There couldn't have been a better day for a colour hunt at RHS Wisley - unless you happened to be a phone trying to survive 36°C sunshine!
With temperatures soaring and Wisley reported as one of the hottest places in the country, it was certainly a day for hats, water bottles and frequent shady stops. My mission was simple: seek out as many beautiful blue flowers as possible.
The hunt began outside the old laboratories, where elegant African lilies stood proudly in full bloom. Their tall stems and rounded heads of trumpet-shaped flowers were glowing in the sunshine and immediately set the tone for the day.
Next came the trial gardens, which were overflowing with colour. Sweet peas climbed their supports, filling the air with their delicate scent, while towering delphiniums added dramatic splashes of blue. Speedwell and cornflowers nestled amongst the wildflower patches, creating a wonderfully natural effect that looked as though it had simply appeared there by chance.
The long walk borders were another highlight. They were packed with texture as well as colour, with spiky blue eryngos catching the light, large drifts of geraniums softening the planting, globe thistles adding their perfectly spherical blooms and delicate pincushion flowers weaving through the display.
A wander through the woodland brought a change of mood and much-appreciated shade. Here, enormous bushes of blue hydrangeas were putting on a spectacular show, their huge flowerheads glowing against the darker backdrop of leaves.
In the fruit garden, patches of chicory flowers and cornflowers danced in the slightest breeze, adding a touch of movement to the scene and making it hard to resist stopping for yet another photograph.
The cottage garden offered the final blue treasure of the day – vines of clematis scrambling over supports, covered in richly coloured blooms that seemed almost impossibly vibrant against the clear summer sky.
It really was a beautiful day spent spotting blue flowers around the garden, although progress was occasionally interrupted by enforced breaks while my phone cooled down after overheating in the blazing sun. At 36 degrees, even technology was struggling!
After several hours of flower hunting in one of the hottest spots in the country, it was a very quick journey straight back to the office to cool down and recover. Despite the heat, it was a wonderful reminder of just how many shades of blue can be found at Wisley - and how rewarding it can be to slow down and look for a single colour amongst the abundance of a summer garden.
