Blog: Now’s the time for outdoor exotics to hit their stride
It’s easy for gardens to run out of steam in late August and early September, so what to grow in late summer to avoid this?
For my garden, it’s the time when the tender perennials are at their best, especially the big-leaved varieties such as bananas (more on them here). While the hardier Agapanthus has been blooming for some time, Poppin’ Purple flowers later for me and is worth the wait.
What to grow in late summer – Ensete ventricosum Maurelii
The red Abyssinian banana or Ethiopian black banana is one of my favourite plants and with good reason. Its huge paddle-shaped leaves are almost a metre long and stand up well to winds. The colour is amazing – burgundy red and deep green, with a red tinge at the leaf edges. You don’t get fruit in this country, but the leaves more than makeup for that. If you want a tropical vibe, this is the one to grow! Height 2.5m, less in pots.
Both of my large bananas are in large Root Pouch pots, which means I can plant them, pot and all, into my new raised beds, and then simply lift them out for winter. Classed as H2 on the hardiness scale, this is one plant that must come indoors (minimum temperature 1-5C).
The two plants have really put on massive growth by late summer, so my overwintering plans are going to have to change. Previously, I’ve carried them up into the conservatory, leaves and all, and kept them fairly dry over winter, before starting them back into growth in early spring. The general consensus seems to allow leaves to die back in late autumn/first frosts and cut back the stem to 20cm tall. Keep the plant dry and new leaves should appear (fingers crossed).
Agapanthus Poppin’ Purple
An evergreen perennial, Poppin’ Purple is classed as hardy but I take the pot into the cold greenhouse over winter. It’s an ideal plant to grow for late summer.
The dark, purple-black buds open to deep purple domed flower heads. The flowers last much longer than my other two varieties. It’s smaller too, growing to just 60cm. For more information, visit www.thompson-morgan.com.
This year, I’ve planted deciduous/evergreen Polar Ice (white) into my new raised bed and I’m hoping with a good mulch, they’ll survive the winter. However, Queen of the Ocean (pale blue) is in pots, so I’ll overwinter them under glass. Classed as H4 on the hardiness scale, it’s in the hands of the frost gods whether they survive a cold winter. At 1.2m, they’re much taller than Poppin’ Purple and the flowers tend to sprawl.
What to grow in late summer – Musa basjoo (Japanese or hardy banana)
Another architectural banana, despite its common name, isn’t hardy! It will stand temperatures down to -6C BUT that’s when protected by fleece and when properly wrapped (watch out for a later post on this). My plant is bushier than the Red Abyssinian banana and it hasn’t reached the same heights this year but that’s because I hacked it right back last autumn to get it indoors.
The fan-like leaves reach up to 1m when established. As the sun becomes more intense, the green leaves develop blotches of burgundy, which are very attractive. It’s another perfect plant for the tropical garden and apart from overwintering, is surprisingly fuss-free. Height 4m, less in pots, hardiness H2.
