Best plants for September gardens in the UK

After an awful August, this month has given us what we needed and here are the best plants for September, as they performed in my garden.

However, it wasn’t all plain sailing. We’ve had a warm, desiccating wind blowing for over a week. The soil is bone dry and autumn has come early for the big-leaved perennials like Rodgersia, Rheum palmatum (ornamental rhubarb) and Astilboides tabularis (shieldleaf Rodgersia). They’ve either shrivelled altogether or are flopping in an undignified manner.

Another big problem has been powdery mildew (more on that this week). Most affected (I refuse to use the word impacted) are Helenium Lemon Queen and Aster Barbados, which is a shame, as they do the heavy lifting in the border now. Still, the Helenium’s got plenty of flowers… just don’t look below!

Obviously, the succulents have shrugged off the dryness easily, so my little project with terracotta is growing nicely. My recently new investment in hydrangeas has paid off, with Zorro and Ninja Blue quietly doing their thing. The smoke bush (Cotinus) has finally reached the height to be a great backdrop to the red hot poker (Knifophia). Of course, I enjoyed that for two days before the wind smashed them down!

Much to my surprise, the potted elephant ears (Colocasia) have thrived. Placing the pots in a gravel tray filled with water has kept their thirst satiated. Growing them in Dalefoot Composts’ new blend has helped!

Other notable mentions – the everlasting sweet pea, petunia Mystical Midnight Gold, Coleus Wizard Sunset (as ground cover), Aster Barbados (just starting) and Rosa glauca.

This year has been the best ever for tomatoes and the greenhouse is still going strong, with Rosella doing what she does with aplomb. The conservatory’s earlier bush tomatoes are mostly done.

After a slow start, climbing courgette Shooting Star has been producing delicious fruit regularly. I’ve even discovered a way to get my family to eat them – make a Thai-style stir fry with ginger, lime, soy sauce, fish sauce (nam pla) and garlic.

The chillies and peppers are starting to ripen. Here’s the problem – the Sharpie I used on the labels has completely disappeared, so the chances of mixing up the two are rather high. Expect ridiculous teatime drama!

We’ve had a so-so apple crop from the old nameless ‘I planted from a pip’ tree. Lovely taste, though. Much better than from Red Falstaff, which threw a complete hissy fit during the April frosts and not an apple was had.