The beauty of mid summer is that you can almost plant anything in your garden now as long as you can water enough & regularly, like daily.
The range of colourful plants, especially Hardy Perennials (as we call them) or sometimes known as cottage garden plants is immense at this time of year.
This group of plants that include Dianthus (Garden Pinks), Delphiniums, Lupins, & Echinacea, are all good fillers for ‘green’ borders. You will have noticed that a lot of shrubs flower in spring & can leave your border looking lush but a bit boring. Buy a few ready grown, larger perennials & plant them amongst the shrubs. Pic ones for shade or sun to get the best effect. Mass planting with small pot sized hardy perennials is ideal for new open borders but they wont compete with your exiting border plants as well as larger nursery grown plants. Remember to water daily.
Try to choose flower colours that compliment each other, as we’ve shown in the image to the left. You can of course go for opposite colours as an alternative. You decide but be guided by any flowering shrubs still to flower.
Summer flowering shrubs such as Philadelphus (Mock Orange) and Roses such as David Austins English Roses can also be added to ‘green’ borders at this time. Its the watering that then matters. See below for more information.
Summer Bedding plants such as Petunia, Geraniums, Osteospernums & New Guinea Impatiens are usually available well into summer. Multi-packs soon finish in July but our growers extend the season for late comers & garden decorators with larger plants that make an instant impact & liven the dullest patio or border.
Dahlias grown in larger pots are also ideal ‘dot’ plants for dull borders. You can plant them or if you can manage to water the pots just stand them between the ‘green’ border plants. Dahlias flower from June until the first frost & as long as you take the faded flowers of regularly they will reward you with flowers for vases or button holes too.
Great gardens also have contrasting or complimenting foliage too. In recent years the range of colour in Heucheras is astounding. These low growing & nearly evergreen plants are ideal for tubs & pots and particularly useful plants for the front of borders. They do flower in late May & June but due to their amazing coloured foliage, they give great value all year round. look out for their half sisters the Heucherellas for great coloured foliage too but with contrasting colour veins.
We mustn’t forget Lavenders. With the introduction of the French Lavenders (Lavender stochas) a few years ago we can have lavender scented flowers for much longer. They are great in pots on their own, or at the front of a border.
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