This summer's star plant?

My magnolia tree is in full bloom for the second time this year - onmy now it has leaves and flowers at the same time! Looks beautiful.

Shoukd be 'only now'!

My Penstemmon King George has flowered its heart out and will continue to do so until the first frosts. I have had it a few years now and it survives every winter and is now 3ft x 3ft and trails over the wall. The bees love it.
I must mention my other favourite - Alstroemeria from the ice series which again flowers its heart out from June until October before dying back and reappearing next year.
My garden is a hard unforgiving place and they not only survive but grow well.

Henetha. There is a less usual mix of cosmos with yellow, orange and white flowers. They are worth seeking out as you have had success with the species.

For me it was Tidal Wave petunias too! The dark red ones. I did a Cutting Garden course at Sarah Raven's place and she recommended them so I grew a load from seed. They are wonderful, climbing and trailing everywhere and a glorious deep shade.

I grow a lot of annuals from seed each year, starting early with several varieties of nicotiana. Maybe TOO early this time as every single one of those failed.

paperbackwriter, I ordered some Nicotiana and Verbena Bonariensis seeds on Ebay. The packets were printed with the relevant photos and instructions, only they all came up as Nicotiana! Yesterday I pinched some self sown VB plants from a verge, so hope I am not too late for them to thrive in my garden. The tobacco plants had no scent, do you know which variety smells good?

N, I'm ignorant enough not to know what a red beetle is. Will look it up immediately. My only attack has been on a couple of my hostas.

Nope, no sign of these in my garden. Will ask around my local friends now that I know of it.

I don't do annuals as I feel that other plants give more value for money. My roses have been fabulous but as ever, suffer from black spot. Never mind, the flowers are lovely.

Aster for me has been in full flow for weeks now and will keep going till the first frost.xx

The Cosmos plants we buy from a local garden centre are still going strong in the pots in front garden. The neighbours have said how good they are. They are pink, purple and white, the other colours sound lovely.Also the sweet peas, they seem to be more fragrant this year.

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These are my stars
Clematis romantika
Agapanthus & montbretia
Lacecap hydrangea

Planted 2 packets of wildflower seeds in one long border. Fabulous results but not quite sure what to do now as it’s past its best. Presumably leave the seedheads for the birds? Then let any remaining seeds drop for next year I guess? But in the meantime the border will look very untidy.

Lovely, janeainsworth

A David Austin Rose. This is my first one & it is worth every penny.
Lovely large heads of white blooms, repeat flowering & delicate fragrance. It’s thornless too.
It’s called Kew Gardens. I love it.

Dandelions, bittercress, cleavers, wild geum, nettles! Most have arrived from the three back gardens that surround mine.

My star plants are perennial sweet peas. I planted them 2 or 3 years ago. Each year they came to nothing but this year they are up the wall, in a nearby tree and flowering prolifically.
The other plant that has done amazingly well is a Salvia 'Love and Wishes' that I planted a couple of months ago in a new bed. The day after I planted it a stem got broken off and I put it a jar of water to enjoy the flowers. The stem has rooted and the plant in the garden is huge!

Thank you Lisa

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My hydrangeas are absolute super stars this year too.

Our climbing hydrangea was beautiful this year and the bees loved it - I've never seen so many in our garden.

Lovely photos, everyone!

My variegated Hostas that came up for a second year have bloomed prolifically and after I trimmed the old bloom stems off last month they are blooming again!

gillybob, I love your hydrangeas and am impressed by the seemingly weed-free soil! I use ground cover so that I have no bare earth showing hence no weeding.

My soil is only weed free because it is absolutely covered in planting shysal. I like the idea of lazy gardening where you cram loads into a small space leaving little room for weeds !

There is a clump of little Pom-Pom style Alliums that are finished and I can’t wait to get them out. I am going to try them in a pot next time as they look a mess when they fall over .

Beautiful garden, gillybob.
Our front garden isn't photogenic. Everyone's old rubbish, dried leaves etc, end up there.