Creating a vibrant and thriving garden requires thoughtful planning, especially when it comes to choosing the right plants that will keep your outdoor space lively throughout the seasons. For those seeking garden design ideas, perennials offer a stunning array of colors, forms, and textures, particularly in late summer. Whether you’re drawn to the fiery blooms of Crocosmia, the diverse palette of Dahlias, or the warm hues of Heleniums, these plants can transform your garden into a visual feast. By carefully selecting and combining these perennial favorites, you can create a garden that bursts with life and color well into the cooler months.
Late summer is alive with colour from perennials. Borders can be filled with spikes of Agastache and the nodding heads of Japanese Anemones in soft pinks and white. Dahlias burst forth in a showy array of forms and vibrant colour. Asters, Echinaceas, Heleniums, Rudbeckias and Crocosmia all add something to the mix.
My late summer wedding bouquet contained many flowers from my garden, including Crocosmia, Dahlias, Roses and dark Scabiosa.
As the sun dips lower in the late summer sky, it creates such an intensity of light that the colours seem to sing. The natural world is something to be celebrated in these moments, with the rich diversity of colour it has to offer.
Some of my favourite late summer perennials include Crocosmia, Dahlias, Heleniums and Scabiosa and here’s why.
Is a native from the grasslands of southern and eastern Africa. The Crocosmia flower is delicate in appearance with individual flowers forming racemes that dance like tiny flames on wiry stems above the sword like leaves. The colours range from soft orange yellow through to deep crimson. They only flower for a short period, maybe a few weeks at most, but their radiance is worth the wait. Crocosmia Lucifer lives up to its name with a rich fiery crimson, a tall elegant plant for the back of a border.
Originate from Mexico and Central America and belong to one of the largest plant families, the Asteraceae . They are not everyone’s cup of tea and I don’t really understand why. They are wonderful for offering a huge colour spectrum to suit any garden colour scheme and they flower from Summer to the first frosts of late Autumn. Yes, I know they can be tricky, but this aside, the variety of forms, from the simple to the exotic are stunning. I particularly love the Bishop series, with their dark chocolate toned leaves set against the vivid colours of the simple flowers.
Another American native and a classic late summer perennial that grows well on Cotswold soils. Beloved by many designers and often seen in Prairie planting schemes. They bring warm colour to the borders in late summer. This sun-loving perennial grows best in a general soil which doesn’t dry out too much over the summer months. The velvety-brown central cone is surrounded by backward facing petals in yellow, or orange and red.
A beautiful plant, commonly called the Pincushion flower and you can see why. I love it for its’ pincushion domed form that nods on long wiry stems. The lilac coloured field scabious is often seen happily growing along the hedgerows & in farmer’s fields. One of the most popular cultivated forms is Black Knight, with it’s rich velvety tones and white pin-like stigmas.
Other useful plants to note for providing late summer colour include Agastache, Aster, Chrysanthemum, Echinacea & Sanguisorba to name but a few.
A useful border perennial for a sunny site with free-draining soil. It provides vertical accents amongst other planting, having a spired form. The flowers last for months on end, being an important nectar resource for pollinators. A relative of sage and mint whose foliage is very aromatic when crushed, hence the common names of anise hyssop and Korean mint. Originally the most commonly available colours were shades of white, blue & lilac, but more cultivars are being developed, expanding the range of late summer colour.
Are actually many daisy-like flowers grouped together to form a shrubby mass, that fills borders with colour well into Autumn. They provide a late source of nectar for insects and are deer resistant, so a good plant if you encounter this problem.
Are revered by the Chinese and symbolise a long and happy life. They fell out of favour in the 1990’s and early 2000’s being seen as a cheap garage forecourt flower. But this is an injustice to a beautifully formed and long lasting flower that is a great addition to the late summer season, flowering until the frosts come. They come in many forms and some are less hardy than others, so be sure to pick cultivated hardy forms, if you want to see them year after year. They flower best in a fertile soil in full sun. Below is Porto Purple, a spider form, and one from Sarah Raven’s collection called Bigoudi Red.
Another classic late season flower, again often seen in prairie planting schemes. They were traditionally pink, purple or white, but many more cultivars have been introduced with a greater range of colours.
Have become quite fashionable, as a result of the trend for prairie style planting. It is a genus that belongs to the Rose family. A valuable plant as it copes well in light shade as well as sun. The bottlebrush-like flowers open from the bottom up and provide an alternative flower shape to the more common daisy type forms found in many late flowering blooms.
If you want to keep your borders vibrant and alive throughout the later summer months, also consider the shapes and heights of plants that you combine, as this will create a good rhythm for your eye and stimulate the senses, providing more interest in the borders
When it comes to crafting a garden that resonates with the natural beauty of the Cotswolds, choosing the right plants is just the beginning. A skilled landscape garden designer in the Cotswolds can help you weave together the diverse elements of your outdoor space, creating a harmonious and enduring design. With an expert’s touch, your garden can become a reflection of the region’s timeless charm, showcasing perennials that thrive in the local climate while offering year-round interest. Whether you’re starting from scratch or enhancing an existing garden, a professional designer can bring your vision to life, ensuring that your garden flourishes for years to come.
