The blooms put all their energy into the re-enchantment of the garden. Fresh, opulent and shimmering, they give us the illusion of a new spring. A palette of colors to plant now.
1. Focus on this winning trio
1) Asters
September and October mark the height of the asters' prayer (photo previous page). The small aster bushes "tumors", covered with white, pink or purple flowers, are suitable for borders. While the classic New England asters over 1m high, with warm, simple or semi-double flowers, not very susceptible to disease, it will integrate the bottom of a massif. All of them like the land that does not dry too much in summer.
Gardeners prefer bush asters, which are lighter, covered with small flowers and do not require stakes. Remember the "later folios" Lady in Black aster with pink flowers, the "laevis" Calliope aster with black stems and the "flericoides" Esther aster with a compact habit. For their vigor, divide the tufts every two or three years.
2) Japanese anemones
Their spring-flowering freshness wakes up the August massifs to the first frosts. The opulent tufts, which stand upright, blend perfectly with hydrangeas, asters, last roses and grasses. To be planted in the sun or the semi-shade in the South, sheltered from the wind, in a pro-melting soil and not too dry. You will appreciate the white Honorine Jobert, the soft pink September Charm and Bressingham Beauty, of a deep pink.
3) Chrysanthemums
For the garden, you should choose non-frost chrysanthemums known as autumn daisies or Dendranthema. Their shimmering colors warm up the beds and respond to the autumn foliage of shrubs such as charcoal or dogwood. Plant these perennial and gourmet flowers in a soil enriched with compost and not too wet in winter. We like the classic varieties like Clara Curtis 4, soft mauve, Anastasia, with parma pompoms, Soir d'Orient, purple, and Apollo, brick orange and semi-double.
2. Planting colorful perennials
The late blooms are like a new spring. In fresh but well-drained soil, echinacea with daisy flowers, red, pink or yellow, play the game of extension. Every two years, remember to divide the stumps before winter. To illuminate the back of a massif until the end of the month, nothing beats the large suns of helianthus 8, which come in all shades of yellow.
Another North American perennial with the same requirements: helium. It forms beautiful tufts surmounted by bouquets of flowers like so many big-hearted daisies, in orange, yellow and red tones. To complete this firework display, think of the goldenrod on cool ground and, on ordinary ground, the yellow rudbeckias with black hearts, who love sun and semi-shade.
As they grow in very little soil and love shaded exposures, "Saxifraga fortunei" will enjoy potted in the north of due east. Their small pink, white and sometimes fringed flowers are very delicate. Water often to keep the soil cool. The beautiful tufts of evergreen leaves of "Liriope muscari" are more resistant to dryness. Its purplish flower ears will provide the setting between September and October. In full sunlight, prefer sedums to blue or purple foliage. Even if they are dry on their feet, they will remain decorative throughout the winter.
3. Buying bulbs
The most spectacular is the Naples cyclamen, which forms carpets of pink or white flowers at the foot of deciduous trees. The prayer from the beginning of September extends until November and then gives way to a pretty marbled foliage. Its large flat bulbs, which like in light soil, should touch the ground.
In pots or the ground, provided the substrate is well-drained, you can cultivate South African nerines in a mild climate. Their bright pink flowers, carried by strong stems, bloom between September and October after the foliage has completely disappeared in early summer. At ease in wetter areas, the lily of Cafres or Schizostylis 5 looks like a small gladiola with pink, red or white flowers.
4. Growing a shrub
To keep your late cosmos and other white gauras company (photo previous page), plant a Caryopteris in the heart of a massif. This rustic shrub, 1.50m high, flowers in shades of blue from August to the first frosts. It can be used on any well-drained land as long as the site is sunny. The Worcester Gold variety is distinguished by its golden foliage that enhances the white of the anemones. In full sunshine as if under a slight shade, Lespedeza spreads its long stems, which between August and October are filled with charming purple-pink flowers.
