Blog: Plants that shine even when the sun doesn’t!
This is the worst time of the year for me in the garden, but if you love late summer, what are the best plants for August gardens? August has been pretty dire in North-East England – cool and cloudy but with not much rain. Our heating started to kick in during the last week!
Thanks to Vanessa for the great pictures.
Best plants for August gardens – ornamentals
It’s certainly the month for hydrangeas, a plant I used to hate, but since travelling to Madeira, I have a new respect for it. Zorro, a mophead, is my favourite, with its delicate pink-blue flowers and dark stems. Ninja Blue (it’s pink when young) is also a good choice, as it’s compact. For easy climbing colour, try the everlasting (perennial) sweet pea, which is virtually unkillable. Mine grows from a crack in the wall, so it’s impossible to get rid of, so I’ve come to appreciate its bright pink but short-lived flowers. Shame there’s no scent though.
Sweet pea Flamingo Flamenco Mix from Chiltern Seeds is the best variety pack I’ve ever grown. They’re still going strong, in a mixture of hot pinks, reds and oranges, all with a heady scent.
Fuchsia Rufus the Red consistently outperforms Star Wars (typical), while star dahlia goes to Pompom New Baby. Both will cope with dryness at the roots in pots far better than other varieties.
New Agapanthus Poppin’ Purple, on trial from Suttons, is a wonderful deep shade, looking wonderful with Echeveria and Coleus Kong Red, grown from seed this year.
Best plants for August gardens – edibles
The bush tomatoes in the conservatory (Tumbling Tom Red, Losetto and Garden Pearl) have been brilliant, as has the ever-dependable Rosella in the greenhouse. I usually grow all cordons, but have to climb ladders to harvest them (the plants sit on shelves). Now I don’t need ladders!
Climbing courgette Shooting Star has turned into a monster – and I worried about only having two plants! They are producing far more plants than we can eat, and in a very cloudy month, too.
We have also been inundated with cucumbers, and in my first year of growing, more on that in a future taste test post. Both snacking types, Party Time and Honey Plus, are performing well. We’re getting sick of tzatziki!
For gardening tasks you can do at this time of year, visit August Gardening Jobs. Here’s how my plants did in August 2020.
