Summer Blooms - Highlights in Sketches
I wanted to take this opportunity to write about some of my summer garden bloom highlights and utilise some of my dip pen illustrations from my sketchbook. So here is a glimpse into my garden and rough sketches in my sketchbook!
My garden is a small patch, but I like to make the most of it for both myself and the wildlife. Due to the nature of the space, the plants I grow are predominantly in pots. As many of you already know I had a magnificent sunflower growing this year and it’s now been featured across my new range with a response that’s been really moving. However, I wanted to turn my attention to some of the other garden bloom highlights.
Hollyhock Lavender original dip pen sketch
Hollyhock
Starting with one of my all time favourites, these resilient plants create a captivating display, their height and colour alone are pleasing but add their soft shapes and they are otherworldly. These towering giants are in my all-time top five flowers. Growing on all kinds of terrain these blooms can grow in the most unlikely places, you can sometimes spot them alongside UK train lines, along hedgerows or even gravel/ rubble-covered ground.
Buddleia
This year I let our buddleia go a bit wild. With a little bit of pruning it’s created a beautiful canopy. The bush has by no exaggeration been fantastic and teaming with bees and butterflies. After a wild summer, it was crying out for an autumn prune ready for the dormant period. I also clipped the rose bush - always the most severe trim in the garden.
Buddleia original dip pen sketch
Begonia original dip pen sketch
Begonia
An unlikely featured candidate but I underplanted the bulbs for these in some of my pots as summer blooms and they’ve been stunning right into September - helping bridge that gap between summer and winter bedding. They have kept my pots looking fresh and elegant in white blooms.
Verbena
With its geometric stalk and its delicate purple flower, on a whim, I managed to get this going into a strong and beautiful specimen from a small plant I picked up. I stuffed it in a relatively shallow pot, and it’s been a complete joy to watch thrive. I’ve heard people mention that they haven’t had much luck with the plant, and I can’t help wondering if the conditions in the shallow pot unintentionally provided the ideal growing conditions. Though I am aware they like well-draining soil, I didn’t expect it to flourish to the extent it did in what I deemed as an extremely inadequate pot!
Verbena original dip pen sketch
Lavender original dip pen sketch
Lavender
I can’t get enough of lavender, I have it by the pot full to try and create a fragrant sensory experience for when I’m sitting, reading or drawing outside. I also like that it’s low maintenance and requires little watering – ideal for these warmer summers that are becoming more frequent, and the bees love it!