Your summer borders have given up the ghost and everything looks tired.
However, there are brilliant plants you can grab from the garden centre that’ll transform your space immediately. While we’re quickly barrelling towards the dead season when most of your garden will look bare and lacklustre, that’s not a hard and fast rule. Here are some great options for a beautiful autumn garden that will carry you through the next several months at least.
1. Chrysanthemums for instant autumn colour
Most people think of chrysanths as funeral flowers, but the garden varieties are absolute lifesavers when your borders look dead. You can pick up gorgeous cushion mums in shades of burgundy, bronze, and golden yellow that’ll keep flowering until the first proper frost hits.
Buy them in decent-sized pots from any garden centre, and they’ll give you weeks of colour without any faffing about. Plant them straight into borders or pop them in containers, they’re so reliable you can’t really go wrong.
2. Asters for that cottage garden look
September is peak aster season, and these daisy-like flowers are brilliant for filling gaps where your summer plants have packed it in. The purple and pink varieties look particularly stunning and attract loads of butterflies and bees to your garden.
Look for varieties like ‘Little Carlow’ or ‘Monch’ at the garden centre. They’re tough as old boots and will keep going well into October. They’re perennials, too, so you’ll get them back next year without having to replant.
3. Sedum for low-maintenance drama
Sedums are the ultimate lazy gardener’s plant, and September is when they really show off. The fat, succulent leaves topped with clusters of pink or red flowers look incredible, and they’ll cope with pretty much any conditions you throw at them.
‘Autumn Joy’ is a classic variety that lives up to its name, turning deeper shades as the weather gets cooler. Bees absolutely love them, and they’ll look good right through until winter properly sets in.
4. Japanese anemones for elegant late colour
These gorgeous perennials start flowering in late August and keep going until October, making them perfect for plugging the gap when everything else is looking tired. The white and pink flowers dance about on tall stems and look effortlessly elegant.
Plant them in partial shade where other things struggle, and they’ll spread gradually to form lovely colonies. They can be a bit thuggish once established, but that’s exactly what you want when you’re trying to fill empty spaces quickly.
5. Rudbeckia for cheerful yellow blooms
Nothing brightens up a tired September border like the sunny yellow flowers of rudbeckia. They’re tough as nails and will keep pumping out blooms until the weather turns properly cold, giving you brilliant value for money.
‘Goldsturm’ is probably the most reliable variety; it forms neat clumps and flowers its head off for months. The dark centres make the petals look even more vibrant, and they’re excellent for cutting if you want some cheer indoors too.
6. Helenium for fiery autumn tones
If you want something with a bit more punch than the usual yellows and pinks, heleniums deliver gorgeous oranges, reds, and bronze shades that scream autumn. They flower from August right through September and into October if you’re lucky.
These are proper workhorses in the border and will come back bigger and better each year. Look for varieties like ‘Moerheim Beauty’ or ‘Sahins Early Flowerer’ they’re both reliable performers that won’t let you down.
7. Dahlia tubers for show-stopping displays
Dahlias are having a massive moment, and for good reason: you can still plant tubers in September for flowers that’ll keep going until the first frost. The range of colours and flower shapes is incredible, from dinner-plate sized blooms to delicate pompoms.
Visit a specialist dahlia grower if you can, as they’ll have varieties you won’t find in ordinary garden centres. Plant them in full sun with decent soil, and they’ll reward you with months of spectacular flowers that make brilliant cut flowers too.
8. Cyclamen for shady spots that need help
Hardy cyclamen are absolute gems for those tricky shady areas where nothing else seems to thrive. September is when they start their show, producing delicate pink or white flowers that look like tiny butterflies hovering above heart-shaped leaves.
Cyclamen coum and hederifolium are the ones to look for. They’re much tougher than the houseplant versions and will naturalise beautifully under trees or in woodland areas. Once established, they’ll pop up reliably every autumn for decades.
9. Ornamental cabbages for quirky container displays
Don’t knock them until you’ve tried them ornamental cabbages and kales are brilliant for autumn containers when you want something a bit different. The frilly leaves in shades of purple, pink, and cream look surprisingly sophisticated, especially when the weather turns cooler and the colours intensify.
They’re incredibly hardy and will look good right through winter, making them excellent value for money. Pair them with trailing ivy or winter pansies for container displays that actually work in our unpredictable autumn weather.
10. Penstemons for late season reliability
Penstemons are brilliant September purchases because they just keep flowering and flowering, often right up until Christmas if the weather’s mild. The tubular flowers come in loads of colours from deep purple to bright pink, and they attract bees and hummingbird hawk-moths to your garden.
They’re technically perennials but can be a bit tender in harsh winters, so treat them as annuals, and you won’t be disappointed. Buy them now, and you’ll get months of colour. Plus, they’re excellent for cutting and bringing indoors.