Posted on 15.09.2018 |
Added in Sarah Shoesmith’s Blog
It seems as if the flowers are putting on a grand finale before the colder weather sets in. Delphiniums are having a second flush; as are geraniums, Nepeta, and Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’. With summer flowers mingling with remontant roses, we might be tricked into believing that it is June were it not for the shortening days, ripening berries, and wonderful autumn flowers.
 Michaelmas daisy – Aster amellus ‘Veilchenkönigin’ |
 Inula magnifica |
 Lythrum virgatum ‘Dropmore Purple’ |
Butterflies love daisies; and there is no shortage of daisies in September. Rudbeckia, Echinacea and Michaelmas daisies are in full swing. The giant in our borders, Inula magnifica, is indulging us in a second display, and thankfully this time it is at a less challenging height to photograph! Anemone x hybrida ‘Honorine Jobert’ seems to take forever to bulk up in my garden, but this year we are finally enjoying a good display, as are our pollinating insects.
 Anemone x hybrida ‘Honorine Jobert’ |
 Knautia macedonica |
Pincushions, Knautia macedonica and Scabiosa ‘Butterfly Blue’ have been flowering for months, and they are showing no sign of stopping yet, while Lythrum virgatum ‘Dropmore Purple’ is earning its place in the border. It has been in bloom since June and is rarely without pollinators.
 Salvia uliginosa |
 Hylotelephium spectabile |
Salvia uliginosa, which is hardy throughout most of the UK, is at its peak, attracting bees, butterflies, hoverflies, and the occasional hummingbird hawkmoth. The plants formerly known as sedums are coming into their own. While they are often viewed as pollinator magnets, this is not true of them all. In my garden, Hylotelephium spectabile is the most popular with pollinators.
I don’t cut back herbaceous perennials until spring as they provide shelter and food to wildlife. The seedheads make interesting additions to winter borders, particularly when topped with ice or snow. There may be a time when the juxtaposition of dead seedheads and flowers in full bloom might jar, but this point is fleeting and the pleasure I get from seeing marauding finches on Monarda seedheads, or a ladybird tucked away in some brown foliage far outweighs those few days of the year when dead and living flowers together look incongruous. If you currently cut back in autumn, I urge you to consider delaying until spring.
I am always interested to learn about the plants attracting pollinators in other gardener’s gardens. Do please let me know which plants are proving popular with pollinators in your garden. Sarah Shoesmith is a garden writer. She may be contacted via http://www.sarahshoesmith.com or @gardeningshoe1 on Twitter.
This post will be linked to Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day, hosted by https:// www.maydreamsgardens.com .Why not pop over there and see what else is in flower across our planet this week?
