The summer of 2026 keeps giving wonderful weather but the continual sun and wind is taking its toll on the plants though we are in the fortunate position of having a plentiful water supply from an artesian well in the valley below us. Hosepipe water is ok but no substitute for rainwater which currently is as rare as hen’s teeth.

The good news is there is still plenty to see and a wander around will be well rewarded. There is a tendency for plants to droop and lose their tightness at this time of the year but the hedges have been clipped giving a great contrast.

The long herbaceous walled border is full of close knit planting, hollyhocks are still flowering away merrily, the Japanese anemones have benefitted from watering, the potato plant is giving and giving its small blue flowers, the Crinum lilies are adding an exotic pink flourish and the white phlox stand out spectacularly. That’s just the start, enjoy exploring.

Round the corner, the banana are striking and the blue hibiscus while tucked away are a personal favourite. The cutting garden is a riot of colour and the sunflowers adding drama, verbena bonarensis is shown off wonderfully by the purple beech and sweet pea scent wafts across the border especially at dusk. ( “Glass of something in hand” great gardening advice from Carol Klein during filming here for BBC Gardener’s World).

The Herb walkway to my mind is perfection as the poor dry soil emulates the Mediterranean climate of their natural home. Pass your hand through the Helichrysum italicum for a waft of curry and ginger off the very green Rosemary which is loving the dry time. Evolution has done wonders with the narrow waxy leaves retaining moisture and minimising evaporation. The Helicrysum is also wonderfully adapted to the harsh growing environment with thin silvery leaves which also reflect heat as well as reducing evaporation. I suspect the fig is very confused and despite its natural dry home looking a little wilted. Perhaps Shropshire living has made it a little lazy and the roots have not had to go down far enough as they might in a normally hotter dryer  home. Think Garrigue which in August would be a dry aromatic scrubland with the atmosphere of pepper, resin, mint and wild herbs. A well chilled Picpoul de Pinet should accompany.

Finally do not miss the Campsis radicans and Chilean jasmine, firstly the Campsis is the stunning orange trumpet flowering climber on the orangery. One recent and extremely knowledgable well travelled gardener guest stated it was the finest example she had ever seen. Not one to argue my question is if you have seen finer, I would love to know where it is for research purposes,  not garden sabotage. The Chilean jasmine is just round the corner with large white trumpet flowers and is a rarity living happily on the well protected wall away from winter North easterlies.

It will rain and I would not be surprised if the autumn doesn’t turn out to be the wettest on record but until then keep enjoying one of the best summers on record and certainly since 1976. We may be in Shropshire but the garden has shifted to the Mediterranean “Santé”

John Cushing