How to create a perennial flower border with late summer colour in the UK

To create a perennial flower border with late summer colour in the UK, you can consider including the following plants:

1. Echinacea (coneflower): These flowers come in shades of pink, purple, and orange, and bloom from late summer to early autumn.
2. Sedum (stonecrop): These plants have succulent leaves and small, star-shaped flowers that come in shades of pink, red, and yellow. They are drought-tolerant and bloom in late summer and early autumn.
3. Asters: These flowers come in shades of pink, purple, and white, and have daisy-like blooms. They are late-blooming and will provide colour in your garden from late summer to early autumn.
4. Helenium (sneezeweed): These plants have daisy-like flowers that come in shades of orange, yellow, and red. They are drought-tolerant and bloom from late summer to early autumn.
5. Monarda (bee balm): These plants have colourful, tubular flowers that attract bees and other pollinators. They come in shades of pink, purple, and red, and bloom from late summer to early autumn.
6. Rudbeckia (black-eyed Susan): These plants have daisy-like flowers with black centres and petals in shades of yellow, orange, and red. They bloom from late summer to early autumn.

To create your border, you can start by preparing the soil by enriching it with compost or well-rotted manure. Then, plant your chosen perennials in a sunny or partially shaded location, spacing them according to their specific growing requirements. Water them regularly and fertilize them with balanced plant food such as Growmore to encourage healthy growth and flowering.

To add more blue color to your perennial flower border, you can consider including the following plants:

1. Salvia: These plants have spikes of blue, purple, or white flowers and are attractive to bees and butterflies. They bloom from late spring to early autumn.
2. Campanula (bellflower): These flowers have bell-shaped blooms in shades of blue, purple, and white. They bloom from late spring to early summer.
3. Scabiosa (pincushion flower): These flowers have pincushion-like blooms in shades of blue, purple, and white. They bloom from late spring to early autumn.
4. Nepeta (catmint): These plants have small, blue or purple flowers that bloom from late spring to early autumn. They are attractive to bees and butterflies.
5. Agapanthus (African lily): These plants have clusters of blue or purple trumpet-shaped flowers that bloom from late spring to early summer.
6. Lobelia: These flowers have small, blue or purple flowers that bloom from late spring to early autumn. They are attractive to bees and butterflies.

Remember to plant your flowers according to their specific growing requirements and care for them regularly to ensure healthy growth and flowering.

To add plants with red flowers that bloom in late summer to your perennial flower border, you can consider the following options:

1. Gaillardia (blanket flower): These plants have daisy-like flowers in shades of red, yellow, and orange, and bloom from late spring to early autumn.
2. Crocosmia (montbretia): These plants have spikes of red or orange flowers that bloom from late summer to early autumn.
3. Kniphofia (red hot poker): These plants have tall spikes of red or orange flowers that bloom from late summer to early autumn.
4. Heuchera (coral bells): These plants have small, bell-shaped flowers in shades of red, pink, or purple that bloom from late spring to early summer.
5. Penstemon (beard tongue): These plants have spikes of red, pink, or purple flowers that bloom from late spring to early summer.
6. Sedum (stonecrop): These plants have succulent leaves and small, star-shaped flowers in shades of pink, red, and yellow. They are drought-tolerant and bloom in late summer and early autumn.

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