READY-TO-GO PLANTING
Ensure gardens stay supercharged all summer by including some of the drama queens of the border
One of the most challenging aspects of gardening is making sure there’s colour throughout the seasons, and the smaller the garden, the more difficult it can be. It’s no surprise then that once the height of summer is over and before autumn begins, many gardens fade into drabness. One way to perk them up is by adding some instant colour with ready-to-go plants that are easily slotted into the front of borders, side beds, path edges, patios or pots.
RAMP UP THE COLOUR
At this time of year, among the brightest, high-impact plants are gazanias, gerberas, coreopsis, diascia, dwarf dahlias, lateflowering coneflowers, sunflowers and rudbeckias, as well as trailers such as calibrachoa and santivalia. These are mostly annuals or short-lived perennials that flower prolifically for a single season and are intended as bedding plants, to be used en masse to add colour. Then, for single points of interest, there are a handful of bulbous perennials, including the African lily, pineapple flower and autumn crocus.
For the greatest variety of flower colour, it’s hard to beat dwarf dahlias, which are available from garden centres until quite late in the summer – as are taller large pots, already in leaf and flower. To avoid disturbing the roots, submerge the entire pot into the ground, then insert supporting canes around it. Once flowering is over, the tuber is easily lifted and overwintered in a dry, frost-free spot. Dark-leaved varieties such as ‘Bishop of Llandaff’ have dramatic purplish-black foliage and vivid flowers. If regularly deadheaded – cut back to just above a leaf – dahlias flower for months on end.
To add wow factor to a late-summer display, plant a large clump of African lilies or pineapple flowers. Prompt planting of autumn crocuses in deep, moistureretentive soil in a sunny spot will be followed by flowers in a few weeks – they will emerge from summer dormancy as clusters of gleaming, silvered pink or white flowers, appearing ahead of their leaves – hence the common name, naked ladies. They are a lovely planting combination with pony tail grasses, gentians and the Kaffir lily. In mild winters, the small, star-shaped pink flowers will appear right through until December.
At this time of year, most African lilies and pineapple flowers are in bud and flower, ready to either grow in containers or slot into borders amid low-growing annuals, perennials and grasses. Ornamental grasses create a gentle foil to bright colours, and there are a handful that originate from cool climates, so can be planted from late >
summer ready to come into growth in late winter, and flower before mid-summer. These include taller tufted hair grasses to help support lanky lovelies such as Japanese anemones and Verbena bonariensis, or shorter rounded blue fescue, feathery pony tail grass and blue oat grass, which will add body in the centre of containers.
It’s not only flowers that can be used though; chilli plants also put on a wonderful display and are available from West Dean Gardens’ Chilli Fiesta, West Sussex, in August, or can be bought online. Fruiting until first frosts, chillies bear fruits in green, yellow, red or orange, and look fantastic positioned around a patio or barbecue area, or planted in pots and placed on tables.
POTS TO PLUG THE GAPS
Containers of extrovert, late-summerflowering plants such as gazanias, dahlias, rudbeckias and ornamental grasses are ideal for slotting into the gaps in borders. These sometimes develop where one or two plants simply have not matured at the same rate as those around them but, given another year, will catch up and play their part. A temporary stopgap is all that’s needed to disguise the hole while not impacting on the existing planting. The bigger the container, the better, as it creates a more prominent feature, and the plants won’t dry out so easily. To save heavy
lifting, there are lightweight plastic terracotta lookalikes which, when immersed among other plants, are almost indistinguishable from the real thing.
The beauty of container planting is its versatility and simplicity. Pots provide a quick fix, creating eyecatching focal points that can be easily moved around and changed with the seasons. Coming in a variety of materials, sizes, shapes and colours, they’ll add interest to any position, sunny or shady. Should a lull in the planting appear, a container can be conjured up quickly to fill the space.
Colour-themed displays work well, but keep an eye on proportion – if the plants are the same size as the pot, they can look out of kilter. A good rule of thumb is for the pot to take around a third of the overall height, the planting two thirds. Though, there are exceptions, such as low-growing succulents.
HANGING BASKETS
These have come a long way since the fad for garish blends of petunias, busy lizzies, lobelia and pelargoniums. Nowadays, baskets are often less flamboyant, with greater proportions of foliage plants, and some are even flower-free zones – an all-green mix of herbs such as oregano, parsley, chives and basil looks lovely, while keeping the kitchen supplied with fresh leaves. Another attractive ‘edibles’ mix is marigolds with trailing bush tomatoes. And, with bulb catalogues offering crocuses, dwarf narcissi and tulips to plant in early autumn, this is the time to plan for winter-flowering baskets.
Displayed at eye-level, hanging baskets are the ultimate space-saver, creating maximum impact for minimum effort, with a series of displays to ensure unbroken interest. Baskets are traditionally dome-shaped, woven in rattan or willow, but a cone-shaped version is both contemporary and holds more compost, benefiting the plants. However, this style is heavier, especially after watering, so check brackets are strong enough to take the weight.
Whatever the style of basket, it must be large enough for the plants to grow, with space to pack with compost that’s specially formulated for containers. Adding grit improves drainage, while moisture-retaining granules are vital in case an Indian summer is on the cards. The gel absorbs moisture every time a container is watered, metering it out for the plants to use as needed. Finally, if they are likely to put on a lot of growth, they will benefit from slow-release fertiliser.
Simple planting combinations have most impact, based either on contrasting hues that make a bold statement, or harmonising colours for a softer effect. Choose foliage that works together in terms of flowering times and growing conditions, and with similar growth rates to avoid one plant engulfing the other.