Every year I am bewildered when I see garden centres and supermarkets selling ‘painted’ heathers in a variety of garish colours.
Heathers
Tag: autumn flowering
Shrubs and plants that flower during the autumn – flowering usually during the the months of September, October or November.
Nicandra physaloides (Shoo fly)
Easily grown from seed, Nicandra physaloides is an annual which reaches approximately a metre in height.Continue reading
Viburnum tinus ‘Eve Price’
I love the clusters of tiny pink and white flowers on Viburnum Tinus, which will flower its heart out throughout the depths of winter. Although some people might consider this too common to have in their garden, it is such an easy shrub to grow, performing well in a variety of aspects, it is well-worth a place in your garden.
Tricyrtis hirta ‘Blue Boy’ (Japanese Toad Lily)
Otherwise known as Japanese toad lily, which is not a very glamorous name for such an exquisite flower.
These exotic-looking plants are great for shady conditions.
Rosa: High Hopes (Pink climbing rose)
Fuchsia, Hardy
The garden has still got plenty of colour even though it’s the first day of October! These hardy fuchsias will flower until the first frosts. Such a worthwhile addition to any garden, they flower their hearts out all summer long with no attention whatsoever.
Helianthus (Perennial Sunflower)
I purchased this Helianthus from an NGS Open Garden earlier this year. It is a perennial version of the popular annual sunflower and I have been surprised just how vigorously it has grown and how many flowers it has, which will grow again year after year. Unfortunately I forgot about it after planting and the stem flopped over, so must make a note to stake it next year!
Clematis tangutica
Both the yellow lantern-like flowers and the fluffy seed heads of this clematis make it well worth growing. It is very easy to grow and a vigorous climber – useful for climbing up trees and large shrubs. The seed heads will remain on the plant throughout the winter and I will cut the whole plant down to the ground in the spring.
Arbutus unedo flowers (Strawberry Tree)
The Arbutus unedo tree flowering in my garden at the moment is a great source of food for both bees and butterflies. Captured this rather grumpy looking Red Admiral butterfly enjoying the nectar today! The tree will carry on flowering for quite a few weeks and at the same time, the fruit from last year’s flowers will ripen. It is quite a stunning sight!
Nerine bowdenii (Cornish lily)
The flowers of Nerine bowdenii brighten up the dullest days of autumn with their wavy pink petals. The leaves appear after the flowers. These flowers have been in my garden for over 16 years and reliably flower every autumn without any fuss. The gardening manuals say they hate disturbance, but I divided them up last year without any ill-effects.
