The Best Late Summer Flowers

The best late-summer flowers for your garden

August is a great time to overhaul your garden: you can see what's working and what's not, and the most colorful plants are available to fill any gaps and take schemes right through to the first frosts. 

If you can keep everything watered, the plants will have all they need to have a good start and really thrive. 

 

Look for delicate white and pink anemones, which will fill in any spaces left by faded flowers. For bolder shapes and colors, dahlias are looking their best right now, but even these can be outshone by brilliant cerise echinaceas 

 

This is also the time to freshen up any planters that are drooping in the heat. Most plants now in flower are pretty leggy, so don't work in containers, but there are some shorter varieties that look great in pots. My favorite is the almost neon-pink flower of Dahlia 'Braveheart'. It contrasts with the grey-bronze foliage to make it a real showstopper. 

 

Remember... 

Autumn-flowering camellias will be starting to bloom soon. Order them from Keanes, which also offers expert advice.