Rosie Bose of Glendon Plant Nursery in Northamptonshire sings the praises of the plants that come into their own in August.
Mid-July and the garden felt less than summery: towering dead Delphinium and Thalictrum stems, the giant Crambe all flopped over, seed pods waiting to be collected everywhere, and lots of brown… Then suddenly the colour changed dramatically – vibrant reds, orange and yellows from day lilies to Dahlias, Rudbeckias and Salvias; in shadier places the strong peppery smell of Phlox floats in the air, there are Roscoeas, the first of the Toad lilies are appearing, and my faith is restored! Late summer is a wonderful time for so many plants but these are the five I would not be without in my garden:
ERYNGIUM BOURGATII ‘GRAHAM STUART THOMAS SELECTED FORM’
I love all Eryngiums. They suit my dry, rather too well-drained garden. I used to keep bees and I have to admit, I always felt a little smug in the knowledge that these prickly beauties were also providing a gourmet delight for them.
Eryngium GST is striking at all stages. The early growth forms a neat tussocky mound with silvery-white patterned leaves. The thimble-like flowers are a rich violet blue above a ruff of spiny bracts held high above the leaves. They can take a year or so to really perform, but the wait is worth it. Compared to the rather stiff form of E. Miss Willmott’s Ghost, GST seems very airy and delicate. All Eryngiums are also very good for drying.
ECHIUM FASTUOSUM, OR E. CANDICANS
Originating in Madeira, the Canaries and North Africa, this stunning multi-stemmed monster thrives on dry stony soil and is easily raised from seed. The plant I have in my unheated greenhouse has had to be hacked back more than a few times, and pushing past its rather abrasive, rough leaves can be quite painful!
Generally not quite as tall as E. pininana, which can reach 15 feet, the rich blue of its thousands of tiny flowers massed together up the stems, smothered with bees and emerging from silvery grey rosettes, is utterly beautiful. Given that they survive in winter, most E. fastuosum will live for several years. Mine is at least five years old and has coped with a couple of severe winters – the key is to keep it dry. They do far better in the ground than in pots.
ECHINACEA ‘GREEN ENVY’
Echinacea or ‘cone flowers’ come from prairie land in East and Central North America - so lots of sun and an open aspect is what they like. The name comes from the Greek ‘echino’ meaning sea urchin, which describes the central spiny disk. The plants were used extensively in Native American medicine after Elk were noticed eating E. angustifolia when sick or wounded.
‘Green Envy’ opens green and as the flower matures, pinkish-red spreads out from the cone. E ‘Green Jewel’ is very similar, but stays a bright green. Echinacea are generally slightly scented and last well in water. They are sturdy plants, can tolerate some shade, and grow to about 90cms. It certainly pays to deadhead them as this prolongs the flowering season. The colours are subtle and look good next to most other plants. The hybrids ‘Tomato Soup’, ‘Art’s Pride’ and ‘Summer Salsa’ have wonderful rich orange and red colours, I plan to one day plant a whole sheet of them!
SPHAERALCEA ‘CHILDERLEY’
Another American plant, S ‘Childerley’ comes from the Malvacea family. Its flowers are a pretty, soft orange which contrast so well with the pale greyish-green leaves. It can get a bit ‘leggy,’ so a little judicious nipping back now and again is a good idea. Winter wet can be a killer, so keep it dry and plant it up against a wall or fence if you can. It loves the sun and just goes on and on in flower – which means it is perfect for gathering cuttings to place around the house!
DAHLIA ‘MOONFIRE’ AGM
How to choose just one Dahlia? I think maroon-red ‘Bishop of Auckland’ is my absolute favourite, although I also really like Twyning’s After Eight, the single white that flowers so prolifically, right through until the first frosts.
That said I’m very partial to the dark leaves and pure August colours (gorgeous red merging into yellow) of ‘Moonfire’. I no longer lift Dahlias for the winter, instead I throw some compost over them once the frost has cut them back and then maybe add some holly twigs or dead leaves to give them protection. It’s certainly less time consuming than humping great tubers about and running out of shed space, only to find that in the spring the mice have eaten most of them…!