By Brian Minter
BC Day is the midpoint of summer when we take the opportunity to reflect on how our gardens are performing so far and make a few small changes to enhance our early fall displays.
Late-blooming perennials and ornamental grasses are key to enriching our fall landscapes. Fortunately, there are many late summer flowering perennials just coming into bloom, and they will add beauty for weeks.
Echinacea now come in a wide range of colours: soft and deep yellows, vibrant oranges, deep reds, hot pinks and pure white will enhance your gardens. New genetics like the Sun Magic series from Europe have resulted in far stronger and longer blooming plants. They are also hardier, going down to Zone 4. They do not like wet feet and in well-drained soil they are easily making it through our winters for an even better display the following year.
Rudbeckias are the heart and soul of late summer gardens, from the original, reliable r. Goldsturm to its new cousins like r. Goldblitz and r. Glitters Like Gold and the more compact r. Little Goldstar. There is a wide selection of varieties: if you need a tall background plant, r. Herbstsonne Autumn Sun grows up to two meters in height. If you live in Zone 7 or higher then the new Sun Magic series of Sunbeckias has an exceptional colour range of both single and double flowers.
More folks are discovering the beauty of perennial lilies in their gardens. Hardy lilies make excellent displays this time of year, especially the late Oriental varieties with their wonderful perfume.
The many newer varieties of agastache, which now bloom all summer long, come in a wide range of colours and are probably one of the most popular pollinator plants.
Heleniums are just coming into bloom with their striking citrus yellow and bronze bicolours. They truly enrich the autumn palette of our gardens.
Sedums, or stonecrops, are also budding up right now for their wonderful fall displays. Not only are they great pollinator plants, but they are also ideal as cut flowers. Sedum Autumn Joy and s. Autumn Fire are the old standbys, but today there is a great selection of both foliage and flower colours.
These are just a few of the many color choices we have at this time of year to add fresh colour now and for years to come.
Ornamental grasses are just beginning to flower now, adding another element of excitement to our late summer gardens. Pennisetum messiacum, with plumes like bunny tails, miscanthus Yaku Jima Maiden Grass, and panicum or Switchgrass, with varieties like Heavy Metal and Northwind are some great choices. They also play nicely with many of these perennials to make your garden displays truly outstanding.
Brian Minter is an award-winning horticulturist, author and syndicated columnist from Chilliwack, B.C. He and his wife, Faye, founded Minter Gardens, a 32-acre mixed-style show garden.
Photos by Brian Minter
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