We’re well into September now and it feels like summer is a long and distant memory. With it disappears our much-enjoyed summer flowers. What was once a rainbow of colour now looks dull and dreary but the excitement doesn’t have to be over. The end of the summer is a season of its own with the arrival of fiery autumnal shades. Therefore, we should let the plants in your garden take you on a journey from summer through to winter. Here is the ‘Summer to Autumn in Colour’ plants you need in your garden.
Perennials
Echinacea
Echinaceas will happily flower late in the summer and through to the Autumn. Continuing to fill gardens with vibrant shades of pinks, purples, yellows and reds. They’re a fantastic perennial for prolonging that bright and breezy summery feeling. Perfect if you are not quite ready to let go of the sun just yet. They’re like an encore at concerts – a final burst of colours to wave farewell and welcome in the new.
Alstroemeria
Just like the Echinacea, Alstroemeria will do a sterling job of dragging the summer out just that little bit longer. They will give you time to say goodbye to summer and hello to autumn! The intense scarlet-red of Alstroemeria Inca ‘Vito’ is hard to beat and will flower into September and October. Bridging the gap in the changeover of seasons. Alstroemeria also makes a gorgeous cutting flower so you can bring some of that late-summer and early-autumn colour indoors. A flower that can be enjoyed not only outdoors but from the warmth and comfort of the sofa.
Rudbeckia
Perfect for adding striking sunny, bright shades to the garden as the seasons transition, Rudbeckia ‘Goldstrum’ produces masses of uniform, golden-yellow flowers. They will light up in the late-summer, early-autumn sun. As the nights draw in and the mornings draw out, Rudbeckia is the sunshine of the garden and when the other plants in your garden begin to fade. They grab the spotlight and becomes the star of the show. Set against a backdrop of deep green foliage, a wave of Rudbeckia will not go unnoticed.
Trees & Shrubs
‘Toffee Apple’ Tree
As the glossy greens start to fade, bright pinks turn deep purple and sunny yellow turn a rich shade of amber. There are few sights more arresting than the ‘Toffee Apple’ Tree. With its heart-shaped green leaves that transform like a chameleon as the season changes to warm hues of honey yellow. Growing to around 5m in a decade, they can eventually reach 15m – a real breath-taking specimen tree! Not only does the Cercidiphyllum japonicum produce a spectacular show of Autumn colour, but it also releases the most distinctive sweet scent. So there is no need to guess where it got its name from…
Acer
‘Maple’ Acers are renowned for their colour-changing foliage that put on an outstanding performance at this time of year, each and every year. In sync with the changing seasons, the leaves of these Acers evolve with the weather and their colours deepen as autumn arrives. The classic red-leaved maple, ‘Atropurpureum’’s deep burgundy-purple leaves turn an intense, fiery shade of red just before they fall – who said autumn is boring in the garden?!
Photinia
As winter is on its way and the garden has adjusted from bright multi-colours to deep reds and purples. Not is the right time to let Photinia ‘Red Robin’ bring a final twist of colour. When we say colour, we don’t just mean the aforementioned multi-colours, pinks, reds and purples. The evergreen Photinia in the depths of the autumn proves that green is just as good. As the red tinge of the leaves from the ‘Red Robin’ fade late in the summer, the autumn foliage turns a deep and glossy green. This acts as the perfect backdrop to winter flowering shrubs and flowers. Making a statement when the rest of the garden looks dark and lifeless.
