Make the most of late Summer in your garden

5 Sept

Late summer can be a time when the garden starts to fade.

However, it doesn’t need to be this way. This is where planning ahead can pay off, and it is possible to have something flowering in your garden every month of the year.

This time of year, can be a spectacular time in the garden, here is why;

· Late flowering perennials and grasses are taking center stage,

· The leaves changing on the trees make for an incredible show,

· September is a perfect time to plant new perennials giving them time to settle their roots before winter

· And, you can start to think ahead to Spring and buy your bulbs ready to plant.

Still not convinced?

I am sharing my top five plants that you can use in your garden to create a fantastic Autumn show.

Pyrus calleryana ‘Chanticleer’

This can often be referred to as a Callery pear tree. This tree is a fantastic allrounder, beautiful white blossom in the Spring, dark glossy green leaves through summer and then come autumn it puts on the most spectacular show of red leaves before dropping them all in winter.

It naturally grows in a narrow form, which also means that it won’t become too big and block out the sun from your garden.

Hydrnagea paniculata ‘Limelight’ (PBR)

This hydrangea is fantastic for structure and elegance in any border. The flower heads are different to traditional mop head varieties, growing in a cone shape. The flowers will begin to emerge in mid-summer, starting out a beautiful lime green and turning a creamy white but fading to a deep shade of pink as you come into autumn.

This shrub is a real chameleon in the garden and as a result give you plenty of interest through autumn. Leave the flower heads in place as they turn brown in winter, this will protect the plant through colder weather, and seed heads give architecture to the border all through the winter.

Stipa tenuissima

This is a wonderful light and airy grass, fantastic for adding movement to your border. This grass produces fluffy plumes of green flowers which fade to a pale straw colour in the autumn. This grass will looks great throughout the year, and come autumn – winter leaving in place will provide an excellent food source for the birds, alongside creating interest in the garden.

Anemone × hybrida 'Königin Charlotte'

A perennial that has everything you need in the border. The daisy-type flower is a beautiful soft pink that will perform well in partial shade. Growing to 1.5m it will happily bob it’s head above most plants from August – October. This will brighten a shaded corner wonderfully, and pollinators adore them. This will happily flower up until October too.

Dahlia

Dahlia’s are a fabulous repeat flowering super star, the colours, shapes and sizes are almost unlimited which means you are bound to find one to suit your taste. To get the very most from any dahlia and maximise the flowering period you must keep on top of deadheading. Dahlia’s make wonderful cut flowers, so why not make the most of this and snip a few for your house. These plants do not like the cold so make sure you protect them well over winter and they will happily come back year after year.

A few of my favourite dahlias (at the moment anyway!) are;

· American Dawn

· Rebecca’s world

· Con amore

· Café au lait

· Blue boy

I would love to know what are your favourite plants in your garden at this time of year? Come and tell me over on my social media pages me on Instagram or Facebook. I can’t wait to see you there!