With August inexplicably around the corner, we’ve all been taken a bit off-guard at how quickly this year has been moving. We’ve been busy moving around Kent and Surrey on some of the most exciting garden design projects yet, but there’s always time to tend to our own gardens and make sure we’re practising our creativity at home. Below are some of our favourite flowers for August. Eden Restored is not liable for any over-excitement caused or money quickly-spent at your local nursery after reading this list…
Gloriosa Daisy (Rudbeckia hirta)
You might know this beautiful oversized daisy by the name Black-eyed Susan, but the vivid colours on offer from this prairie native is enough to impress even the most green-fingered of guests to your home. These annuals will bloom in their first year and can grow up to 3 feet tall – encompassing the whole autumnal range of colour from yellow and gold to sunset and mahogany. Make sure you give your daisies enough sunlight to flourish and give it some half-decent soil and water, though it can certainly handle its share of erratic rainfall.
Forest Pansy (Cercis canadensis)
Whilst not an oversized version of its namesake like that above, the forest pansy is a more of a small shrub or tree and boasts fantastic purple heart leaves. The waxy texture keeps water locked within the plant, so make sure the soil is well-drained and sunlight strong. You won’t find many small trees with as impressive or as deep a colour – you certainly won’t find any which can produce pink flowers directly from the stem, even without the hypnotic leaves.
Summer Margaritas (Chrysanthemum maximum)
Another variety of daisy, summer margaritas are the spitting image of their smaller cousins that barely reach an inch from the ground. With the same white petals and the bright yellow budding centre – summer margaritas are perfect for recreating meadows and grassland in your own garden. These can flourish in flowerbeds or potted along walkways and patios – British crops tend to fare better in pots. You can find these growing up to 3 feet tall and they will bloom from July to September.
Tree Peony (Paeonia suffruticosa)
Japanese tree peonies are stunning aquatic-looking plants which can provide a burst of colour to any flowerbed. With delicate and expansive petals ranging from the deepest of purples to the brightest of yellows, these gorgeous flowers make for the perfect feature setting in your garden. Give them partial or complete shade with rich soil and make sure that there’s enough air movement around the plant. Despite their delicate appearance, they can thrive in a lot of environments and soil types including clay and sand.
Globe Thistle (Echinops ritro ‘Veitch’s Blue’)
These stunning blue plants make for a perfect architectural boundary for summer gardens. Leaves can be prickly and the blue globes that sit proudly atop their stems are bristly to say the least – but the deep blues and lilacs that you’ll find in your crop are beautiful. Globe thistles are incredibly hardy and will resist direct sunlight and drought, allowing you to plant them in difficult to reach places and not having to worry about them all that much. Make sure you wear gloves when pruning here!
Lucifer (Crocosmia)
The rather disturbingly named Lucifer is a robust perennial, with pleated leaves and arching stems. This tall, bold plant will flower in bright red and provide bold summer colour and fullness to the mid-level structure of your summer border.