Re: Late summer flowers
Nan wrote:
>It is the end of summer, a time when I always look into my garden and wish
>I had more in bloom.
Ah those twinges of autumn! Brings on thoughts of winter which I find
depressing, so I concentrate on plants that carry on and keep me
reminded of summer. This way, winter doesn't start until mid
December, autumn is barely noticed and once I've recovered from
Christmas and New Year's celebrations, spring is almost here and its
time to start all over again.
>Spring and early Summer are glorious, but by the time
>we get to August and September, "the thrill is gone." So my friends, tell
>me what is blooming in your gardens this time of year so that I can plan on
>what to plant this fall and spring for late summer blooms. I am especially
>interested in what I think of as "sunset" colors -- orange/yellow,
>blue/purple, with a touch of red.
Well, I tend to plant with the last 4 months of the year in mind since
it is all too easy to have a marvelous show earlier on and little
other than fond memories by September. Here, lavishly hued Cannas in
every colour apart from blue and a pure white will carry on until
forced into dormancy by frosts. Hedychiums - the butterfly gingers,
give a prolonged display well into December during most years since
new growths are produced as the original ones commence flowering.
This allows for a degree of continuity over several months. Hedychium
greenii has wonderful glossy, mahogany coloured shoots which terminate
in showy red flowers and even before the first have oopened, new
flowering shoots are thrusting upwards to provide October and November
flowers. H. gardnerianum ( a dreadful 'weed' in parts of the world)
opens its exceptionally fragrant flowers like yellow and scarlet
firecrackers at stage from July onwards and those borne later during
cooler weather seem more vivid and longer lasting. H. densiflorum
gives 8" long, dense cylindrical spikes of pale scarlet, small flowers
from July until December and also provides extra colour with seed pods
that are rich coral salmon inside, studded with glistening red
berries. Less colourful but heavily fragrant, the original 'butterfly
ginger' - Hedychium coronarium continues to flower for at least 4
months of the year and if night temperatures remain above 50F., it
will carry on for much longer. Here, the main colours or white and
cream with the occasional pale salmon or pink hybrid.
Brugmansias will continue to bear their huge drooping trumpets well
into October and November with the scarlet and yellow B. sanguinea in
particular relishing the cooler conditions. Provided daytime
temperatures remain above 60 with night-time not falling much below
50, the more flamboyant and heavily fragrant insignis hybrids will
continue to bloom. Tropaeolum tuberosum - a scarlet and yellow
'climber' from Peru wont even try to flower until day lengths become
shorter and in more southerly latitudes often start in late October.
Here in the UK the true species commences during late September,
continuing until the first frosts - which in many UK gardens, often
occur very shortly afterward. A selection known as 'Ken Haslett'
flowers earlier and is better for cooler areas. Diascia patens
clothes fences and walls with countless thousands of half inch wide,
brick pink flowers from early August until December and then after
brief rest, starts to do it all again from February right through to
early June. South African 'daisy bushes' - Euryops, flower almost
continuously providing a cheery splash of almost brassy yellow until
very late in the year. E. chrysanthemoides is particularly useful in
the respect. Another South African - Bulbine fruticosum carries its
bright orange and yellow pokers some 2 feet or more tall, up to
December and is often at its best in September and October. A good
one for dry poor soils this - its succulent, pencil thick, grey green
leaves form large hummocks which seem to tolerate almost anything
apart from really severe frosts.
Two climbers that are particularly good for flowering from late summer
until early winter are the vivid blue purple Ipomoea indica (learii) -
pan tropical 'weed' and the magnificent Pandorea jasminoides from
Australia. The former is common and needs plenty of feed and moisture
to prevent that bedraggled, tired look, but is a wonderfully colourful
plant nevertheless. The Pandorea oozes tropical splendour with is
showy, pale pink trumpets shot with intense, almost velvet carmine. A
glossily leaved evergreen climber, it will run for well over 30 feet
in suitable areas and with me, is in flower from June to December.
Dave Poole
TORQUAY UK
