KEY MEADOW PLANTS CONTINUED
9 Patrinia scabiosifolia
Golden valerian has erect stems, with coarsely toothed leaves that turn orange-red in autumn and many-flowered umbels of golden-yellow flowers. 1m. RHS H6, USDA 5a-8b. 10 Aster amellus ‘ Veilchenkönigin’ An old cultivar with stiff, dark stems and intense violet flowers from September to October. 40cm. AGM. RHS H7, USDA 5a-8b.
11 Stipa gigantea
Tall stems of robust, oat-like flowers glint and shimmer in the late, slanting light of summer. A long-lasting feature that flowers throughout the summer. 2m. AGM. RHS H4. 12 Hyssopus officinalis subsp. aristatus Pretty, deep-blue flower spikes from midsummer to early autumn, with a heavenly scent. Seedheads look great over winter. 30cm.
13 Echinops ritro
The great globe thistle makes a strong plant even in the poorest of soil, so is perfect for meadow planting. Tall grey stems carry steel-blue flowers in late summer. 1.2m. AGM. RHS H7, USDA 3a-8b.
14 Silphium laciniatum
Iconic prairie plant with bright-yellow, sunflower-like flowers and leaves that tend to orient themselves on a north-south axis. A perfect plant for future proofing, it can live for up to 80 years. 3m. RHS H7, USDA 3a-8b.
15 Echinacea pallida
This coneflower has distinct, pale-pink flowers with linear, reflexed rays that droop from a tall, brown cone. 1.2m. RHS H5, USDA 3a-10b.
16 Perovskia atriplicifolia
Russian sage, with its bleached white stems and grey-green leaves, is covered in late summer and early autumn with a dusting of tiny blue flowers. Indestructible and unfussy. 1.2m. RHS H5, USDA 5a-9b.