Garden design solutions: 5 fantastic perennials for late summer colour

OK, we realise that you may be reading this in the middle of winter but, without appearing to wish the seasons away, we would like to talk about late summer colour. July and August can often be a tricky period for our gardens, particularly if the weather has been warm and dry. Many of our favourite perennials have started to go past their best, but it is still rather too early for autumn colour to kick in.

As a reminder, perennials are those plants which tend to ‘die back’ at the end in early winter but come back with fresh growth in the spring. They are really important for our gardens because they provide colour, texture and interest, and are absolutely essential for a huge range of pollinators.

Here are five of our favourite fantastic perennials for late summer colour:

1. Salvia ‘Caradonna’

An attractive perennial with lovely tall spires of deep purple flowers. Much loved by pollinators, Salvia ‘Caradonna’ often flowers throughout the summer and well into September during a good year. Happiest in full sun, but also tolerant of partial shade, it is one of my favourite salvias.

2. Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’ (pictured)

A distinctive plant, Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’ has strong upright sword-shaped leaves and clusters of deep red tubular flowers. Growing up to 1m tall and flowering from mid-summer onwards, it is a really useful perennial for providing cohesion through the rear of a mixed planting scheme. It does tend to spread, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing providing it isn’t allowed to take over the whole garden.

3. Rudbeckia ‘Goldsturm’

Part of the coneflower family, Rudbeckia ‘Goldsturm’ has gloriously simple ‘daisy like’ golden yellow flowers with dark centres. Achieving heights of up to 60cm tall, it stands proud in the middle or rear of a mixed planting border, adding warmth and colour from late July though to late September. A great plant for late summer pollinators.

4. Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’

Also known as Hylotelephium ‘Herbstfreude’, Sedum ‘Autumn Joy, is a really useful addition to any garden. Drought-tolerant and with distinctive fleshy leaves, it provides lovely foliage contrast throughout mid-spring, summer and early autumn. It flowers late, usually between August and October (hence the name ‘Autumn Joy’), with large clusters of tiny coral-pink flowers. A must-have plant for me and many of the gardens I design.

5. Echinacea ‘White Swan’

Another member of the coneflower family, Echinacea ‘White Swan’ boasts attractive white flowers with yellow/orange centres. Flowering from mid-summer through to autumn, it adds height, colour and interest to any border. White flowers always seem to look their best as the light is just beginning to fade, so this one is perfect for enjoying on a lovely warm summer evening.

So, there we have it. Five wonderful perennials for adding colour and interest to our gardens this summer and early autumn. And let’s not forget about our ornamental grasses which also look great at this time of year (e.g. Stipa tenuissima and Calamagrostis ‘Karl Foerester’), or the shrubs that can also add so much as the summer begins to draw to a close (including Ceanothus ‘Autumnal Blue’, some of the Hydrangeas and Fuschia).

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.