D. T. Brown is offering three new sweet pea mixtures – Peach Cobbler, Blueberry Cobbler and Strawberry Cobbler from the super-fragrant Incense series - in time for October sowings in a cold frame or greenhouse. The large, ruffled, superbly scented heads are borne on long, strong stems. Peach Cobbler is mix of soft peach, apricot and orange shades, Blueberry Cobbler is a blend of lavenders and blues plus a hint of white, while Strawberry Cobbler is a selection of pink shades with a little red and white. All three are offered as packets of 25 seeds for £1.79.

Alternatively, you may prefer the newly introduced autumn-sown sweet pea plants, which will be delivered next spring at the right time for planting out. Plants from autumn-sown seed have many benefits, including earlier and longer flowering and increased vigour. DT Brown is offering Incense Mixed a blend of darkest crimson and cream shades, at £5.95 for 25 plants in five plugs. Order 50 plants in 10 plugs for £11.90 and receive a further 25 plants in five plugs free of charge.

Hanham Court near Keynsham on the outskirts of Bristol before the end of August. Tucked into a surprisingly rural hidden valley, surrounded by Bristol’s suburban sprawl, this glorious house and garden is the home of garden designers Julian and Isabel Bannerman. The Stumpery at Highgrove is one of their designs and, more recently, The Collector Earl’s Garden, at Arundel Castle. When the Bannerman family moved to Hanham Court in 1993, the house, which was originally a monastic settlement, was in need of a great deal of restoration and the garden was nonexistent. What they have created is a garden full of inspiring ideas and great charm and, given their busy lives, it is particularly impressive that Julian and Isabel do much of the work themselves. Open Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday 11am-4.30pm. Directions on Hanham Courts Website.

Ripley Castle, North Yorkshire, has a Summer Plant Fair taking place on Bank Holiday Monday, 31st August. The fair will feature some of the very best plant nurseries in the North as well as Gardenalia, with its unusual collection of old plant memorabilia, tools and antique garden furniture. Entry is £2 – keep hold of your tickets as they include free entry to the delightful Castle Gardens and arboretum (normally £5.00). Full details at Flower Power Fairs.

A bit further south, in north Staffordshire, a Planthunters’ Fair will be held at the Dorothy Clive Garden on the 30th August & 31st August (Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday) from 10am - 5.30pm. This 12-acre garden is surprisingly intimate and informal with a variety of landscape features, including a superb woodland garden, an alpine scree, a damp garden and spectacular summer flower borders. Admission to the Garden and Fair is £2.50 (half normal price) and ‘RHS partnership garden’ free entry terms also apply. The Fair will feature 13 specially selected nurseries including RHS Gold Medallists and a daily programme of free talks by expert Nurserymen. Details on Plant Hunters Fair.

This new book (Antique Collectors’ Club £25) uses the late Mary McMurtrie’s delicate flower paintings to illustrate a book about her gardening life. A contemporary of Margery Fish, like her, she preserved many flowers that might otherwise have been lost to cultivation after the Second World War. It would make a lovely present for a keen gardener.

Cast some Discreet Light over your garden with a pair of fibreglass and resin lights (£498 for the pair) from Joanna Wallis. Although expensive they are dual function, masquerading as stone balls during the day and only revealing their secret after dark.

Stone Ball Lights