Enjoy the year’s glorious swansong

Hot colours for warmth

The sun may be lowering, but you can still find horticultural heat. If not ravaged by bad weather, late summer perennials like fiery heliopsis and ember-bright helenium will troop on through October. Grow with purple asters for added impact.

Dogwood and miscanthus grass

The dark stems and plum-red leaves of Cornus alba ‘Kesselringii’ look beautiful combined with creamy plumes of Miscanthus sinensis ‘China’. Prune back the dogwood hard in late spring to prevent it sprawling, and for the best stem colour.

Hydrangea ‘Burgundy Lace’ and actaea

A similar colour combination to miscanthus and cornus (above), the creamy bottlebrush-like spikes of Actaea matsumerae ‘Elstead’ (previously known as cimicifuga) combine beautifully with the burgundy flowers of this Hydrangea paniculata.

Traditional workhorses

Rudbeckia hirta and Chrysanthemum ‘Spartan Linnet’ are another good match for purple asters. Rudbeckias (also known as ‘black-eyed Susan’) come in a range of cheery colours and ‘Spartan Linnet’ has bold blooms to lift the spirits.

Smoke bush and Chinese lanterns

The smouldering purple-leaved Cotinus coggygria ‘Royal Purple’ with the bonfire orange lanterns of Physalis alkekengi create a duo that crackles! Coppice the cotinus in spring, and also lift and divide the physalis in spring to keep it in check.

Verbena bonariensis with dahlias

This duo is a win-win combination. Not only do the tightly packed, tiny purple Verbena bonariensis flowers complement larger dahlia blooms, their tall, strong stems act like bamboo canes, so there’s no need to stake the dahlias!