Blog: Top three plants of the month
Most people demand flowers for high summer. so I’ve chosen my three best performers for what to grow in July for UK gardens.
They’re all new to me this year and are growing together in my sunny new raised bed. I wanted to contrast my two bananas (Musa basjoo and Ensete ventricosum Maurelii) with hot colours in reds, browns and golds. Members of the daisy family, I hope you enjoy growing Rudbeckia gloriosa, sunflower Ms Mars and the Mexican hat plant. Read about the Year of the Rudbeckia.
What to grow in July – Rudbeckia gloriosa (coneflower, black-eyed susan)
Another one I grew from seed this spring, and from a free packet of seeds with Gardeners’ World magazine. Rudbeckia gloriosa is a half-hardy perennial but is usually treated as a half-hardy annual. I’m astonished at the speed of flowering and the quantity and quality of blooms. They’re a mix of coneflowers with dark centres (the black eyes). Some have plain gold petals, some have deep brown and amber markings.
Bees and butterflies love it and it’s a plant I wouldn’t hesitate from growing again. R. gloriosa is classified at H3 (it will tolerate temperatures from 1C to -5C). As it’s in the warm raised bed next to the black wall, I’m going to see if it survives winter. Height 90cm, available from www.mr-fothergills.co.uk.
Mexican Hat plant Red Midget (Ratibida columnifera f. pulcherrima)
I grew this perennial from seed this spring and it is flowering already. The flowers are really unusual, with a tall green central cone turning dark brown, surrounded by brick-red petals with yellow edging. These droop downwards, hence the plant’s common name, like a mini sombrero. Attractive, deeply divided foliage has a strong smell that can repel deer.
Classed as hardy (H6) but it is a short-lived perennial. Native to the American prairies, it’s drought-resistant and ideal for sunny borders, wildflower meadows and gravel gardens. Expect flowers from established plants from as early as June until the first frosts. Other names: prairie coneflower, thimble flower. Height 40cm, spread 30cm, available from www.suttons.co.uk.
What to grow in July – Sunflower Ms Mars (Helianthus annuus)
This is the best dwarf multi-branching sunflower I’ve ever grown. Sunflower Ms Mars has graduated purple/plum to rosy-pink petals tipped with creamy-yellow. The daisy-like flowers have dark red centres and measure up to 15cm across, produced from purple buds.
What’s more, the foliage is dramatic too – dark and flushed with purple. The plants are naturally dwarf, upright, free-branching and stout. It’s pollen-free, so is ideal for hay fever sufferers. As one flower fades, many more appear on side shoots – just keep deadheading. Flowers from July to October, height 60cm, spread 30cm, available from www.thompson-morgan.com.
What to grow in July for UK gardens updated 2025
