There’s plenty of interest in the garden now and here’s a selection of a few plants in flower and looking great at the moment.

Anemones
Anemone × hybrida ‘Honorine Jobert’ is a fantastic plant for brightening up the garden in late summer. It grows in sun or shade and has masses of elegant, cup-shaped, white flowers on tall, wiry stems from August to October.

 

Anthemis tinctoria ‘E.C. Buxton’
This cheerful, long-flowering perennial will lift a sunny well-drained border. It has pretty, lemon-yellow daisy-like flowers which appear throughout the summer above finely cut aromatic mid-green leaves. It also has been awarded the RHS Award of Garden Merit.

 

Asters
Masses of long-lasting, daisy-like flowers with orange centres from August to September. Best in full sun, they are ideal for mixed borders.

 

 

Callicarpa bodinieri ‘Imperial Pearl’
Also known as the Beauty Berry. This lovely deciduous shrub of upright habit has clusters of small pink flowers in midsummer, but it’s really prized for the clusters of striking, violet, bead-like berries that appear in autumn and remain after the plant has lost its leaves. The young foliage is often bronze-purple, becoming dark green in summer before turning golden-purple in autumn.

 

Clematis
There is a Clematis for every aspect and situation. It’s a versatile plant that can be grown on pergolas, walls, in containers of left to scramble through trees and shrubs. Keep the base of the plant and the roots cool and shaded by either positioning other plants, or placing a layer of flat stones at the base.

 

Choisya × dewitteana ‘Aztec Pearl’
An evergreen, quite compact shrub with slender glossy dark green leaves. In late spring it has clusters of fragrant white flowers tinged pink when in bud. If you’re lucky, it may well flower again in autumn.

 

 

Dahlias
Currently flowering beautifully in my hot border at the moment, Dahlia ‘Art Deco’ is an apricot-orange with a darker centre. The undersides of the petals are red – a colour which is revealed by their softly twisting form.

 

Echinacea purpurea
It has pink daisy-like flowers with large, prominent cone-shaped centres. It’s perfect for growing in drifts among the border or amongst grasses and perennial prairie-style planting schemes. As an added bonus it is also extremely attractive to pollinators. The flowers are long-lived and are excellent for cutting and bringing indoors to enjoy.

 

Erigeron karvinskianus
This is a low growing perennial which has masses of small daisies with yellow centres that emerge white then turn pink, giving this plant an unusual two-tone effect. It will flower throughout the summer and quickly spread throughout the border, often self-seeding readily. It is extremely versatile, being happy both in sun or partial shade. It has been awarded the RHS Award of Garden Merit.

Helenium’s
Helenium plants take their name from the Greek word ‘Helios’, which directly translated means Sun. This robust, upright perennial looks wonderful planted in bold drifts in a sunny moist but well-drained spot. It provides a splash of colour when many other perennials are starting to fade and a great companion for ornamental grasses and yellow, white or earth-toned flowers. Bees and butterflies love it.

Hemerocallis
This is Hemerocallis Green Flutter, also known as the Daylily as its flowers only last a day. But don’t worry, it bears a succession of canary yellow reflexed petals with slightly frilly edges during the summer months.

 

Kniphofias
Tall bright and imposing, Kniphofias lend height, vibrancy and drama to any garden. Originally from South Africa, the elegant, torch-like flowers of Kniphofia make vertical accents in a sunny border and look particularly good as an exotic scheme based on ‘hot’ colours. Kniphofia rooperi is a fantastic variety at this time of year as it continues flowering well into the autumn. It also has been awarded the RHS Award of Garden merit.

Nepeta sibirica
Lovely loose spikes of lavender-blue flowers held high above aromatic, lance-shaped leaves and flowering over a long period in summer and early autumn.

 

 

Phlomis russeliana
This has just finished flowering in my garden. I leave the seed heads on as, during the winter months, they continue to provide structure and look great with a dusting of frost. When in flower It has whorls of hooded, pale yellow flowers which appear at intervals on tall, erect stems.

 

Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii ‘Goldsturm’
An RHS AGM winning Black Eyed Susan which bears bright, golden-yellow, daisy-like flowers up to 12cm across, with dark button eyes that make excellent cut flowers. The radiant, coneflowers of this Rudbeckia are produced over a long period, attracting bees and butterflies to their long-lasting blooms. These compact perennials are easy to grow, reliably filling gaps in borders, and returning year after year. It looks great planted in bold drifts with other late summer-flowering perennials and ornamental grasses. It copes well in a sunny spot and is ideal for the middle of a border that doesn’t dry out over summer.

Sedums
Succulent leaves, topped with salmon-pink flower-heads in summer, maturing to pinkish-bronze then coppery-red in autumn. This versatile perennial is a perfect filler plant for a sunny, well-drained spot. A valuable late source of nectar for butterflies and bees, the dried flower heads provide structure and colour in the winter garden.

 

Verbena bonariensis
This flowers over a long period and will add height without becoming too overbearing. The flowers appear in small clusters, adding splashes of colour and this creates a lightness which is very appealing. The flowers will attract bees, butterflies and moths, so they are great in a wildlife garden.