Saga Magazine – August 2018

(^2018) I SAGA.CO.UK/AUG-MAG (^105)
Z
Home and garden
GAP,
ALAMY,
SHUTTERSTOCK
1
Sedum
‘Purple
Emperor’
This fl eshy-leaved
sedum peaks in
August, attracting
butterfl ies and bees.
Flowers Aug-Oct. Height
45 cm ( 18 in).
2
Dahlia
‘Knockout’
(syn ‘Mystic
Illusion’)
An award-winning,
chocolate-leaved,
single yellow bred in
New Zealand. Deadhead
regularly. Flowers
July-Oct. Height 1 m (3ft).
3
Aster x
frikartii
‘Mönch’
The longest-
fl owering aster, with
lilac to lavender
petals. Flowers July-Oct.
Height 70 cm ( 28 in).
4
Rudbeckia
fulgida
var. deamii
A superstar that’s
bombproof – and
no deadheading
needed. Flowers
Aug-Oct. Height 1 m (3ft).
5
Agastache
‘Blue Fortune’
(Giant Hyssop)
Blue ‘bottlebrush’
fl owers add
vertical accents.
Aromatic foliage is
a bonus. Flowers
July-Sept. Height 1 m (3ft).
Clockwise from top A butterfl y alights
on buddleia; blue salvias and yellow
heleniums; bright pink penstemons and
red Helenium ‘Moerheim Beauty’
positions. Deadhead to
prolong fl owering.
Hardy geraniums such as
‘Patricia’, ‘Rozanne’ and ‘Orion’
are sterile so repeat fl ower.
‘Patricia’ (a dark-eyed
magenta) and ‘Orion’ (the best
deep-blue) begin fl owering in
May; ‘Rozanne’ is a softer blue,
has a more sprawling habit and
fl owers later. The lilac-blue
‘Nimbus’ goes on and on until
September. They all take up
space, forming large mounds.
Buddleias shine in
August. The spent fl owers
must be removed as they
brown in order to keep the
fl owers coming: this will also
prevent unwanted seedlings.
Cut back hard to the lowest
shoots in late April for August
fl owers. ‘Lochinch’ is a compact
buddleia suitable for smaller
gardens, with silvery foliage
and slender lavender fl ower
spikes; each fl ower has an
orange eye. Larger buddleias
include ‘Pink Delight’, ‘Royal
Red’ and ‘Black Knight’. All are
popular with butterfl ies, but
the nectar will only fl ow
abundantly if the shrub is grown
in a warm, sunny position.
Shrubby, hardy salvias
such as S. microphylla and
S. x jamensis fl ower from
midsummer until November.
They are not showy, with
winged fl owers mostly in
scarlet, pink and white, but
they provide reliable sparkle,
insects love them and they
fl ourish in dry conditions.
Viticella clematis are
small-fl owered, easily grown
clematis that peak in July and
August, originally bred from
a Spanish drought-tolerant
species. Prune by cutting them
back to the lowest bud each
spring. Let them sprawl gently
through a shrub or train
them onto walls and pergolas.
5 plants to add
colour now