Holehird Gardens Cumbria

This is the Lakeland Horticultural Society's flagship garden, set on a hillside as you drive from Windermere and follow the signs to Ullswater towards the Kirkstone Pass. As you reach the gardens you are rewarded with a most magnificent view over a pond and woodland areas reaching out across the valley towards Lake Windermere in the distance. 

The gardens are worked by volunteer members of the Lakeland Horticultural Society and many were happily busy about their work as we had a wander through the gardens. It felt as though we could just pick up a garden trowell or hoe and join them. 

Glorious views of the Lakeland valleys and mountain tops.

Holehird houses a stunning collection of hydrangeas.

There are a series of ponds with waterfalls, pools and rock garden areas.

Beautiful foliage of all colours.

Stunning crocosia.

Our visit was in late August and there were stunning displays of vivid autumnal colours.

Beautiful anemones giving a wonderful show.

A view of the stunning walled garden.

Colourful arrays of heather in the rock garden areas.

A peaceful place on the hillside to sit and enjoy a peek of Lake Windermere.

Pretty display of mixed flowers in the courtyard.

Hydrangeas

Hydrangeas are beautiful, old fashioned and traditional plants that can give lots of colour in the garden right through summer and into autumn. Their flowers are made up of several varieties, the most common being mopheads and lace caps. In autumn even when their billowing flower heads are dying back they still add some interest and colour to the garden. They are such a versatile plant and look great in mixed borders, grouped together or even in pots as specimen plants.

We recently visited the Lakeland Horticultural Society's garden at Holehird in Cumbria where there is a huge display of hydrangeas in all different colours and varieties. There is a whole garden area devoted to them making a glorious splash of pinks, purples, whites and blues. As you walk through there is a strong aroma of perfume and the blooms are full of bees and butterflies. 

Smiling Sunflowers and Sunshine

I love August as it means it is sunflower time! I always like to have a few here and there in the garden. When we visited Hitchin Lavender Farm recently I spotted that they had a field full, which were about to burst into bloom, so we popped back for another visit and to take some photos. They looked spectacular! 

Plants for August

There is still plenty of colour in our garden although it's late August. Here are a few of my favourite plants for August that always give a good show of colour when lots of other plants have been and gone ...

Sunflowers - always a welcome sign of late summer.

Different varieties of Salvia giving a good show and attracting  the bees still. 

Agapanthus just about to burst into flower.

Verbena is always one of my favourites for late summer, both tall and small varieties. 

Lower growing verbena

Crocosia hiding behind the verbena gives a hot orange colour to the side border.  

Rudbeckia in full bloom, adding an autumnal glow. 

August in the Garden

The pots and baskets are still looking colourful and the summer annuals are giving lots of brightness now a lot of plants have flowered and finished for the season. 

There are still lots of bees and butterflies, especially on tne verbena. They seem to love the blue and purple flowering plants that we have scattered about the garden. 

We have been having gold finches on the sunflower seed feeder regularly all summertime. The mornings have been quite dewy and there are some beautiful spider webs as you wander around the garden early in the morning. 

Roses are still blooming and the waterlilies are still flowering. 

Even the seed in one of the bird feeders has sprouted! 

I've been adding clusters of shells around the garden following our recent visits to the seaside. August is one of the most relaxing and lazy times in the garden.