Alan Titchmarsh has identified five plants you can introduce to your garden to bring a splash of colour during autumn. The gardening expert is preparing for the "lovely" month of September in his latest YouTube episode, focusing on late-season flowers, hedges, grasses and the bulbs gardeners ought to be planting now for their spring showcase.
Why September is a busy time for gardeners
Alan describes September as agreeable because the summer heat has "abated", rainfall has returned, and the soil is warm and moist - perfect for planting, noting it's a "busy time of year". He explained the concept: "Adding late summer flowering plants to your beds and borders is the secret to having a garden that's as colourful as possible for as long as possible. Here are five that I'm adding to my garden this year."
As the description implies, Alan clarifies that late-summer flowers are varieties that begin blooming in July and persist through autumn, sometimes even lasting until the first frosts arrive in November.
The five recommended plants
Alan has some "beauties" to recommend, including his honourable mentions: Japanese anemone, Russian sage, helenium autumnale, rudbeckia hirta and hydrangea paniculata.
5. Crocosmia - Alan explained: "Some of them start flowering in early July, others come later on in the summer. But choose a range of them like this one, harlequin, which has flowers of rich, deep tangerine and a much lighter orange, hence harlequin. It's two different colours. And you can make sure that your crocosmias will flower right the way through the summer. They're easy to grow. They love a warm, hot, sunny spot. They last for ages. And when they do start to get overcrowded, you can dig them up and divide them."
4. Echinacea - Alan suggests people may recognise this plant for its medicinal properties, but it brings him a "power of good" whenever he sees it amongst his borders. He drew attention to an "almost luminous" pink-and-red variety known as "delicious candy". He noted that while it reaches a reasonable height, it won't become overly "tall and floppy". Delicious candy reaches approximately 2ft and keeps flowering well into September and October. Alan says you'll appreciate it "hugely".
More colourful options for late-season borders
3. Sedum 'Hot Stuff' - Alan said: "Sedums are referred to as the ice plant because if you feel their thick, fleshy, succulent leaves, they seem so much colder than the foliage of other plants around them, almost icy cold. So, it's ironic that this particular variety of sedum is called 'hot stuff'." He describes how when the flowers on this variety open, they turn a rich shade of pink. Others, by contrast, are "really dark, almost dusky mauve", while some have purple leaves. He mentions that the plant tolerates drought well, and that bees and butterflies "love them".
2. Kniphofia (aka red hot poker) 'Papaya Popsicle' - Alan notes that while some kniphofia varieties flower earlier in the summer months, the "papaya popsicle" variety proves to be a "good later bloomer". Reaching approximately a metre in height, he describes it as an "absolute corker", featuring pale orange blooms that are best positioned around three or four feet back from a border's front edge.
1. Dahlia - Alan said: "And finally, at number one in my list of favourite late summer flowers, well, it has to be the dahlia. Dahlias were out of fashion for years. They were thought to be vulgar. Heaven knows who by because I've always loved them. They grow from a tuber and you plant it in spring in your beds and borders. Up it comes and flowers like this from midsummer right the way through to the frosts of November."
Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh airs on ITV today (Sunday, August 30), from 9.30am to 11.25am.
