Bring long-lasting colour and structure to your garden before autumn arrives
We might be transitioning into the final stretch of summer, but there's still time to give your borders a boost. From ornamental grasses to heuchera, these seven fast-growing perennials can help your garden look fuller (and more colourful) well into the autumn months.
But why should you plant them now? Instead of gardening in the heat of summer, planting before the end of August gives them time to settle while the soil is still warm and reduces your plants suffering from heat stress. Plus, they'll also extend garden interest beyond September, adding rich seasonal appeal.
Get your gardening gloves at the ready, and take a look at the perennials to plant before the end of August:
'Sedum is one of the ultimate "plant it and forget it" perennials, and its late-season flowers make it particularly useful for bringing colour to the garden in autumn,' says Charlotte McGrattan, hardy nursery stock buyer at Hillier Garden Centres.
Easy to care for, the succulent leaves can cleverly store water and survive well in poor soil without much attention.
'It also forms substantial clumps over time, helping to fill out a border, and even after the flowers fade, the seed heads remain attractive throughout autumn and winter, so there's no need to rush out and cut them back,' adds Charlotte.
Adding late-season colour with their tender stems and delicate heads, Japanese Anemones are a great perennial to plant while there is still time.
'Once established, they'll return reliably every autumn with very little input, gradually forming larger clumps that produce elegant blooms just as many other plants are fading,' says Charlotte.
'They can help fill out a border over time and are a particularly good choice if you want reliable late-season colour without constant maintenance. They need very little watering once fully established, are generally trouble-free and don’t require regular feeding or pruning.'
Quickly add movement, texture and volume to your garden borders with ornamental grasses — from whispy feather reed grass to Chinese silver grass.
Charlotte says their big benefit is being able to tolerate periods of drought and cope well in a wide range of soils.
'Their graceful seed heads and foliage provide months of texture and movement, and rather than cutting them back immediately, they're best left standing throughout autumn and winter before receiving one simple trim in late winter,' she adds.
With their long-lasting colour (they continue to bloom when many other flowers have faded), heucheras are among the easiest plants to grow.
'They typically need little more than the occasional tidy-up of old leaves,' says Charlotte.
'They thrive in partial or dappled shade, whilst some cultivars can cope well with full sun. Once fully established, many heucheras continue performing without frequent watering or feeding, making them a useful low-maintenance addition to the garden.'
Excellent bedding plants, bellis daisies are a brilliant low-maintence option which can provide structure and interest throughout autumn.
'Bellis daisies (Asteraceae) are evergreen perennial plants which can be grown in all well-drained soil types, in beds, borders and pots. Full sun or partial shade is ideal for these plants, which grow in clumps in autumn and flower in spring,' says Jane Fairlie and premium homebuilder Redrow.
Don't forget to deadhead spent blooms to prolong flowering.
'Pansies and Violas are the more traditional "autumn through to spring" colour as they are very hardy and withstand cooler weather conditions,' adds Jane.
'They can be grown in hanging baskets (trailing types), containers, or in beds and borders for winter-long colour due to excellent winter hardiness.'
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