[Inspiration] Inspiration Page – SU22 Summer Flowering

summer-flowering favourites

summer salsa echinacea collection

People will tell you that these newly bred echinaceas are not perennial. Well that's not what we've found in our trials. These 3 have come back in the cutting garden now for 5 years. They make superb garden plants (without too much crowding), and are amongst my favourite perennials for picking, with a cut-and-come-again nature and excellent vase life.

summer salsa echinacea collection

summer jewels collection

The very best of the salvias, a jewel box of brightness and brilliant to delve into and hugely long performing on minimal TLC. A drought and heat resistant trio – this is a winner.

alstroemeria 'indian summer'

A new, glamorous mid-height variety, with fiery orange-red flowers which contrast fabulously against its chocolate brown foliage. This is a superb variety which does well in a sunny or part shady spot, where it will flower continuously from May until the first frosts.

coreopsis 'red shift'

A beautiful combination of colours in this cosmos look-a-like coreopsis. Named ‘Red Shift’ because the flowers change colour as the weather warms and cools through the summer, from a bright zingy yellow to pale cream, around a ruby red centre. It flowers prolifically for months in the border and makes an excellent and pretty cut flower.

dahlia 'Café au lait'

Huge, pillowy flowers which open pale pink then fade to the perfect colour: a warm cream-blush, which mixes well with so many different colour combinations.

dahlia 'Café au lait'

Huge, pillowy flowers which open pale pink then fade to the perfect colour: a warm cream-blush, which mixes well with so many different colour combinations.

acidanthera murielae (syn. Gladiolus)

The Victorians loved Acidanthera murielae (a cousin of the gladiolus) for cut flowers and it's easy to see why. It has a wonderful scent and lasts brilliantly in the vase.

achillea millefolium 'Lilac Beauty'

This blooms in a surprisingly strong, deep pink before fading to the soft and smoky lilac shown in our picture. The whole achillea family are taking the floristry world by storm. They are loved for their open, airy plateaux, more substantial than umbellifers, but serving a similar role in the garden and vase.

agapanthus 'charlotte'

If you want to grow agapanthus in a container, 'Charlotte' is an excellent choice. It produces an abundance of flowers from a young age and whilst compact, it's bountiful with lots of fat, bright and vivid blue heads.

eryngium bourgatii 'picos blue'

One of the bluest of the beautiful sea hollies, with delicate whorls of spikes around the central egg. Bees and butterflies love them.