September colour

[Martin H]

Last three for today...

My Willow-leaved Loosestrife has decided to put a second flush of flowers on for me:



This Gaura has been non-stop:



This little Erodium in the rockery flowered in spring and is back for another go too:



So there's still lots of colour around. Maybe it is still summer!

[noviceveggrower]

At the moment I have shed loads of Morning Glory in full flower and nasturtiums in pots are looking really nice.
Everything else seems to be fading fast.

[Green Gerkin]

The gazanias are lovely MartinH


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[Jay22]

Some lovely flowers there! Changing the subject just a bit but are there any plants which would flower in shade? We have a part of the garden which has overhanging trees which we hope to cut back next year (cherry) and so is very shady but would love to have some colour there. Had a trawl through the internet but not got any ideas as yet.

[Kristen]

We have a part of the garden which has overhanging trees which we hope to cut back next year (cherry)

Cherries don't like being cut back - they tend to catch canker and time of year for pruning is important (I think it is summer, because the bleed when cut, so the dormant winter period, which suits other things, is not the best time)

very shady but would love to have some colour there. Had a trawl through the internet but not got any ideas as yet.

Bulbs perhaps?

Is it dappled shade, or heavy shade? Hydrangeas would be OK in dappled shade.

We plant some Coleus in a shady area - its a house plant with vivid coloured foliage. Adds some colour, but without any (pretty) flowers I'm afraid. I also have fancy leaf varieties of Persicaria in the shade - again, no significant flowers, juts foliage. P. Red Dragon for example.

[Scarlet]

Jay, I've got some lovely hellebores, snowdrops and snowdrops in my shady area. They aren't summer flowering but it's lovely to have different ares of interest at throughout the season.

[Scarlet]

Martin, they are all fantastic. Both you and Mothawk have nicotiana, I've never had one of those and it's a real stunner. Penstemon is a workhorse in the garden too....I did have some at one time but they seem to have vanished! So I have a few more on my list.

[mothhawk]

Nicotiana grows easily from seed, Scarlet, it's an annual, and very fragrant, but you really only get the scent in the evening, no doubt in its native home it's pollinated by night flying moths. Martin's photo shows it in its glory, mine is really going over now.

[Jay22]

Yes mothhawk we plan to cut the trees back in June next year. Unfortunately it's a needs must as the branches are spreading halfway into the garden from over the fence (we have a builders yard behind us) which means as there is hardly any sun getting in that area it tends to be a bit too wet in winter. Will check out your suggested plants. Thanks everyone for the suggestions!

[Martin H]

Jay, Nicotiana is great for shade. I usually grow the tallest colourful ones I can find, actually I've got loads of seed I should send it into the VSP. It gets to about a metre tall in various shades of white, pink and purple. But this year I tried the Nicotiana sylvestris, it's white, really tall (1.5 metres from a seed that looks like a speck of dust) and spectacular. It's in a shady spot in a northwest facing corner in poor soil but it's completely happy there.

Other stuff that likes the shady spots in my garden includes foxgloves (which seed themselves everywhere) and candelabra primulas (which are perennial). These are more for May/June though.

[Jay22]

The candelabra primulas look lovely Martin!

[Scarlet]

Jay, Nicotiana is great for shade. I usually grow the tallest colourful ones I can find, actually I've got loads of seed I should send it into the VSP.

Oh, yes please I'll start saving seed and send my order to VC pronto...

[Noosner]

I've got loads of seed I should send it into the VSP.

Oooh yes please from me too, Martin. Your garden looks fabulous, btw!

The colour in my garden at the mo is coming from the sweet peas, bean flowers and cosmos, and one sunflower that you can't see in the piccie. I can't believe how long the sweet peas have gone on for. We're still getting bunches and bunches, 3 months on from the first flowering. What a marvellous plant.

[snakeshack]

Fuchsia tom thumb
Pepper sweet sunshine




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[WPG]

We haven't had frost yet, so still quite a lot flowering. The rudbeckia 'cherry brandy' and red snapdragons are doing really well at the moment. Also the 'mexican fleabane' daisy which started flowering in April is still going strong (I know some people think it's a bit of a weed, but I love it). I'm pleased with my black eyed susan (thunbergia) which was a 'rescue' plant from Homebase (one of the half-dead plants they leave out for free) which has come back to life and still climbing and flowering.