Plant this
Stick your head into the foliage of an agastache and its liquorice-scented leaves take you back to childhood sweetshops. This short-lived perennial’s spikes of blue or purple flowers from mid- to late summer are loved by bees and butterflies. Try dark purple ‘Blackadder’, lavender-blue ‘Blue Fortune’ or pink ‘Cotton Candy’. It needs a sunny, sheltered, well-drained spot to really thrive.
Visit this
It’s late summer, which means gardens are packed with beautiful seedheads and textured stems wherever you look. Grass specialist Knoll Gardens in Dorset is a great place to learn and be inspired by this vast family of plants. The nursery has a four-acre naturalistic garden, which is open to visitors from Tuesday to Saturday, and owner Neil Lucas offers regular masterclasses in designing with grasses. Details at knollgardens.co.uk.
Pot this
Dig up chives, parsley and mint romping away outside and separate out small clumps to pot up in fresh compost for the kitchen windowsill. Cut them right back and keep them well watered and lit when you bring them inside, and you’ll have fresh herbs to harvest once the plants fade in the garden.
