Late summer can be the best time for sitting in the garden and enjoying the fruits of your spring labors. Keeping this in mind, I have structured my own garden to always have something blooming in August and September. Here are some of my must-have plants for blooms in late summer and into fall.
A note about care: With our relatively mild PNW summers, most shrubs and perennials will thrive and look quite good if given a minimal amount of water during our driest periods. Many of the plants listed below can survive on minimal water (1-2 times a month) after being established with regular watering for at least two years. However, to get the best performance out of them, regular watering at least two times a week is recommended when temps rise above 75 degrees for an extended period of time.
photo: Richie Steffens for Great Plant Picks
Aster x frikartii ‘Monch’ (Frikart’s Aster)
Sun to part shade
Average water needs
Grows to 3‘ high x 3’ wide
Blooms summer to fall
Attracts butterflies, bees
Great cut flower
One of the freshest looking and longest blooming Asters you can find. A soothing pale blue with dark yellow centers, this butterfly and bee attracting gem starts its show in mid-July and carries on relentlessly to at least the end of September. Removing dead flower heads can help increase bloom, but isn’t necessary. Great as a cut flower also.
photo: Richie Steffens for Great Plant Picks
Ceratostigma willmontianum
(Chinese Plumbago)
Sun to part shade
Average water needs
Grows to 3’ high x 4’ wide
Blooms late summer to fall
Attracts bees, hummingbirds
One of my all-time favorites is Chinese Plumbago, a perennial sub-shrub with radiant blue flowers covering the arching, open branches from mid-summer through fall. In mild winters, the woody stems remain to leaf out again the following spring. In colder winters with prolonged freezes, the stems will die back and rejuvenate themselves from the base in spring. The intense blue is hard to beat and mixes well with gold-leafed shrubs and fall-blooming purple Asters.
photo: Richie Steffens for Great Plant Picks
Fuchsia ‘Hawkshead’
(Small-flowered White Hardy Fuchsia)
Sun to part shade
Average water needs
Grows to 4’ high x 3’ wide
Blooms summer to late fall
Attracts hummingbirds, bees
Great for containers
Deer resistant
This hardy Fuchsia is a real performer with an extended bloom time starting in late June and running all the way through the first frost in late October or early November. Looking nothing like most Hardy Fuchsias with their bright full flowers, this elegant selection has single white flowers that emerge from fresh green buds, dangling gracefully within the thin, willow-like foliage.
The profusion of starry white bloom is a relaxing sight during the hot days of August. Hummingbirds love it! Similar to the Chinese Plumbago, its woody stems may winter over each year, making a shrubby structure over time. It is equally happy being cut back to the ground each spring to rise again in its fountainlike form.
photo: BBC Gardeners World
Salvia greggii hybrids (Autumn Sage)
Sun to part shade
Low water needs
Grows 2’-3’ high x 2’-3’ wide
Blooms summer to fall
Attracts hummingbirds, bees
Deer resistant
The Autumn Sages are a group of small-flowered sages that outperform many other perennials for the length of bloom, hummingbird attractiveness, and drought tolerance. Best sited in a sunny location, they are not particular about soil and will reward you even if ignored.
The most popular by far is ‘Hot Lips’ with its profuse explosion of red and white flowers all summer into fall. A smaller version, ‘Little Kisses’, is equally vigorous but smaller in scale at only 18” x 18”. Other colors abound": purple, shocking red, or various shades of pink and rich magenta. Cut back by at least half in early April to increase bloom and prevent woodiness.
photo: Richie Steffens for Great Plant Picks
Grevillea victoriae (Royal Grevillea)
Full sun
Low water needs
Grows to 6’-8’ high x 6’-8’ wide
Blooms late summer, over winter, to late spring
Attracts hummingbirds
Evergreen
In the world of desirable, evergreen shrubs, Royal Grevillea is one of the best. Beginning its bloom cycle in early August, it graces us with nectar-filled, dangling orange clusters of exotic blossoms all winter long. In last year’s mild winter, blooms continued even into May.
Great for providing needed nourishment to overwintering hummingbirds and just plain cool to have a shrub that blooms all winter! Its silvery, willowlike foliage gives a bit of cheer in the darkest days of our PNW winters.
photo: Roberta’s Gardens
Caryopteris x clandonensis
(Blue Beard)
Full sun
Low water needs
Grows to 3’-4’ high x 3’-4’ wide
Blooms late summer to fall
Attracts hummingbirds, butterflies, bees
There are different varieties of Blue Beard available with either green or gold foliage, all displaying deep blue, butterfly-attracting flowers from mid-August through September. Choose from ‘Dark Knight’, ‘Blue Mist’, ‘Sunshine Blue’, ‘Lil Miss Sunshine’, or other new cultivars coming onto the market.
Woody in character, it is best to cut them down to 12” in April to renew for a spectacular show in late summer. Tough as nails and extremely low water-use once established.
photo: Sue Brown
Lobelia laxiflora (Mexican Cardinal Flower)
Full sun
Regular water needs (water in summer especially)
Grows to 2.5’ high x 4’ wide
Blooms early summer to fall
Attracts hummingbirds
Spreading 3’-4’ wide over time if happy, this bloom machine just doesn’t know when to quit. Give it plenty of room to look its best. Consistent moisture in summer will help it thrive and reward you with copious blooms and a rush of hummingbirds vying for space.
photo: Ball Seed
Echinacea ‘Sombrero Series’
(Sombrero Coneflowers)
Sun to part shade
Low water needs
Grows to 2’ high x 2’ wide
Blooms summer to fall
Attracts butterflies, bees
Deer resistant
This series of Echinacea is highly floriferous that is naturally well-branched and compact. The good-sized flowers with rich colors of orange, red, yellow, coral, or white start in early summer and continue into October. An excellent bee attractor and cut flower. Leave the seed heads on in fall as sweet treats for birds.
Editor’s Note 9/6/20: Mystic Series Dahlias are sold out for 2020.
photo: Emerisa Gardens
Dahlia ‘Mystic Series’ (Mystic Dahlias) - sold out for 2020
Sun to part shade
Regular water needs
Grows 3’ high x 3’ wide
Blooms summer to fall
Attracts bees, hummingbirds
Great cut flower
Often planted as annuals, this tough series overwinters well in the PNW if mulched with leaves in fall. Yellow, red, orange, or peach, its wide range of colors all look great over the dark burgundy foliage. This diversity of color gives a lot of flexibility in making color combinations anywhere in the garden. It is best to not cut down foliage or stems till spring, as cutting the hollow stems in fall will allow rainwater to enter and cause the bulbs to be overly wet.