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Louise Thomas
Editor
There are some shining lights of the late summer border which will make your garden sizzle with colour when other summer blooms are fading.
Plants which produce flowers in varying shades of orange, red, purple and pink come into their own at this time of year, long after roses, lupins and other perennial favourites are starting to fade.
Here are 10 of the best plants for late summer colour.
1. Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’
The upright sword-like leaves of these herbaceous perennials provide a striking architectural backdrop to fiery colour, with arching flower stems bearing vibrant orange tubular flowers in mid to late summer. Also known as montbretia, these reliable cormous plants will grow in many conditions, including shade and dry soil. If they take off, you may need to dig a few out each year and replant them, as you’ll soon have great clumps.
2. Echinacea
The huge daisy-like blooms of these tough perennials, also known as coneflowers, can flower for weeks, their bright petals radiating around a prominent central cone. Preferring full sun in soil that drains easily, they are at home in prairie-style plantings as they combine well with grasses, but there’s a place for them in almost any late summer border and they are also a magnet for butterflies and bees. Colours range from white and pink to red and orange. Good varieties include ‘Delicious Candy’ and ‘Ruby Giant’.
3. Hylotelephium (formerly known as Sedum)
Also known as the ice plant, these perennials produce colourful, succulent leaves in spring followed by flat heads of white, pink or crimson flowers in late summer, which can last through to autumn. They grow best in full sun in free-draining soil and are perfect for rockeries, containers and at the front of borders. Give them plenty of light and don’t pack them in under the shadow of other plants, or they won’t flower. Good varieties include Hylotelephium spectabile, ‘Purple Emperor’ and as a stand-alone in a small container or rock garden, ‘Spot On Deep Rose’, which has masses of dark pink blooms.
4. Verbena bonariensis
This has to be a border perennial favourites, with its tall stems and flat heads of lavender purple flowers, which are loved by pollinating insects. Depending on the variety, it can grow up to 2m, and its ‘see through’ attributes add height without density in a sunny border. If you want the flowers nearer the front of your space or even in a pot, there’s the dwarf variety ‘Lollipop’. Grow in full sun in moist but well-drained soil.
5. Dahlia
If you can keep the slugs off them, dahlias are among the stars of the late summer border, whichever flower types you prefer, from single flowered open- centred varieties to spherical pompoms, balls, the jagged ruffles of cactus types and the waterlily dahlias, in all colours of the rainbow. Dwarf types look beautiful in pots and are fabulous for cutting. Among the best are ‘Bishop of Llandaff’, with its deep brown foliage and scarlet flowers, and for containers try any of the compact Gallery Series, which come in a wide range of colours.
6. Lily
Who can resist the deep, heady fragrance of lilies, which burst into flower just as other plants are running out of steam mid-summer? For subtle colour, you can’t beat Lilium regale, whose white flowers , with a gold throat and purple pink on the undersides, appear in late summer on arching 1m stems. If you want a pot showstopper, go for Asiatic and oriental hybrids with shorter stems, such as the pink and white ‘Mona Lisa’ or the soft pink ‘Vermeer’.
7. Echinops (globe thistle)
If you want lollipops of purple in late summer, consider the globe thistle, a hardy perennial with steely blue buds and flowerhead globes. Grown in a border in full sun or partial shade, it looks good in a grey or silver-leaved theme, thanks to its spiny, coarse foliage, although the blue flowerheads are the visible stars. It prefers poor, well-drained soils and will tolerate coastal sites. Good varieties include the medium-height Echinops ritro ‘Veitch’s Blue’ and E. bannaticus ‘Taplow Blue’.
8. Helenium
For a rich, fiery hue, look no further than the helenium, whose impressive daisy-like flowers come in a variety of sizzling colours from burnt orange and copper red to zingy yellow. They need plenty of light and a good soil and will give you a succession of rich blooms with dark centres in late summer. Dig the clump up every three years, divide it and replant to keep the plant vigorous, which is great if you want a repeat planting rhythm through your borders. Good varieties include the deep copper ‘Moerheim Beauty’ and ‘Sahin’s Early Flowerer’ with orange flowerheads.
9. Aster x frikartii ‘Monch’
Some Michaelmas daisies are better than others and this lavender-blue hybrid is one of the best, as it is resistant to powdery mildew and other diseases which strike other types. They’re a magnet for bees and butterflies and will brighten up a border which is fading with summer if you plant them to fill the gaps, and should continue flowering through the autumn. They prefer sun or light shade in reasonable soil which needs to be kept well watered.
10. Perennial lobelia
When your trailing annual lobelia in baskets and containers starts to fade, perennial lobelias in the border should be coming into their own, if you plant them in a sunny spot in soil with plenty of added compost, and make sure they stay moist. They are very different from the annual lobelia we know, growing up to 90cm, and are available in reds, pinks and purples. The best known is Lobelia cardinalis, known as the cardinal flower or bog sage, which has brilliant scarlet flowers and prefers damp areas, like the edges of a pond. Try Lobelia ‘Queen Victoria’ for a striking splash of red, combining it with rudbeckia for late summer colour.
