THE SUMMER GARDEN EDIT
10 PLANTS THAT WILL ELEVATE YOUR HOME GARDEN THIS SUMMER
From fragrant climbers to sculptural grasses — the botanicals our designers are reaching for right now.
1. Agapanthus
Agapanthus africanus
Striking, structural, and effortlessly chic — agapanthus is the botanical equivalent of a well-cut linen suit. Those globe-like clusters in deep violet and icy white rise on tall stems above strappy foliage, making it as compelling in a terracotta pot as it is massed along a path. It's drought-tolerant once established, which is a quiet kind of grace in a hot summer.
Full sun | Low water | July–Aug bloom
2. Lavender
Lavandula angustifolia
If a garden has a scent memory, lavender is its keeper. 'Hidcote' and 'Munstead' are the stalwarts — compact, deeply purple, impossibly fragrant. Line them along a gravel path or border the kitchen garden in rows and let them be the thing your guests always mention. Bees adore it. So does a linen sachet. So do we.
Full sun | Low water | June–Aug bloom
3. Salvia
Salvia nemorosa
The great workhorse of the contemporary perennial border, elevated. 'Caradonna' in particular — dark stems, bright violet spires — has become something of a shorthand for sophisticated planting. It pairs with everything: roses, ornamental grasses, alliums. It flowers for months. And if you cut it back after its first flush, it will simply start again.
Full sun | May–Sept bloom | Low water
4. Jasmine
Jasminum officinale
A climbing jasmine on a garden wall is one of those things that shifts the entire mood of an outdoor space. Come midsummer the white blossoms open in the evenings and the scent becomes something you plan your evenings around. Train it over an archway, up a pergola, or simply let it tumble across a trellis. Indoors or out, it carries a warmth that feels almost architectural.
Full - part sun | June–Sept bloom | Climber
5. Stipa Grass
Stipa tenuissima
No plant moves quite like feather grass. The finest, palest golden-green threads catch any breath of wind and ripple in a way that is genuinely mesmerising. Use it to soften the hard lines of a contemporary garden or weave it through flowering perennials for contrast. 'Pony Tails' is the cultivar you're looking for — it brings the feeling of the California coast to almost any climate.
Full sun | Ornamental grass | Low water
6. Echinacea
Echinacea purpurea
Coneflower has had something of a moment, and rightly so. The daisy-like blooms in warm rose, coral, and burnt orange carry the garden from midsummer well into autumn. They're native-friendly, drought-resilient, and beloved by pollinators. Leave the seed heads standing through winter and they become their own kind of sculptural thing — which feels very much in the spirit of considered gardening.
Full/part sun | July–Sept bloom | Pollinator
7. Bougainvillea
Bougainvillea glabra
For those in warmer climates — or anyone with a sunny south-facing wall and a degree of ambition — bougainvillea is pure maximalism done beautifully. The papery bracts in magenta, coral, and cerise cascade in a way that photographs feel inadequate to capture. It's the plant of the Mediterranean and it brings that same light-soaked generosity to wherever it's given warmth and room to grow.
Full sun | Climber/Wall shrub | May–Oct bloom
8. Verbena Bonariensis
Verbena bonariensis
Tall, airy, and almost see-through — verbena bonariensis is the plant you put in front of everything else because it doesn't block anything, it only adds. The tiny purple flower clusters float on stems that can reach five feet and create that layer of haze that characterises the very best naturalistic planting. Self-seeds gently and politely. A joy from the first flower to the last frost.
Full sun | June–Oct bloom | Self-seeding
10. Olive Tree
Olea europaea
Not a flower — something better. A mature olive in a generous terracotta pot anchors an outdoor space in a way no other plant quite manages. The silver-green foliage catches light differently at every hour of the day; the gnarled trunk speaks of permanence and ease in equal measure. It requires so little and offers so much. The definitive statement plant for the considered summer garden.
Full sun | Low water | Year-round structure
Whether you're working with a small terrace or a generous plot, the principle is the same: choose plants that do more than one thing. That move, or smell, or feed something else. That look as good in September as they do in June. Start with two or three from this list and see what they ask for next. A garden, like a well-designed interior, always tells you where it wants to go.
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