Shrubs and herbaceous plants

Our Head of Plants, Fiona Smart, gives us the lowdown on what shrubs and herbaceous plants are looking good at this time of year. Please pop in for more information and to see these beautiful plants for yourself...

Herbaceous plants

One of our favourites is Dwarf Asters as they give a mass of vibrant pink, purple or white flowers on compact, bushy plants throughout the autumn every year. They are a hardy perennial.

We also love Japanese Anemones. They are an invaluable addition to any garden as they flower for many weeks and bear cup-shaped flowers in white or pink shades.

Another popular choice is Pennisetum alopecuriodes ‘Hameln’. It is a clump-forming perennial grass with arching thin leaves and panicles of bristly purple-tinged spikelets.

Shrubs 

Vintage is big everywhere and this trend is definitely following through into plants. Some of the most fashionable at the moment are old favourites that have been around for many years such as Mophead Hydrangeas, Abelias and Hibiscus.

Mophead Hydrangeas are still flowering at this time of year and provide big bold splashes of colour.

Meanwhile, Abelias are graceful shrubs with clusters of trumpet-shaped pink or white flowers from summer until mid-autumn. Some varieties are fragrant too.

Another top shrub is Hibiscus or Shrubby Mallow. It has stiff upright branches with large saucer-shaped blooms, which are often dark-centred and are available in a wide range of colours. This is one of the most attractive late summer-flowering shrubs.