didn't buy new plants - I just lifted and split plants from elsewhere in the garden, and planted these. A neighbour kindly gave me some of his sedums, and recently I added some herbs that I've scrounged from other parts of the garden - purple sage, pink pompons of chives, yellow marjoram, spiky tarragon, and creeping yellow-leaved thyme. I scattered poppy seeds I'd collected, and next month, in September, I'll plant some pink wallflowers that I've grown from seed, as well as plenty of pink tulips.

Silver and Green
The colour scheme is silver and green, with splashes of pink and purple I'm looking forward to it maturing next year, and being able to pop out from the kitchen to gather herbs.