Blossoming Wonders: Bringing Late-Summer Hues with Flora
Late Summer and Autumn Garden Colour: Expert Recommendations
Gardens are a haven of colour and life, and as the summer months draw to a close, it's important to keep them looking vibrant and inviting. Gardeners' World, along with other gardening experts, have shared their recommendations for perennials, grasses, and evergreens that will provide sustained colour, texture, and structure during the challenging transition to autumn.
Perennials for Late Summer and Autumn
One of the key recommended plants is Aster pyrenaeus 'Laticia', a variety of aster that starts flowering at the end of summer and continues into autumn with large, pale lilac daisy-like flowers. Other perennials with late summer to autumn interest include Geranium 'Anne Folkard', Verbena 'Bampton', and Stokesia 'Klaus Jelitto'. These offer blooms extending from late summer well into autumn.
Ornamental Grasses
Valued for their movement and texture, ornamental grasses add interest and structure in late summer and autumn. One such grass is Anamantheantheli leoniana (previously Stipa).
Hardy, Water-Wise Evergreens
Hardy, water-wise perennials and evergreen plants that maintain garden interest through the seasons include Heuchera cultivars such as ‘Caramel,’ ‘Forever Red,’ ‘Melting Fire,’ and ‘Palace Purple’, Delosperma selections (succulent groundcovers with bright flowers), and Penstemon species including Pine-leaf and Blue Mist. Evergreen shrubs and ground covers like Bear-Claw Hellebore (Helleborus foetida), Creeping Mahonia, Daphne, and Jasmine Dianthus are also recommended.
Cut Flowers for Late Summer and Beyond
For those looking to sow flowers for next year, Scabious, Ammi majus (flat umbel), Ammi visnaga (rounded umbel), and wild carrots (umbellifers) are suitable options. These offer floral interest in late season and beyond.
Betony
Betony (Betonica officinalis 'Hummelo') is another excellent choice for adding colour and pollinator interest into autumn. This plant has a long flowering period extending through to frost, with bright green-yellow foliage and purple flowers favoured by bumblebees.
Recommended Plants for Late Summer and Autumn
Other plants recommended by presenters of Gardeners' World and professional nurseries include Penstemon 'Raven' with dark burgundy-purple flowers with a white throat, Rudbeckia 'Cherry Brandy' with rich crimson blooms, and Anemone hupehensis 'Splendens' with bold pink petals surrounding a vibrant yellow center.
Caring for Your Late Summer and Autumn Plants
To ensure your plants continue to thrive, it's important to dead-head Penstemon 'Raven' to produce flowering stems for months through summer and autumn. Sow Tithonia 'Torch' indoors in spring, then plant out into rich, moisture-retentive soil in full sun and away from wind in June, once it's big enough to fend off the snails.
Sign Up for Gardening Inspiration
The newsletter provides advice and inspiration for gardens, and users can sign up to receive it. For example, Oliver Parsons, horticultural sub-editor, recommends Tithonia 'Torch' for August and September, while Jason Williams, creator of the Cloud Gardener blog, recommends Calibrachoa as a tremendous, continuously flowering trailing plant. Cel Robertson, founder of Forever Green flower company, recommends Penstemon 'Raven' for late summer colour.
In summary, the recommended plants for late summer and autumn colour often include asters (e.g. Aster pyrenaeus 'Laticia'), ornamental grasses, heucheras, penstemons, betony, and various hardy, drought-tolerant evergreens like hellebore and daphne, recommended frequently by Gardeners' World presenters and professional nurseries alike. These plants provide a broad palette of colour, texture, and structure, making gardens a delightful place to be even as the seasons change.
- To maintain a vibrant and inviting garden during late summer and autumn, consider planting perennials such as Aster pyrenaeus 'Laticia', Geranium 'Anne Folkard', Verbena 'Bampton', and Stokesia 'Klaus Jelitto', which offer extended blooms into autumn.
- Ornamental grasses like Anamantheantheli leoniana add texture and structure to late summer and autumn gardens, providing interest beyond traditional flowering plants.
