Summer and autumn colour

[ebba]

We are trying to tame a garden which we moved into (with the house of course) a few years ago and haven't got round to until now. It's in North Northumberland, quite high up and south facing - so in the summer we get fantastic sun and rain, but the winters are long and harsh.

The plants in the garden look fabulous in late spring/early summer, but by about now most of the garden is past its best. I'm looking for ideas for long flowering summer and autumn colour in a cottage-gardeny style (have put in some sweet peas, clematis and gladioli) - what would anyone recommend?

Thanks for any ideas!

[Lesley Jay]

I love Rudbeckia. There are loads of different varieties of Rudbeckia with really striking flowers which last forever. The other is Love Lies Bleeding. This has long red tassels, looks a bit different and again lasts forever.

[Alice]

Hello Ebba. Dahlias will flower on until the first frost gets them as will marigolds. Crocosmia flowers late summer and makes a lovely splash o colour. Sidalcea comes quite late and stands a very long time and asters come latest of all just when you need them. If you fancy small trees for colour the Spindle is excellent. It doesn't grow big or make dense shade, things will grow under it, and it produces lovely red leaves in autumn which it holds for a long time. Also the Sumach (Rhus) does gorgeous autumn colour but it is a bit of a spreader. Autumn flowering sedums do lovely red colours and the bees love them. If you want something to take you right through the winter we have a helebore which does pale yellow flowers (bracts) from November to May. Gorgeous. If you're interested I can check the exact variety for you or maybe send you some seeds (it seeds itself). There's lots more but that should give you ideas for a start. Enjoy your garden. It does take a few years to get it the way you want it all the year round. It will come, bit by bit.

[bramble]

Why not try chrysanthamums, they come in such a range of colors from white right through to dark bronze. I think they make a lovely splash of color when almost everything is finished flowering.
Good luck with your garden Ebba whatever you decide and have lots of pleasure trying all the different flowers and plants available. You will soon decide what is suitable for your garden.
Bramble.

[ebba]

Thanks for all the ideas. It's really useful to get tried and tested recommendations rather than a bewildering range of plants at a nursery when you're only told the good points! I'll definitely give chrysanths and asters a try and dahlias (I did plant some tubers but I'm not sure they're doing anything), and I do like the sound of your hellebore, Alice. Sidalcea's a new one - have to find out about that. Lesley, is Love Lies Bleeding the same as Bleeding Heart? It sounds unusual and interesting. I have a half memory that Rudbeckia is bad for hayfever sufferers (which my OH gets really badly) - does anyone know is that true?

Again, thanks for all the ideas - a great place to come for inspiration!

[pigletwillie]

Try achillea, echinacea, heleniums, salvias, cosmos et al, for summer into autumn colour, all are perenialls and work well in cottage gardens.

Also use dahlias which are real showgirls for summer colour, a bonus with these is that you can either sow them as seed or start tubers off in pots and take lots of cuttings before planting them out to quickly build up your stocks

[Lesley Jay]

Ebba Love Lies Bleeding is not the same as Bleeding Heart. I have been searching my gardening books and google and I was surprised at how many different varieties there are. The one we grow in our garden is Amaranthus Caudatus Atropurpureus. The images on google are hopeless specimens ours grow fantastic. I can't find any link between Rudbeckia and hay fever. One site did state that garden flowers rarely cause allergy because the pollen is too heavy to be carried by the air alone and has to be transmitted by insects.

[SueA]

Hi Ebba, I'd say sedums. chrysanths, large flowerwed begonias, lavenders,penstemons & scabious which all last for a long time or repeat flower & attract insects, also buddleias are quick growing & flower really well.

[Alice]

Sidalcea


Hello Ebba, The pink flowers there are the Sidalcea. They flower late summer and stand a long time. At the end of flowering cut them right down to near ground level - and then we get a great view of our asters which are behind them. Happy gardening.

[ebba]

Thanks again, everyone. Lesley - that's great, I had trouble finding Love Lies Bleeding for some reason but I've seen some images now - it's incredible stuff! I'm not sure where I heard the thing about Rudbeckia - it's just a half memory and I might be confusing it with Sneezeweed, but we had a miserable time indoors last summer every time OH's hayfever was bad(grasscutting's now my job!) so I'm being over sensitive on that one, but happy to be proved wrong. Alice - that's a lovely image; hope my garden gets a bit nearer that this year...

Off now to some more garden-taming...!

[nick the grief]

Hi ebba,

You can't not have some lavender in you garden. I've got it allover the place & the smellis great. Also how about some Hebe's I've got to 2. 1 with a purple leaf & goth ar a magnet for bees this time of year.

As to Dahlia's & Chrysanths - what canI same about the queens of Autumn!

Have a look on our lottie site to get some idea of whats about

http://warkcom.net/live/cme2135.htm

[Alice]

Hello Nick, Just been looking at your site and your chrysants are just fab. I can't grow them here. I think the growing season is too short and they get wiped before ever coming to their best. Or maybe it's the wet. Don't know. Asters do well and come nice and late. You've inspired me. Might try the chrysants again. (I must be a glutton for punishment. Have tried them so many times with dismal results)

[nick the grief]

you could grow them on in 9" pots & either flower them in your greenhouse or plant them out. I know guys that grow them for showing from Fraserburgh & Aberdeen, so you should be OK alice!

[Alice]

That's all on the east coast Nick. My husband grew them as a boy in Dunbar (east coast) and my father in law grew them in Carnoustie (east coast) but just no success here (west coast) As I said it might be the wet but I will try again.

[nick the grief]

Try and get your cutting as soon after Christmas as you can & stop them (pich the top 1/2 " out) around may1st, you should get some flowers then by august/september.