Moody blues
✿ Fancy blues, purples and
pinks? Choose asters, or
Michaelmas daisies, which bees
love. They form substantial
clumps, but taller varieties will
need staking.
✿ Aster frikartii ‘Mönch’ has prett
lavender-blue flowers that appear
from July through to October.
✿ Tall and airy, Verbena bonariensishasclu
lavender flowers on branching stemsthatreachupto2m.In
a sheltered, sunny spot, it’ll flower till late autumn.
✿ For a dramatic pairing, team with Salvia ‘Amistad’, which
produces rich, dark-purple spires from June to November.
Tropical beauties
Both black-eyed Susan (Thunbergia alata) and the
cup and saucer plant (Cobaea scandens) originate in
hot climates, but in the UK they can be treated like
annuals and grown from seed. They’ll romp up a trellis
or wigwam and flower from July until the frosts. They
need sunny, sheltered sites, well drained and moist soil,
and will do well in containers or borders.
✿ Try Thunbergia alata ‘Arizona Dark Red’ for deep red
to sunset orange flowers, or ‘Superstar Orange’ for zingy
orange blooms that contrast with the dark centres.
✿ The cup and saucer plant, originally from Mexico,
has large, scented, bell-shaped flowers that turn from
greenish white to an inky purple.Tall and airy
Verbena
bonariensis