Homebase reveals their top garden tasks for July
As the summer comes to an end, flowers can start to fade which means gardens can start to look less vibrant.
While shrubs and Mediterranean plants can provide plenty of greenery and texture, they aren’t the most vibrant options for English gardeners.
With this in mind, Charles Carr, head of Wholesale Nurseries at Hillier has compiled a list of the top five late summer flowering plants gardeners can plant now for a bright and blossoming garden that will last until autumn.
1. Heleniums
Heleniums love the sun and can add an abundance of colour right through to autumn.
As well as being colourful, there are hundreds of varieties and colours to choose from including hot yellows and reds and fiery oranges.
READ MORE: Important summer task helps roses put energy into buds to produce more flowers
To keep them looking their best, they need to be deadheaded. This will encourage “future growth and longer spells of colour into autumn”. These plants are “easy to grow” and thrive in most soil types but prefer full sun.
2. Heliopsis
Heliopsis are also known as “fake sunflowers” and can grow to be anywhere from 40cm tall to two metres. The plants have stunning flowers that can be yellow or orange with a golden centre.
These flowers look great in beds and borders and are loved by pollinators. They will flower from six to eight weeks.
3. Penstemon
Gardeners looking to add a touch of pink to their gardens could choose to plant penstemons which have tubular, trumpet-shaped flowers.
These plants come in a range of colours from deep purple to pink as well as some white and blues. Some varieties are bi-colours, combining two shades.
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Penstemons thrive in well-drained soil and are also tolerant to drought conditions.
4. Crocosmia
Crocosmia come in a range of colours from orange to yellow and red. They add both colour and height to gardens, making them a great choice for beds and borders.
These plants originate from South Africa and need fertile but moist, well-drained soil.
5. Japanese Anemones
These plants are beautiful with cup-shaped pink or white flowers on the top of tall stems.
They can also spread rapidly so can be a great way to fill up empty-looking beds and borders. The plant’s stems can grow anywhere between 50 and 150cm.
Mr Carr added: “They produce bountiful blooms with up to 30 flowers per corm being possible. They have a blooming season of six to eight weeks so add colour when many other perennials are beginning to die back.”
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