Susie’s Garden
Late summer sees a blaze of hot colour in rich warm hues giving one last dazzling, memorable display before autumn…
In September my garden moves into a different gear. As I look out of the window I can see the striking colours of early autumn. Compared to the soft blues, whites and pinks of spring, there are now splashes of reds, yellows and purples. They rise and fall in drifts that mingle with the gold of tall grasses. This is the time when hot borders come into their own!
The giant hyssop or Agastache is a drought resistant perennial bearing spires of blue, purple or red flowers above liquorice scented leaves. The blueblack variety called “Blackadder” is particularly worth growing. Leave their attractive seedheads over winter to protect the crowns, then cut back in February. The showy Liatris spicata or blazing star is a good plant for a border with its plumes of deep mauve flowers.
Contrast these upright plants with the colourful daisies of Rudbeckias which make dramatic clumps of flowers made up of golden petals radiating around a dark central cone. Some of the best varieties evoke the late season joy of rudbeckias with their names – “Indian Summer”, “Prairie Sun” or “Little Goldstar”. Orange and purple go well together, so weave in the glowing lavender heads of Verbena bonariensis for contrast.
Then there are tender plants that contribute to this jewel box of colours, such as the dahlias I wrote about last week. Salvias that are now reaching their peak will have to be protected once it turns frosty, but are wonderfully rich in tone. Salvia patens is known as gentian sage because of the intensity of its colour and has large blue hooded flowers and aromatic foliage. Even more sumptuous, Salvia “Amistad” has huge purple flowers with almost black stems. Like all the sage family bees love it.
Annuals add to this exotic mix as they are plants that produce a greater ratio of flower to leaf than perennials. There are brilliant orange tithonias, rich pink cosmos, papery strawflowers and yellow-orange gazania. Blend together all these elements and what you have is an artist’s palette of late season splendour, a colourful paintbox of saturated colours glowing in September light.