My top 5 plants for August flowers and foliage

This is a collaborative post in partnership with Hillier Garden Centres.

Are you enjoying your late summer garden at the moment?  We’ve had some incredible weather recently, and while it’s been scorching during the day, I’ve spent many balmy evenings on the patio cooling down and enjoying the view.  Fingers crossed the good weather continues all the way into autumn!

I always think of August as a time of year when all the hard work is paying off in the garden, with plenty of thriving plants and flowers to enjoy.  Having said that, it’s highly likely that some of your plants will have finished flowering by now, which can make the garden look less colourful and possibly leave you with gaps in the borders.

Lots of my plants are still going strong, but there are a few areas of my garden that I’d like to perk up with new plants.  I’ve been looking at options for foliage and flowers to plant in August on the new Hillier Garden Centres online shop, which is a brilliant site for garden and plant inspiration.

I’ve also got a £50 gift card for Hillier Garden Centres and online shop to give away to a lucky winner – keep reading for details on how to enter.

The new Hillier Garden Centres online shop

You’re probably familiar with the name Hillier from their garden centre chain and their gold medal winning gardens at the RHS Chelsea Flower show – one of which I was lucky enough to explore up close in 2019.  Hillier also have an impressive history of top quality plant growing at their Hampshire-based nurseries; they grow over one million plants a year!  In addition to supplying their medal winning show gardens and stocking their garden centres, those plants are now available to buy online.

You can explore the full range of Hillier plants in their online shop. It’s an impressive selection, with an abundance of wonderful plants to choose from – you’ll definitely be spoilt for choice!

My top 5 plants for August flowers and foliage

Here are my top five plants from the Hillier range that will make your late summer garden a real showstopper.

Hibiscus syriacus ‘Blue Chiffon’

If you’d like to add a late-flowering shrub to your garden, this is a fantastic option.  It’s also known as a tree hollyhock; the flowers are similar to a traditional hollyhock, but the plant itself is a shrub, rather than a biennial.  It’s very low maintenance, and will produce masses of big, blue flowers from midsummer onwards. This particular variety has gorgeous double flowers with a cluster of smaller petals in the middle of each bloom.

You need a bit of space for this plant – it can reach a height of three metres and a width of two metres – but if you’ve got the room, it’s well worth it.

Salvia ‘Hot Lips’

Salvias are another great option for an abundance of flowers in August.  If you tend to think of them as purely purple flowering plants, think again.  ‘Hot Lips’ has red and white flowers that sing out against the green foliage, and is perfect for adding a shot of colour to your summer garden.  It’s also long-flowering, has lovely scented foliage, and the nectar-rich blooms are irresistible to bees and pollinators.

Lavendula angustifolia

Good old English lavender had to be on this list for late summer flowers.  I’ve got some in my garden, but there’s definitely room for more!

There’s so much to love about this plant: it produces a cloud of purple flowers on silver-grey stems, it’s adored by pollinating insects, it smells heavenly, and it’s a very hardy, low-maintenance plant.

Lavender looks amazing planted in drifts, or you can clip it for a more formal look.  My top tip is to grow it alongside a path, where it will release its fragrance whenever you brush against it.

Acer palmatum ‘Sango-kaku’

If it’s foliage you’re after, this is one of those shrubs that really delivers on year-round interest.  The beautifully-shaped leaves are pale green in summer, but as autumn approaches they start to turn shades of yellow, creating fabulous impact.

Once the leaves have fallen, the new red shoots become visible and look spectacular in winter sun.  It’s another low-maintenance plant too, and needs very little in the way of pruning.

Choisya ternata ‘White Dazzler’

I’ve got this plant in my garden, and it’s one of my absolute favourites.  It’s a compact evergreen shrub which is absolutely covered in highly scented white flowers in late spring.  The reason I’ve picked it for a list of late summer flowering plants is it usually also produces a burst of August flowers too.  This double performance makes it ideal for small gardens, where plants have to work hard to earn their space.  It’s a tough little plant, and will be happy in full sun or partial shade.

My top five plants for August flowers and foliage are all available to buy through Hillier Garden Centres Online Shop or in-centre at their 19 locations. Please call your local centre to confirm availability to avoid disappointment.

Have you got any of these plants in your garden?  Which plant would be top of your list for adding wow factor to your garden this month?

Win a £50 Hillier online gift card 

I’m giving away a £50 gift card to use in Hillier Garden Centres and online shop.  To enter, follow the instructions in the Rafflecopter widget below.  Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

GIVEAWAY CLOSES: 21ST AUGUST 2022 11:59PM

UK ENTRIES OVER 18 YEARS OLD ONLY

FULL T&Cs IN THE RAFFLECOPTER ABOVE

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Hillier are providing the £50 gift card for prize purposes.