Flowers for the Autumn….

Keep your garden full of colour through autumn with a selection of late-flowering perennials, bulbs and shrubs. Some of the most popular plants for late colour include asters, sedums and japanese anemones, which are at their peak as summer turns to autumn. But, if you have a small garden and can’t fit in extra plants for a new season, look for long-flowering perennials and shrubs that will bring colour from July right through to October. Salvias and fuchsias will fill your garden with flowers in summer and keep going for weeks on end.

For an instant colour boost, plant borders and containers with flowering perennials or shrubs in September. Then get planning to add more interest next year. In spring, sow annuals such as cup and saucer vine and plant dahlia tubers, then in early summer plant autumn-flowering bulbs like nerines.

We’ve picked 5 plants to grow for autumn flowers, below.

1 Dahlias.

Most dahlias will keep on flowering until the first frosts, providing welcome late colour after summer perennials have died down. There’s a huge variety of flower shapes and shades to choose from, whether you’re looking for a subtle single-flowered variety or a showy cactus or pom pom dahlia. Sow from seed or plant tubers in the spring. You can also buy plants in flower. In cold areas, tubers will need to be lifted for the winter.

Height x Spread: 1m x 70cm (depending on variety)
Flowers: July-November

2 Colchicum ‘Waterlily’.

It’s worth planning in advance to enjoy autumn crocus like ‘Waterlily’ as summer fades. Plant bulbs in May to June under trees, in borders or to naturalise in grass. ‘Water Lily’ is a particularly attractive variety with several layers of petals.

H x S: 15cm x 10cm
Flowers: Sep-Oct

3 Winter-flowering violas.

Violas like Viola ‘Sorbet Ruby Gold Babyface’ are an inexpensive way to bring colour to window boxes and containers through autumn and winter. Buy some winter-flowering violas in September and they will flower through mild periods, cheering up your windowsill or door step. Violas are easy to look after and can be combined with plants such as pansies, skimmia, ivy and box.

H x S: 15cm x 20cm
Flowers: March-October

4 Sternbergia lutea.

The flowers of this cheery plant look a bit like a crocus. Sternbergia is also known as the winter daffodil and looks good added to the front of borders or in between shrubs and perennials. Plant the bulbs from midsummer to autumn, 15cm deep.

H x S: 15cm x 8cm
Flowers: September-November

5 Japanese anemones.

Anemone x hybrida plants have elegant flowers held on wiry stems, in pink or white. ‘Pretty Lady Susan’ is a compact variety perfect for the middle of a border, but there are taller varieties available, such as the white ‘Honorine Jobert’, which will light up the back of a border at 1.2m tall. Japanese anemones are ideal for shadier spots, although they do need some sun to flower well.

H x S: 45cm x 60cm
Flowers: August-October