Nemms Acres at their peak

[EmmaNemms]

It's all a bit downhill from now on - I need some later summer interest!

David Austin Roses on the wall - Graham Thomas (is that right??) and alternating pink ones but I can't recall their name.

www.flickr.com/emmanemms

[Fi]

May 31, 2008 10:16:39 GMT EmmaNemms said:

It's all a bit downhill from now on - I need some later summer interest!

David Austin Roses on the wall - Graham Thomas (is that right??) and alternating pink ones but I can't recall their name.

www.flickr.com/emmanemms

My first thought is one or more acers. I know it's their leaves rather than flowers, but the colours that they achieve in late summer and autumn are as bright as anything made with petals. Michaelmas daisies may be old fashioned, but they are reliable late summer bloomers and the clematis that flower twice in a season could be trained up some of your trees and shrubs - doing a google search for clematis twice will give you a list of the available varieties. Many of David Austin's english roses bloom for ages, especially if you deadhead them regularly - I've had them in flower at Christmas. Japanese anenomes are also reliable perennials and very pretty, but if you want something quirky, how about the many varieties of sunflower? I can almost envisage the image of Henrietta admiring one, even as I trype!
I envy you for your ceanothus - it's glorious! I bought one just a fortnight ago, but it's obviously miniscule by comparison. *looks glum*

[Fi]

I've just remembered, which is a bit daft since there's a huge one just outside our front door - sedums. Not only do they provide late summer and autumn color, but they also look lovely if they are not cut back after flowering. The dead stems look glorious when covered in frost.

[EmmaNemms]

Thanks Fi - that's reminded me - there were some sedums in one of the beds but they disappeared...I will put some more in as I am very fond of them
Not sure about acers as I am trying to go for the cottagey look and I am not quite sure they fit. Have a couple of clematis and will promise faithfully to prune them at the right time next year so they flower longer

Nice article in this month's Good Housekeeping (Sad, I know) about some gold medal winning perennials so I will have a look at those to fill some gaps.

Hope your ceanothus does well - mine is about 6 years old now, it's finally got there!