Some colours are at their best in the seasonal light and hues of autumn, and these are the ones you want in your flower borders for a gorgeous show late in the year. Autumn's grey skies, low sunlight, early rosy sunsets, crimson berries, and copper leaves are complemented by blues, mellow pinks, and reds, which ignite an incredible tapestry of colour. Autumn need not be a bedraggled runner-up to summer – these are 11 plants you need for an incredible flower finale.
For an easy life: Symphyotrichum 'Little Carlow' AGM
A fuss-free wildlife-friendly aster that forms a gorgeous cloud of lavender-blue daisies in September and October. It will thrive in neutral to alkaline well-drained, retentive soil in full sun or semi-shade, although butterflies – which are solar-powered – are more likely to visit it in full sun. A great perennial to grow with ornamental grasses.
Height: 90 centimetres
For see-through layers: Sanguisorba 'Blackthorn'
A beautiful burnet carrying sprays of fluffy raspberry-red and pink flowerheads that resemble furry caterpillars, from August to October. The wiry stems allow glimpses of the plants behind, giving this airy perennial a 'see-through' effect that creates layers in the border. Plant in retentive, well-drained soil in sun or semi-shade.
Height: 1.2 metres
For blazing red: Dahlia 'Bishop Llandaff' AGM
The bright letterbox-red daisies of this dahlia set autumn borders alight and feed bees. Plant in humus-rich well-drained soil in full sun and protect from Jack Frost at the end of autumn – in the milder half of the country, simply heap a bucket of compost atop the cut-down stems; in colder regions, lift the tubers, dry, and store under cover until spring.
Height: 1 metre
For cut flowers: Helianthus annuus 'ProCut Plum'
One of the most stylish sunflowers you can grow, this annual has huge daisies the colour of shammy leather, with dusky pink, coral, and red tones. Beautiful in the border or cut for the vase. Buy it ready-grown as a bedding plant or sow under cover in spring, before planting out in rich, deep, retentive, well-drained soil in the sunniest part of the garden.
Height: 1.5 metres
To feed bees: Agastache 'Blue Fortune' AGM
Bees and butterflies adore the blue bottle-brush flower spikes of this giant hyssop, which tower above aromatic foliage that smells deliciously of liquorice. Plant in well-drained neutral to alkaline soil in full sun; it will also grow in containers against a sun-baked wall. This wildlife gem is a short-lived perennial, so may need replacing every few years.
Height: 90 centimetres
To feed butterflies: Eutrochium purpureum 'Baby Joe'
A compact form of Joe Pye weed, the purple-pink flowerheads are a magnet to butterflies in summer and autumn and offer an informal beauty that suits naturalistic gardens. It is happy in moist well-drained soil in sun or semi-shade, but butterflies would prefer it to be in full sun. Eutrochium was formerly known as Eupatorium.
Height: 1.2 metres
For scent: Salvia 'Nachtvlinder' AGM
The name means 'night moth' and the small dark plum-claret flowers of this fabulous salvia hover above blackcurrant-scented leaves. Long-flowering and good for bees, it is a bushy evergreen sub-shrub that enjoys well-drained soil in sheltered sun. The scented leaves contain a natural fungicide, so it's great amongst roses to prevent disease.
Height: 75 centimetres
For the deepest blue: Aconitum carmichaelii 'Arendsii' AGM
Stunning spires of rich indigo-blue flowers glow against autumn's backdrop of bronze leaves and slate skies. This monkshood is a sturdy variety, but may need staking in exposed sites. It loves deep, retentive, well-drained soil in semi-shade. Wear gloves to handle it – monkshood was used as arrow poison and the plant is toxic to people and pets.
Height: 1.2 metres
To ward off slugs: Anemone × hybrida 'Königin Charlotte' AGM
'Queen Charlotte' (as the variety name translates) is a lovely Japanese anemone with coarse toxic foliage that slugs avoid. The graceful soft-pink flowers don't reflect the plant's robust nature: in well-drained soil, in sun or part shade, it can spread if allowed, forming good ground cover. Wear gloves when handling to prevent skin irritation.
Height: 1 metre
For winter stems: Salvia 'Blue Spire' AGM
Russian sages (previously classed as Perovskia) are easy drought-tolerant sub-shrubs for sun-baked borders. The woolly lavender-blue flowers lure bees in late summer and autumn, before the aromatic leaves drop to reveal ghostly silver-white stems that steal the show over winter. Happiest in poor, well-drained soil in sun.
Height: 1.2 metres
For architectural structure: Hylotelephium spectabile 'Brilliant' AGM
The flat, fluffy lilac-pink flowerheads of this ice plant serve as landing and feeding platforms for bees and butterflies in summer and autumn. Then, when spent, their skeletal structure looks beautiful throughout winter and provides a hibernation home for insects. The fleshy foliage makes this perennial drought tolerant in poor, well-drained soil in full sun.
Height: 50 centimetres
