Late summer in our shop

We have had what we all wanted: an Indian Summer. The last couple of weeks of September were mainly dry and, after a less than satisfactory summer, relatively warm. Our shop is looking lovely. Here is a mini-tour of inside and out:

Glass vases and pot holders ina series of colours. Perfect for succulents or trailing plants.

Every Wednesday our fresh flowers are delivered. Grown in Co Kildare, these are real, seasonal flowers, so the bouquets have changed throughout the year. Sadly, there are only a couple of weeks left of them this year... we have until the last heavy frost. And then we'll all have to survive until Spring without them.

Our till and a small rubber door stop are the two items in the shop that predate us; they come from our predecessors, Action Hire.

Boules: a great game for anyone with a patch of grass or gravel.

Orchids, cut flowers, indoor plants...

Our ever-popular St Eval candles: one of the few brands of scented candles that doesn't give you a headache or fill you home with poisonous gasses. Fragrances that we stock include Lavender, Bay and Rosemary, Bergamot and Nettle, Wild Gorse, Antique Rose, Sandlawood, Orange and Cinnamon...

Little succulents in the window.

Cacti: if you have a bright windowsill, you don't get an indoor plant more easy to look after than one of these.

Vases of all shapes and sizes for those little flowers.

Cards, books and calendars, all on a horticultural theme.

Salvias are still going strong at this time of year.

Crabapple 'Golden Hornet' looking very fetching.

A new (to us) Daphne called 'Eternal Fragrance' smelling heavenly. People often ask for 'Jacqueline Postil', but there are other excellent Daphnes out there. 'Jacqueline Postil' has had propagation problems for the last few years, so it is impossible to obtain at the moment - ridiculous really given that it self-seeds easily.

One of our herb benches. We have a comprehensive selection of hardy, Irish-grown herbs that includes all of the common culinary herbs and many of the less well-known ones, from horseradish to lovage, lemon verbena to lemon grass, as well as multiple varieties of mint and thyme.

Cocosmia 'Solfaterre', one of the dusky, late-flowering Crocosmia varieties.

Apple 'Egremont Russet'. The thick skin contains a very tasty, juicy apple that appears later in the season than most.

Tetrapanax 'Rex': one of the great 'architectural' plants that can bring a tropical feel to the garden... space permitting.

Late-flowering Astrantia.

Aeonium tabuliforme: a beautiful plant for a well-drained pot or raised bed. Totally happy in a warmer part of the garden.