Early September in the garden

Senecio pulcher - a wonderfully intense colour. I'd love to see how it grows wild in Uruguay. 

Small Tortoiseshells on  Eupatorium maculatum 'Little Red': they have flourished in this warm dry summer.

Although the days are shortening and nights are getting chilly there is still a lot to see in the garden, and much to come. The really warm weather came to an end on Thursday, with a shift to cooler westerly air on Friday. This brought torrential rain to the arboretum but hardly a drop fell here, less than ten miles away and I've actually had to have the sprinkler on to alleviate the drought.

The border outside my study window in the early morning: Dahlia 'Twynings Revel' is superb.

Sanguisorba 'Cangshan Cranberry' (I believe) - a very effective plant, with the spikes held well above the foliage.

Artemisia lactiflora 'Jim Russell'

Kniphofia 'Percy's Pride'. Big clumps were here when I came.

Unfortunately I didn't note the name of this green Gladiolus - it was just a packet I got from somewhere in spring. The flowers are a nice size and an excellent colour.

Melianthus major 'Antonow's Blue'