What’s looking good at RHS Wisley?

Since it was planted last spring, the Oudolf Landscape has quickly filled out, resulting in a wonderfully immersive space, with a tapestry of changing colours through the seasons. In July the landscape is painted with soft lilacs, deep purples, buttery yellows and pops of orange. Highlights include Lythrum virgatum ‘Joy’, a loosestrife with delicate lilac flowers, Helenium ‘Loysder Wieck’, a sneezeweed with bright yellow and orange starburst flowers, and Veronicastrum virginicum ‘Challenger’, a strikingly tall plant up to 1.5m with pale pink arrow-shaped flowerheads.

Reaching their floral peak this month, the Mixed Borders blend a diverse mix of pollarded trees, flowering shrubs and herbaceous perennials. Daylilies spill over the paths, with tall Hemerocallis ‘Stafford’ a firm favourite. Brightly coloured clumps of Helenium, Echinops and Phlox paniculata jostle for attention in the middle, while Canna, Macleaya and Helianthus provide dramatic foliage and flowers in the background. With their flamboyant cerise-pink, dinner-plate-sized flowers, Hibiscus moscheutos cultivars are the stars at the end of the month. While they may look tropical, they’re fully hardy at RHS Wisley.

Delighting both visitors and pollinators, mass plantings of lavender are in full bloom on the Viewing Mount. Bold, alternating stripes of two lavender cultivars – deep purple Lavandula × intermedia OLYMPIA (‘Downoly’) and light mauve L. angustifolia MELISSA LILAC (‘Dow4’) – create a candy cane effect and carpet the mount with amazing fragrance. Lavenders thrive in the bone dry, poor soil of the Viewing Mount in summer, supporting a huge number of bees and butterflies, and can also tolerate the windswept, frosty winters in this spot.

A summer feast for the senses! Planted in generous drifts in the Bowes-Lyon Rose Garden, the impact of its 4,000 roses in bloom is incredible. Wander along winding paths that envelop you in colour and scent or relax under the shade of the pavilion. The garden offers more than just roses – some 5,000 herbaceous perennials and shrubs bring colour and interest throughout the summer months, demonstrating inspiring ideas for combining roses with other plants. The mixed planting also provides protection from pests and diseases.

Packed with planting ideas and features to benefit wildlife, the Wildlife Garden buzzes with insect life this month. Demonstrating a variety of planting themes, there are native hedgerows, fruiting trees, perennial wildflower meadows, ponds and woodland. Herbaceous plants and bulbs are selected to give maximum variety of flower shape, size and season – the message is that diversity, rather than a particular plant selection, is best for welcoming wildlife, and there’s no need to sacrifice beauty. Allium ‘Forelock’ is a delight for both bees and visitors at this time of year, reaching an impressive 1.5m. Common poppies are another firm favourite of bees and produce huge quantities of pollen.

The star of early summer, our Cottage Garden peaks in June and July, with its soft, romantic planting. Rambling rose Rosa  ‘Mulliganii’ erupts into a profusion of single, pure white blooms. Despite being one of the largest and most vigorous roses, a total of 16 plants span the arches, embracing the ethos that more is more. Between the roses, the rich, violet-blue blooms of Clematis WISLEY weave through the thorny stems. At the heart of the garden, the fountain pool reflects the deep pink blooms of Rosa WILD THING and the cool blue flowers of Iris ‘Jane Phillips’.

Alive with colour and texture, the Rock Garden tempts you to explore its diverse array of plants. It’s a journey through shifting microclimates, with each turn revealing something new to admire. At the lower levels, our National Plant Collection of Astilbe Arends cultivars takes centre stage with its stunning flower plumes. Just above, the carnivorous bed is a world of its own, where Sarracenia (pitcher plants) and Pinguicula (butterworts) lure and trap insects. Climbing upwards, sun-soaked beds burst with colour, and pools and cascades create a tranquil retreat. In the upper areas, north-facing stone walls create cool, shaded niches.

Take time to explore the garden rooms of the Wellbeing Garden and experience the positive power of plants. Through careful use of colour, scent, texture and plant form, each garden room has been designed to evoke a different response. Some offer a space for quiet contemplation and relaxation, some are for socialising with friends and families, while others provide a sense of excitement and discovery. A water rill runs through the space and tactile pebble seats invite you to sit and listen to the restful sound of water or admire the striking granite sculpture The Balance by Adrian  Gray.

Surrounded by the lush leaves of bananas and palm fronds, it can be hard to remember you are still in Surrey when exploring the Exotic Garden. Trees such as Catalpa and Pinus patula have matured, adding a wonderful sense of enclosure, and there is foliage at every level, from tall plants such as Heptapleurum and Fatsia, to smaller groundcover plants including begonias and Coleus. Intense splashes of colour from Tigridia, Dahlia, lilies and cannas, emphasise the tropical vibe. The plants here have really enjoyed the recent warm weather.

From mid-summer onwards, dazzling displays of Hydrangea paniculata light up the broadwalk of Battleston Hill, with their large, ice cream cone blooms. One stand-out cultivar is Hydrangea paniculata VANILLE FRAISE (‘Renhy’), producing masses of creamy white flowers that mature to a glorious strawberry-pink. At the top of the hill, mophead hydrangeas flower in myriad colours. In Oakwood, discover cultivars of Hydrangea aspera. These often-overlooked shrubs have so much to offer with their large, velvety foliage and loose lacecap flowers.

A riot of flower colour through the summer months, our South African Meadow brings a touch of drama to the Glasshouse Landscape. Striking architectural plants and big, bold blooms punctuate swathes of hardy perennials native to South Africa. By mid-July, expect to see the vibrant oranges and pinks of Watsonia pillansii, bright pink Dierama pulcherrimum and Eucomis comosa ‘Sparkling Burgundy’, with its deep burgundy foliage and beautiful baby-pink flowers.

Throughout summer, our collection of water lilies – the second largest in the UK – brings pure elegance to the Jellicoe Canal. There are more than 50 different Nymphaea cultivars to see: look for N. ‘Escarboucle’, our favourite red waterlily (pictured) and N. ‘Gladstoniana’, with its stand-out wavy-edged leaves and star-shaped, creamy white flowers.

Download the RHS Garden Wisley app and use as your personal tour guide. Look out for walks throughout the year, including Wisteria, Topiary and Great Trees.