Garden design: perennials for autumn interest

Perennials are the lifeblood of our gardens. Bursting into life in early spring, providing colour and interest throughout the warmer months and then quietly dying back as the temperatures fall ready to do it all again the following year. We often think of them as summer plants, but many also have an important role in the autumn and winter.

Some perennials provide autumnal interest because they flower during September and October, whilst many offer us texture and colour via the shape and form of their seedheads. This is an often overlooked benefit of so many plants, but we are foolish to ignore the beautiful spectacle they can provide. Seedheads can also be extremely beneficial to wildlife, providing food and habitats to a wide range of different creatures. What’s not to like about that?

Here are five brilliant perennials that we should all grow for their seedheads:

1. Alliums: a lovely spring bulb with spherical clusters of tiny colourful flowers, Alliums have strong stems which can often stay standing throughout summer and into autumn, when the true beauty of their firework-shaped seedheads can be best admired.

2. Echinops ‘Veitch’s Blue’: an attractive globe thistle with silvery-green foliage and distinctive spherical blue blooms. They appear almost ghostly in mellow autumnal light, as their foliage dries out and their seedheads stand tall.

3. Dipsacus fullonum (teasels): once only ever seen in hedgerows or wasteland, teasels are pleasingly becoming increasingly popular as ‘garden plants’. Much loved by bees when in full bloom, their conical seedheads are a definite favourite for small birds over autumn and winter.

4. Rudbeckia ‘Goldsturm’: a wonderful sight when in full floral glory in late summer and early autumn, Rudbeckias are also fabulous when their golden yellow petals have gone and their dark brown centres are left behind. Particularly striking when positioned amongst ornamental grasses when their tall stems ensure the seedheads are prominent.

5. Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’: another perennial that flowers later in the season, and another with beautiful seedheads when the flowers are finished. Forming large clusters of umbrella-looking seedheads, this makes for an attractive and impressive display.

Decay is part of the natural lifecycle of all plants, so let’s resist the urge to tidy our plants as soon as they finish flowering and enjoy the beauty and texture they can provide over the colder months.

​

​

​

Tythorne Garden Design provides professional fixed-fee garden design solutions for customers in Grantham, Stamford, Newark and surrounding areas. Let's see how we can help you to enjoy your garden more. Call us on 07900 224 239 or 01529 455 355.

​

Image credit: www.gardensworld.com

​

​​​