Over the years, we 3Growbags and our plant columnist Louise Sims have often discussed our favourite plants for brightening the garden in September and October. So it occurred to us that it might be handy to compile a list of these plants as a link to where we tell you more about them. It might just the thing to help folk who are looking to make their autumn garden look more fabulous, and while you’re browsing our past articles, you may even find a few more ideas you hadn’t considered.
We hope to keep adding to the list, if we hear of more gems to include…..
Perennials:
Aconitum carmichaelii Arendsii – aconite
Althea cannabina – hemp-leaved hollyhock
Asclepias tuberosa – milkweed
Aster frikartii ‘Monch’ – Michaelmas daisy
Alstromeria ‘Indian Summer’ – Peruvian lily
Chrysanthemum pacifica (Ajania pacifica)
Diascia personata – twinspur
Erigeron karvinskianus – Mexican fleabane
Geranium ‘Rozanne’ – cranesbill
Glycorrhiza yunanensis – liquorice
Helenium ‘Moerheim Beauty – sneezeweed
Helianthus ‘Carine’ – sunflower
Hylotelephium spectabile ‘Herbstfreude’ – stonecrop, sedum
Melianthus major – honey bush
Mesembryanthemum – Livingstone daisy
Rudbeckia triloba – black-eyed susan, coneflower
Rudbeckia ‘Goldsturm’ – black-eyed susan, coneflower
Persicaria amplexicaulis ‘Rosea’ – knotweed
Phytolacca americana – pokeweed
Sanguisorba ‘Pink Brushes’ – burnet
Senecio ‘Angel Wings’ – groundsel
Serratula tinctoria var. Seoanei – dyer’s plumeless saw-wort
Symphyotrichum varieties (asters) – Michaelmas daisy
Shrubs:
Ageratina ligustrina – privet-leaved snakeroot
Callicarpa bodinieri – beauty berry
Lespedeza thunbergii – bush clover, Japanese clover
Fothergilla major – witch-alder
Gomphostigma virgatum – otter bush
Hydrangea aspera – large-leaved scabrous hydrangea
Indigofera amblyantha – Chinese indigo
Leycesteria formosa – Himalayan honeysuckle, pheasant berry
Vaccinium – blueberry
Annuals & tender perennials:
Calendula ‘Indian Prince – pot marigold
Dolichos lablab ‘Ruby Moon’ – hyacinth bean
Helichrysum petiolare – liquorice plant
Plectranthus argentatus – spur flower
Bulbs, corms, rhizomes, tubers:
Acidanthera murielae – Abyssinian gladiolus
Amaryllis belladonna – belladonna lily
Cyclamen hederifolium – ivy-leaved cyclamen
Hesperantha coccinea – Kaffir lily
Hedychium gardnerianum – ginger lily
Nerine bowdenii – Guernsey lily
Sternbergia – winter daffodil
Climbers:
Campsis radicans – trumpet vine
Hedera colchicum dentata variegata – Persian ivy
Vitis vinifera ‘Brant’ – European wine grape
Vitis vinifera purpurea – European wine grape
Grasses:
Anemanthele lessoniana – New Zealand wind grass, pheasant’s tail grass
Calamagrostis brachytricha – Korean feather reed grass
Miscanthus sinensis ‘China’ – Chinese silver grass
Pennisetum alupecuroides ‘Herbstzauber’ – fountain grass
Stipa gigantea – giant oats
Trees:
Arbutus unedo – strawberry tree
Eriobotrya japonica AGM – loquat
Hamamelis varieties – witch hazel
Malus ‘Red Sentinel’ – apple
Mespilus germanica – medlar
Parrotia persica – Persian ironwood
Rhus typhina – staghorn sumac
Sorbus ‘Joseph Rock’ – rowan, mountain ash
Vitex agnus-castus var. latifolia – chasteberry
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3 replies on “Our favourite plants for September and October”
This great but I have no hope of remembering these names using the botanical names.
Hi Christopher, Elaine here. Thank you for writing in. You make a very good point! When you click on the names to find out more about the plants, we then usually mention the common names, but I agree that it would definitely be worth adding them into the list itself. I will do that as soon as I have a moment. Happy gardening!
Thanks for the reminder and advice on ponds and splittig perennials. Our apples are cookers so we peel, core and slice before freezing. They last us all year for compote and puds. Our garden club had a talk yesterday by Don Witton on perennials which would see us through the winter with a printed list but you have added shrubs and trees that extend the garden season.
I like to plan my winter containers in October and then go round sourcing the plants to create my “best pots ever”.