September 2024 brings with it a flush of the warm days we expected to have during the summer months! It’s also a great month for planting, as plants should have enough time to establish in the soil before winter. There are many plants in full flower now, particularly perennials. Here are my top ten floral choices for this month.
1. Helenium autumnale ‘Can Can’ (Sneezeweed)
This is an easy-to-grow, long-flowering, herbaceous perennial, producing daisy-like flowers in shades of yellow and orange. It’s ideal for cutting due to its long vase life, plus it adds cheerful late summer colour to flower borders. A lovely classic for your September 2024 garden.
- Flowers from August to October
- Hardy
- Grows to 80cm tall and 60cm wide
- Well-drained soil
- Full sun
- Exposed
2. Rudbeckia hirta ‘Cherokee Sunset’ (Black-eyed Susan)
An extremely long and prolific flowering plant, ‘Cherokee Sunset’ produces crimson-rust colour flowers for weeks on end. These blooms also make excellent cut flowers. Although frequently grown as an annual, it will last several years if planted in a sheltered spot in free-draining soil. Additionally, they will reward you with even more flowers in year two.
- Flowers from July to October
- Hardy
- Grows to 60cm tall and 30cm wide
- Well-drained soil
- Sun
- Exposed
3. Kniphofia rooperi (Rooper’s red hot poker)
A statuesque, impactful and evergreen perennial, producing bright orange-red flowers, tinged lemon at the base of the flower. These blooms are almost as wide as they are long. Choose your planting spot carefully as it does not like to be moved once established.
- Flowers from August to October
- Hardy
- Grows to 150cm tall and 80cm wide
- Well-drained, fertile soil
- Full sun
- Exposed
4. Hesperantha coccinea ‘Major’ (Crimson flag lily)
This is the ideal marginal pond plant as, despite originating from South Africa, it needs moist soil to thrive. The stems are covered from top to bottom with delicate-looking, star-shaped, red-salmon-coloured flowers, growing out of sword-shaped leaves. Divide clumps every two to three years to encourage continued flower production. Consider this as a lovely September 2024 feature.
- Flowers from September to November
- Hardy
- Grows to 50cm tall and 75cm wide
- Fertile soil that remains reliably moist
- Full sun
- Exposed
5. Persicaria amplexicaulis ‘Fat Domino’ (Bistort)
Whilst many late summer flowering plants have daisy-like flowers, persicaria provide a lovely contrast with upright flowering spikes. ‘Fat Domino’ is a clump-forming perennial with angular, pointed leaves, and masses of deep-red flowers on slender stems. It grows well in either full sun or part shade.
- Flowers from July to October
- Hardy
- Grows to 150cm tall and 100cm wide
- Moist, well-drained, moderately fertile soil
- Sun or light shade
- Exposed
6. Veronia noveboracensis (Ironweed)
A statuesque, pollinator-friendly, herbaceous perennial plant that will reach heights of almost 2 metres, on self-supporting thick stems. Ideal for planting at the back of a border. Clusters of pretty, fluffy, purple flowers appear at the top of the plant stems during late summer.
- Flowers from August to October
- Hardy
- Grows to 200cm tall and 75cm wide
- Moisture-retentive soil
- Sun
- Exposed
This clump-forming, late-flowering, perennial sunflower produces delightful pale lemon flowers on dark stems for weeks, pairing well with ornamental grasses.
- Flowers from August to October
- Hardy
- Grows to 130cm tall and 100cm wide
- Well-drained, fertile soil types
- Full sun
- Exposed
8. Miscanthus nepalensis (Himalayan fairy grass)
A delightful, ornamental grass producing tall, slender stems topped with dancing, golden plumes blending beautifully with many late summer flowerers. Leave top growth to provide winter interest, cutting back to ground level in February as the new shoots appear.
- Flowers from August to September
- Hardy
- Grows to 120cm tall and 100cm wide
- Well-drained, moderately fertile soil
- Full sun
- Exposed
September heralds the start of Aster flowering season, and the flowers of this cultivar provide a bright splash of pink. They are also hugely beneficial for pollinating insects being laden with nectar and pollen.
- Flowers from September to October
- Hardy
- Grows to 100cm tall and 60cm wide
- Well-drained, moist soil
- Full sun
- Exposed
10. Chrysanthemum ‘Perry’s Peach’ (Chrysanthemum)
Many chrysanthemums are hardy and, once established, are low maintenance. ‘Perry’s Peach’ is a particularly hardy cultivar, more tolerant of heavy soils and winter wet than most other chrysanthemum. It has an attractive mounded shape and soft peach colour flowers with a yellow inner ring.
- Flowers from September to November
- Hardy
- Grows to 75cm tall and 50cm wide
- Well-drained, fertile soil
- Full sun
- Sheltered
Make sure your September gardens are looking inviting with some delightful perennial colour this month.
Find out the best veg to grow this month:
Or check out my Pinterest board for more ideas:
David Domoney is a Chartered Horticulturalist, Broadcaster, and Author. David has worked with a number of the UK’s leading garden retailers as a plant buyer and strategic consultant. With more than 30 years experience, in horticulture, David is as passionate about plants now as he was when he bought his first plant at a village fete.
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