I have mixed emotions about September. I love the light. I love the warm weather. But I cant shake off that feeling of impending doom as the nights draw in and the temperature drops- I have absolutely no love for winter! It is just too cold, and I can't even get excited about the prospect of snow. I've tried to enjoy sledging but frankly it's cold and wet and maybe I read too much Chicken Licken as a kid and think the sky is falling in when it snows!
but September is beautiful.
here are some September plant heroes- keeping the colour and life going for longer in the garden.
This white delicate flower is Gaura and its still going strong. It adds a gentleness to borders as it waves in the breeze. It works well dotted in cottage style gardens, herbaceous borders and prairie style planting.
Asters- this is their moment. They seem a bit slow to get going this year but will last through to the tail end of October and will keep going til the frosts.So easy to look after. Just cut them back after they have all flowered and leave them... And they are easy to split, so long term you get a lot of plants for your money. - and they are my mums favourite plant so they will always be in my top 10!
Nicotiana and Cleome-both annuals but both still looking good at this time of year so well worth growing.
This is Clerodendron bungeii and is one of the plants we get asked about the most at this time of year. It grows tall- can be taller than me and is prone to suckering but it is easy to care for and the insects love it. Hurry to plant sales as there are some that we have propagated for sale right now.
The figs at the ends of the rill look lovely and the smell from them in the sunshine is so sweet. As we don't grow them for fruit but for foliage we prune them slightly differently and leave this lush green growth through the summer.
Gladioli- This salmon coloured one in the plat is Ibadan. We plant them deep to try and avoid staking them.
This is the perennial sweet pea- still flowering away and doing a grand job of covering over other plants which have already gone over.
So don't panic there is still plenty of joy in the garden and at least another two months of prolific flowering. Come and have a look and let me know your favourite September plant heroes.
