When August is looming and the vibrant blooms of early summer are past, Nantucket’s gardens begin to feel the heat! The best way to guarantee splendid shows of colorful flowers late in summer, is to mix it up with annuals and perennials that bloom for a long period, or that start blooming later in the season.
Gardeners are always on the look out for perennials that flower freely. Some of the best are Geranium ‘Rozanne’, Gaura lindheimeri, Calamintha nepetoides, and Persicaria amlexicaulis. They bloom for months from the height of summer right into the fall.
Find places in the border for late summer bloomers like Rudbeckia ‘Goldsturm’, Perovskia atriplicifolia, Echinacea, Hibiscus mosc., Sedum spec. ‘Autumn Joy’, and Agastache ‘Blue Fortune’. All of these plants are hardy and will have fresh blooms in late summer.
Fill in gaps between perennials with annuals. Or design spaces for these show stoppers into your gardens. Some of our favorite annuals for mixed plantings are Verbena bonariensis and Dahlias. T
he tall, narrow stems and purple flowers of Verbena bonariensis are a great filler for areas where hollyhocks have fizzled or foxgloves have finished flowering. And the vast aray of tall and decorative dahlias can be used to add color to nearly any area of the sunny garden.