Late summer show-offs
THERE’S MORE COLOUR TO COME FROM THE FINEST AUGUST-FLOWERING PLANTS
it doesn’t dry out.
Impatiens, or busy Lizzies, are old reliables and they are high-performance, low-maintenance plants. Useful for brightening up partially shaded areas, grow in large blocks for maximum impact to line pathways or cram into window boxes.
Dahlias come to the fore in late summer and there’s no shortage of varieties.
Single blooms are easier for pollinators to access and their vibrant colours can be just as dazzling as the plumped up cactus or peony dahlias. ‘Bright Eyes’ is one such with purple pink flowers that have a bright yellow centre.
Liatris spicata, or gayfeather, is a pretty prairie perennial with mauve bottlebrush flowers.
‘Kobold Original’ is a compact version that is a good way of introducing vertical interest without the need for staking. It does best in welldrained soil in full sunshine.
Veronicastrum ‘Album’ is a tall, elegant perennial with slim wands of white flowers. I grow it up through Hydrangea ‘Annabelle,’ the vertical accents piercing through the white domes of the hydrangea.
Surprisingly self-supporting for such a tall plant, it prefers moist soil in sunshine.
Erigeron ‘Sea Breeze’ is sometimes known as fleabane but I prefer its other common name, beach daisy.
You’ll see this on your holidays here in southern coastal areas – it’s a carpet perennial with thick green leaves and tons of pink daisy-like flowers with big yellow centres.
Highly floriferous, it’s suitable for well-drained areas such as rock gardens or even growing up through pavement cracks and in crevices.