Sliding into September

It can feel a bit like Autumn is already upon us as the sun sets on August and we slide into September. Just a quick look though around the garden which can often feel bereft of colour at this time of year, reveals that there still are pops of colour everywhere!

Hydrangeas really come into their own in the late Summer border and none as fancy and gorgeous as Hydrangea Paniculata Silver Dollar with their showy, white, frothy blooms.

There are also pink Lacecap Hydraneas and a blue Mophead Hydrangea which is desperately trying to revert back to pink, in full blousy bloom.

Cosmos which is sown from seed in situ as an annual just keeps on flowering as long as you regularly deadhead. It gives long-lasting colour to the garden and makes a great bunch of cut flowers for a kitchen windowsill.

There are more pinks on show in  the garden taking us though August and into September in the Echinacea Purpurea with their tall, strong stems. These flowers are a magnet for bees and are filled all day long with visitors stopping by to load up from their conical shaped centres of nectar.

 

The Hollyhocks just started to come into bloom in late August although there may not be many more which flower now but September can still present enough warmth that we might yet enjoy the rest of the Hollyhock show.

Two stalwarts of the garden which have been in bloom right through from May are Geranium Rozanne and Salvia East Friesland, although the latter was stopped in it’s tracks by a chelsea chop in early June in order to lend those bright, bushy spires of purple to the late Summer and early Autumn garden.

The biggest surprise of all in the late August borders have been the reflowering of the Lupins! Normally, I would expect asecond flush of flowering from this garden favourite but we are onto a third flush of flowers now and the foliage is looking crisper and greener than it did in early and mid Summer. Both the purple Persian Slipper and Gallery White varieties are flowering again and it is just a wonder to see!

The garden at this time of year just would not be complete without the splashes of red designed to bloom late to give a final flurry of drama to the Autumn garden as it slides into dormancy. This year though, the bedding Salvias and Crocosmia Lucifer burst into full bloom a little earlier than expected but they have been forgiven as they are still performing beautifully as we slide into September.

Don’t let your garden fade quietly into Autumn, keep deadheading and feeding flowering plants once a week to keep the show going until the weather well and truly beats us!