Plants for September Interest

An erect, slow-spreading grass, perfect for planting in small groups to add height and definition to borders. Ideal as an informal screen, ‘Karl Foerster’ blooms early in the season with purple-green flowers, which fade to bleached blonde over winter. This grass will grow happily in poorly drained soils.

Ceratostigma plumbaginoides is a wiry and spreading rhizomatous sub-shrub that provides good ground cover, embellished with gentian blue flowers from August to October. Its foliage turns from green to russet and scarlet to maroon – looking particularly striking against the blue of the flowers. Hardy even in severe winters, this plant looks great in pots or along the side of paths.

This ideal small tree grows to a maximum of 8m with a generously wide crown. It has creamy white flowers in spring/early summer, followed by an abundance of red berries in autumn. The foliage takes on hints of bronze as the season progresses, whilst the berries provide food for birds.

A well-beloved herbaceous plant with big frothy plumes of pure white flowers. Thalictrum ‘Splendide White’ can grow to 1.5m in height whilst taking up little room in the border below. It prefers a reasonably moist soil, and the wiry stems need little support unless in an exposed spot.

Woodwardia fimbriata is a large, impressive evergreen fern, offering height, drama and year-round interest with its handsome, dark green foliage. Hardy in most situations and tolerant of most soils, it looks spectacular when planted beside a pond or allowed to form a sea of green in a woodland garden.

An exotic looking, late-flowering plant that is well suited to a shady border. Trycyrtis formosana ‘Dark Beauty’ has unusual star-shaped, purple-spotted flowers from August to September. It is suitable for positioning in full to partial shade and prefers soil that is organically rich, evenly moist and slightly acidic.