Green Fingers: Late flowering shrubs extends the season
A Red Admiral butterfly taking nectar from a Buddleia flower.
We are having an exceptionally good summer but for most years, the spring, summer and autumn seasons are far too short, and we just want it to last a bit longer, as we really are not that ready for the winter.
I suppose the trick for anyone who has a garden is to extend the season as much as possible by having a few late summer flowering plants.
First of all we might look at shrubs that flower at this time, as they form the structure of the garden, are hardy and easy growing.
The list of available shrubs is short as the majority have flowered in earlier seasons but there are a few obvious ones worth thinking about and they include buddleia, fuchsia, hydrangea, hypericum and potentilla.
Some of these are quite common and that is because they grow well in this country. It would be a mistake to dismiss them while looking for something more exotic.
The common name for Buddleia is the butterfly bush as they are very attractive to this insect, as well as bees and other pollinating insects. The shrub and flowers are largish, growing to about 2m (6’) or more during the summer when it is in full bloom in shades of lilac, red, purple, pink and white.
I do like these tall majestic growing plants but there are smaller varieties available now which only reach 1-1.2m (3-4’).
This plant from the southern parts of Chile and Argentina loves our climate so much that it has naturalised in many parts of the country, especially coastal counties. There are now many thousands of different varieties but it is difficult to beat the original one called Fuchsia magellanica and its earlier selection called ‘Riccartonii’ for general planting.
I have written about hydrangeas recently so will only make a few further comments on these long-flowering shrubs.
The colour range varies in shades of pink to purple and some colour blue in acid soils but the colours can change depending on the weather during the growing season. Therefore, in many varieties the colour you obtain may not stay the same every year but for all that they are a mainstay of the summer into autumn flowering period and worth having in any garden.
The loose common name for this shrub is ‘Rose of Sharon’ and one of the best is the variety called ‘Hidcote’, which is a medium-growing evergreen with golden-yellow, saucer-shaped flowers from July until October and a first-class plant for any garden.
This is a native plant growing over a large region, including Ireland, and it is very tough, tolerating moist, dry heat and cold conditions. It flowers from May until October. The native species has yellow buttercup flowers and all the subsequent selections come in shades of yellow, pink, red and white.
The plant can look a bit dead in the winter but that is not much of a handicap as it makes up for this by the long flowering period with masses of blooms.
Growth has been rampant recently and garden plants have far outstretched their allotted space. While it is a shame to cut off these long shoots, it has to be done, otherwise your garden will be overgrown in no time.
If you have any comments or queries you are welcome to share them with me on 051-384273 or orchardstowngardencentre@hotmail.com and if of general interest I will include it in a future article.
