If you want blooms all the way until the first frost, it’s time to get one of these plants in the ground.
Starter plants (or bulbs) should begin blooming once established and will put on a show all the way until the first frost. Just because summer eventually must come to an end doesn’t mean your flowers have to, too.
Keep in mind when planting in the heat of summer: it’s a good idea to keep a close eye on new transplants. Make sure they have enough water and provide shade during the hottest part of the day (you can attach shade cloth to two bamboo stakes with clips) if they look like they are struggling.
Here are seven plants that will keep you in colour until the first frost.
Marigold
A quintessential summer flower that transitions beautifully into autumn, marigolds can provide colour until the first frosts. French and African marigolds, both types of Tagetes, thrive in full sun and moderately fertile, well-drained soil.
Look for eye-catching French varieties such as ‘Durango Flame’ and ‘Striped Marvel’. Pot marigolds, or calendulas, are a separate plant and will also flower well into autumn, often lasting until the first hard frosts.
Russian sage
A tough, drought-tolerant perennial that comes into its own in late summer and keeps blooming well into autumn. Its airy spikes of lavender-blue flowers attract bees and butterflies while adding soft texture to borders. Once established, it requires very little maintenance - which is music to any gardener's ears...
Helenium
This wildflower produces cheerful yellow, orange and red daisy-like blooms that brighten the garden when many other flowers begin to fade. It’s also a favourite of late-season pollinators - from honeybees to hoverflies.
Sedum spurium
This is one of the easiest plants to grow for dependable autumn colour. Its fleshy foliage looks attractive all season before large clusters of pink flowers deepen to rosy-red as temperatures cool. Grow in full sun, in well-draining soil.
Winter daffodil
Despite its common name, winter daffodil (Sternbergia lutea) isn’t a true daffodil – but it does deliver similarly cheery yellow or white flowers in late summer and autumn. Plant the bulbs in well-draining soil, and they’ll return each year with little effort.
Michaelmas daisies
A classic late-summer perennial that keeps the garden looking lively well into autumn, Michaelmas daisies produce clouds of daisy-like flowers in shades of purple, blue, pink and white. They are especially valuable to bees and other pollinators when fewer plants are in bloom. Plant in full sun or partial shade, in fertile, well-drained soil, and choose established, garden-ready plants for the best chance of flowers this year. Compact varieties work well in containers, while taller types are ideal for the back of a border and may need staking.
Hardy cyclamen
Hardy cyclamen are a lovely choice for bringing colour to shady corners in autumn, with delicate pink or white flowers appearing above beautifully marbled, heart-shaped leaves. Cyclamen hederifolium is especially well suited to naturalising beneath deciduous trees, along woodland-style paths or under shrubs, where the soil is humus-rich and well drained. Plant the tubers shallowly in partial shade, and allow the foliage to remain after flowering so the plant can build up energy for the following year.
Summer gardening edit
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Charlyne Mattox is the Food and Crafts director with over 20 years recipe development, recipe editing, and crafting experience. Prior to starting at Country Living in 2014, she worked in the crafts department at Martha Stewart Living and Martha Stewart Kids before attending cooking school at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City. She was nominated for a James Beard media award while a senior editor at Real Simple magazine and authored a cookbook Cooking with Seeds.
When not in the kitchen she loves to garden, focusing on growing flowers and kitchen herbs (of course), watering her 25 house plants, and knitting scarfs or hats she will never be able to wear in the always hot and steamy Alabama.
