Hot weather drama yields beauty: Santolina and Brugmansia steal the show

Apart from last week's downpour, the weather has been extremely hot in recent weeks and it has been an ongoing drama to keep the plants looking fresh and happy for the visitors booked to see it. One of the first they will see on entering the beach garden is the pretty santolina, or cotton lavender. It is a popular and easily grown small shrub that has attractive silvery foliage and masses of bright yellow flowers in summer. Despite its common name, this plant is not related to lavender or cotton. Forming a compact, bushy mound of evergreen foliage, cotton lavender is ideal for border edges and raised beds, and also makes an excellent dwarf hedge. The leaves are finely divided to give a feathery appearance and are aromatic when bruised. Mine is planted in the gravel and overhangs the large rowing boat!