Top ten plants for September gardens

Hardy chrysanthemums are a total joy to come across on a dull autumn day with their bright cheerful flowers flowering for weeks on end. This soft pink flower variety is perfect for an ornamental border, where it can grow to 50cm tall.

Fairly recently renamed by the RHS, these plants are still colloquially known as ’sedum’. Three reasons for having them in the garden are that they’re trouble free, easy to grow and bees and butterflies love them! You can also leave the flower heads on after flowering to give added winter interest in the garden. This variety forms an upright mound covered in soft pink flowers well into autumn.

These beautiful slow growing trees really put on a show in the autumn as their leaves change from red-purple to a brilliant scarlet. The secret to success is to place them in a partly shaded area. Either plant them in a border or container, giving them protection from winds which can cause the leaves to scorch.

There are several different species of Nerines available, but this is the hardiest. They grow well if planted on their own in a sunny, sheltered position in free-draining soil. Their bright pink flowers will be a welcome surprise when they suddenly appear at this time of the year, contrasting with the yellow, red and orange flowers of other herbaceous perennials. They also grow well when planted in containers.

This underused shrub often surprises people when they first set eyes on the jewel-like, violet berries that appear in early autumn. With berries that can last until November, it can be a lovely addition to autumn flower arrangements. It’s a medium sized deciduous shrub, with leaves that begin to turn shades of gold and red at this time of year. Plant them next to a path for people to admire the unusual berries.

Next is an evergreen plant with tall stems of long tubular flowers that start off cream in colour changing to a soft orange. They give great vertical structure to flower borders. Ensure they are planted in free draining soil, as it will not grow well in soil that stays wet over winter.

No autumn flower border is complete without an aster or two with their dainty, delicate daisy-like flowers. This pretty cultivar has masses of soft, lilac to mid-blue flowers that blend in very well with other plants. In addition, they’re suited to any garden style, as well as making great cut flowers to add some purple tones to the arrangement.

Euonymus are a really tough breed of shrubs that mostly grow well in any soil conditions. This little beauty comes into its own during the autumn months when its leaves turn the most marvellous shade of bright crimson red. The clue to its height is in its name, ‘Compactus’, growing to a maximum of only 1.5m tall.

As these statuesque trees age their branches naturally bend into shapes resembling stags’ horns, giving them their common name. By this time of the year, they produce elongate, deep maroon red fruits the shape of fir cones, with a velvety texture.

An added bonus is that in autumn, the leaves change to shades of orange, red and golden yellow making this a wonderful tree to add to your garden. However, be careful because they do have a tendency to sucker but these are easily dealt with by digging out when spotted.

Lastly, this handsome shrub has deep purple leaves and forms a bushy clump making it a useful addition to any flower border. In late summer it produces a mass of off-white flowers at a time when many other herbaceous perennials have finished flowering.