Jo Willcocks: top five plants for the summer season

Jo Willcocks, award-winning, Cheshire based garden designer, has shared her top plant picks for the season with us... "Gosh, there are so many gorgeous plants to choose from it’s going to be hard to narrow it down, but here goes!"
 Three plants for a sunny position 

Roses 

Rose
We are coming in to rose season and I just love David Austin Roses, both Shrub and Climbing.
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There are so many varieties to choose from, many will repeat flower through until Autumn, have gorgeous scent, good disease resistance and are great for picking.
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Just cut one or three roses and pop in a bud vase and you have an instant posy arrangement.

Top tip - Bud vases are great on their own or grouped together to show off cut flowers from your garden

 

Salvias

Salvia

 

Flowering now through to the autumn, gorgeous colours, great companion for roses and irresistible to bees and butterflies. They also do well in pots.

 Cosmos with bee

Cosmos

Great value for money, ideal for filling in gaps in your borders and flowers its socks off all summer. Also does well in pots and is one of the top bee friendly plants

 

 Two plants for partial sun/shade position 

Foxgloves 

Foxglove

 

Perfect cottage garden plant, that works equally well in a contemporary setting, for early summer and loved by bees and butterflies too. Soft colours from white, apricot to pink. Please note, this is harmful if eaten.

 

Hydrangeas

 

I love hydrangeas - they have long lasting flowers from mid summer through to Autumn. One of my favourites is ‘Limelight’ - the flowers emerge as lime green, turn to cream and then a faded deep pink in Autumn.

Climbing Hydrangea - Hydrangea petiolaris is one of the best self clinging climbers for a shady wall as its easy to grow and has gorgeous white flowers. That said, it will do equally well in a sunny position as long as the roots are kept moist. Keep the seedheads on for winter interest.

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Bonus question: What’s the one tool you can’t do without?

Hori hori knife - japanese trowel which is great for weeding and bulb planting. Coming to Okells soon. 

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If you want to find out more about Jo and her work then check out her website and instagram.

www.joannewillcocks.co.uk 
Instagram jowillcocks

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