Now is the time when summer starts to fade. Colder weather hurries us toward autumn and our gardens seem to pause as plant growth slows, leaves begin to turn and the summer harvests of tomato and courgette draw to an end.
Despite a September that has mostly been wet and grey there have still been days to enjoy the last of the season’s sunshine. I try to make the most of it knowing that the sun’s warmth will start to fade as we edge toward winter. And when I do get outside, dodging the rain showers, I’m cheered by the last of the season’s flowers, usually hosting a bumblebee (or two).
These late flowering perennials are so important to our garden wildlife. Adding plants to your garden that flower at different times of year will create a biodiverse plant community that supports a wide variety of insect life.
Once plant flowers fade, to further extend the benefit that individual plants add to your garden, leave the seed heads and dead foliage standing. This is part of the plants natural cycle and the seed heads and dying foliage will continue to provide food and nesting materials for garden wildlife. Seed heads and structural foliage also add interesting architectural shapes to your garden during the colder winter months.
To extend the flowering season in my own garden and to create a more diverse space which appeals to a greater variety of insects, birds and small mammals, I’ve added a number of later flowering perennials. These perennials continue to provide pollen and nectar for garden insects throughout autumn and sometimes even into winter (if the weather is mild).
My go-to late flowering perennials are:
Sedum ‘Matrona’ (Hylotelephium ‘Matrona’)
This compact perennial has beautifully succulent grey-green foliage which is topped from August onward with clusters of tiny pink flowers. It’s a magnet for lots of types of bees, hoverflies and other insects. Ideal growing conditions are a sunny position, in well-drained soil. Sedums will also tolerate light shade and are drought tolerant once established.
Garlic chives (Allium tuberosum)
This is a vigorous plant which will self-seed all over your garden if given a chance. I grow it in my vegetable garden and have added clumps at the corners of each of the borders. Unlike common chives the flat, strap shaped leaves are topped with white globes of star-shaped flowers.
I love it for so many reasons.
It’s an edible,
it’s easy to grow; and
it’s loved by bees and other insects.
If I wander down to my vegetable garden on a sunny day in August or September the garden hums with insect life, mostly focused on this plant.
To prevent it from self-seeding you can cut the spent flower heads before they run to seed. Although I like the shapes they add to my garden and often leave the seed heads standing.
Red bistort (Persicaria amplexicaulis)
This amazing plant will flower profusely from August until the first frosts knock it to the ground. It’s tall and upright with large oval, attractive pointed leaves. I plant Persicaria in large groups and it never fails to attract lots of insects to the garden. It’s also a great cut flower and useful in more difficult garden conditions in either sun or partial shade.
My favourite cultivars are Persicaria 'Firetail' and Persicaria 'Blackfield'.
Aster ‘Twilight’ (Eurybia x herveyi)
This perennial aster has a mass of purple daisy flowers above upright branching stems. It flowers in sun or part shade and is also drought tolerant. This plant is an excellent addition to so may different types of planting schemes – from prairie and matrix style planting through to more romantic cottage garden styles. Asters are also an excellent wildlife plant and are very easy to grow.
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