Summer brings abundance and luxuriance even when the weather disappoints. Early in the season, azaleas and rhododendrons continue to delight, both of which are particular features at Hergest Croft. The long double herbaceous border in the Kitchen Garden bursts into life with alliums, delphiniums, peonies and more. Myriad varieties of iris can be spotted and recent introductions of clematis from Raymond Evison are exquisite. Roses bloom prolifically and fragrantly: look out for the unusual varieties of Old Roses in the Kitchen Garden. Often these showy blooms steal the show but don’t forget the trees. The “paper handkerchief” flowers on the Davidia involucrata are wonderful, as are the masses of creamy-white flowers found on specimens of Cornus throughout the garden. One of our favourite trees is the Pterocarya macroptera, or large-winged wingnut, which lives up to its name with pendent catkins of up to a metre in length. The images below were taken in June, July and August.