Very few flowers offer such a vivid spectacle as zinnias. Available in a broad spectrum of colours (except for blue), they jostle for joy in a spectacular Latino parade. These highly decorative and irrepressibly cheerful daisies have their roots in the rocky hillsides of native northern Central America, Mexico and southwestern USA. Hybridisation and rigorous re-selection has tamed and transformed the straggly wild zinnia into dramatic garden plants with bigger, fuller, flowers of singles, doubles, semi-doubles and pompoms in myriad tones.

Around 20 species of Zinnia are found in the wild, mainly annuals but with some perennials and shrubs. The genus is named after the 18th-century German botanist Johann Gottfried Zinn, who first described the flower. Zinnias have their own style with rich green foliage setting off fiery daisy flowers and reptilian, prominently scaled flower buds.

Jump to

• How tall do zinnias grow
• How to grow zinnias
• Sowing zinnias
• How to care for zinnias
• What to plant with zinnias
• The best zinnias to grow
• Where to buy zinnia seed

Zinnias: everything you need to know

How tall do zinnias grow

The most striking are the old-fashioned, tall, large-flowered forms bred from the wild Zinnia elegans – a coarse plant from Mexican deserts, at 1m tall with single purple flowers 5cm across. All make excellent cut flowers lasting several days. Zinnia Giant Double Mixed is a stirring mix of tall, double and semi-double flowers, up to 11cm across, blended in garish shades of yellows, pinks, oranges, and deep reds. Zinnia Dahlia Flowered Mixed is similar (if not identical).

The most striking of all the large-flowered cultivars are the Zinnia Benary’s Giant Series, which appear in a range of vivid single colours. Plants are robust on thick branching stems growing 1.3m tall and 0.5m wide. ‘Benary’s Giant Salmon Rose’, ‘Benary’s Giant Lilac’, ‘Benary’s Giant Deep Red’, ‘Benary’s Giant White’ and ‘Benary’s Giant Orange’ are just a selection that I grow. Other colours are available from rich carmine red to yellow but seed is difficult to source in the UK, with the full range available only from the USA.

Zinnia Giant Cactus Flowered Mixed is also tall at 1m and has full flower heads packed with gently quilled petals. The blend comes in six or seven colours and works well in mixed borders although sometimes plants are of ragged appearance.

Recent breeding efforts have favoured dwarfing, producing ungraceful stocky plants with large flowers. Here impact seems to have conquered grace, but a few of the large-flowered, short-stemmed hybrids still retain the charm and character of their parents. For example, plants of the Zinnia elegans Dreamland Series are just 40cm high and not overly squat. Their plump double flowers are most effective at the front of borders or in pots. Coral, ivory, pink, yellow and rose and a mixture exists, but ‘Dreamland Scarlet’ in fiery orange and ‘Dreamland Red’ in deeper red, both with yellow centres, inject intense colour without sacrificing much space.

How to grow zinnias

Sowing zinnias

Zinnias are hot-weather plants that crave heat and love sun. Little is gained by starting them early as cool temperatures could delay planting out.

• In the UK, sow zinnia seeds in mid-May under glass. Germination takes as little as three days if the temperatures are high.
• Prick out seedlings into small pots or plug trays as soon as they are large enough to handle and nurture under glass before gradually hardening them off.
• Root congestion can be a setback, so plants should be moved on to the next pot size if they root through before outside temperatures are high enough for planting.
• In southeast England we plant them in the first or second week of June, when night-time temperatures are generally above 10°C. As they hate root disturbance, zinnias are better sown direct in hotter climates as they germinate and thrive without being checked.

How to care for zinnias

Zinnias thrive in light, rich, well-drained soil. They will tolerate drought but need water while establishing in order to develop a root system. Avoid excessive watering as this will reduce the risks of fungal diseases such as powdery mildew and Alternaria solani blight, which causes reddish-brown lesions on the leaf. Fungicides can be used to overcome any problems but on the whole zinnias are trouble-free as long as summers are hot.

Staking may be necessary for taller zinnias. A single bamboo cane behind each plant, with string looped around the principal stems, is sufficient. Plants should be deadheaded regularly unless spent blooms are hidden by new flowers.

What to plant with zinnias

Zinnias make good partners to a range of summer flowering plants, including salvias. Zinnia ‘Benary’s Giant Salmon Rose’ is a stunning cohort to the fine velvet red lances of Salvia confertiflora with a backdrop of green and cream variegated Euonymus fortunei ‘Silver Queen’. Zinnia ‘Benary’s Giant Lilac’ is equally effective next to intense blue Salvia ‘Indigo Spires’, flowering until autumn.

The tall fleabane (Erigeron annuus) produces a froth of white daisies all summer long, setting off the rich red heads of Zinnia ‘Benary’s Giant Red’. Zinnia ‘Dreamland Scarlet’ and Zinnia ‘Profusion White’ or Zinnia ‘Profusion Orange’ blend well with the pale blue South American annual Browallia americana.

The best zinnias to grow

Zinnia Giant Double Mixed

Mix of double and semi-double flowers in a range of bold colours. The dramatic blooms can be 11cm across and have a central disc with a contrasting ring of bright yellow fertile florets. The plant grows up to 1m tall.

Zinnia ‘Benary’s Giant White’

Dahlia-flowered, with elegant chalky white petals offset by green and yellow centres. Grows to 1.3m tall. There’s also ‘Benary’s Giant Lime’ in a delicate lime green.

Zinnia ‘Benary’s Giant Orange’

Double 10-13cm flowers of intense burnt-orange petals and a large central disc. Up to 1.3m tall. All the Zinnia elegans ‘Benary’s Giant Series’ make excellent cut flowers.

Zinnia ‘Benary’s Giant Salmon Rose’

Dahlia-flowered. A delicate light salmon with fully double flowers 10cm across from late July to October. Grows to 1.3m tall and 50cm wide, with typically sturdy stems.

Zinnia ‘Benary’s Giant Deep Red’

Large dahlia-like blooms on sturdy stems in a sumptuous, rich, velvety red. Like all the Benary’s Giant Series’ it grows up to 1.3m tall. A good cut flower with high yields.

Zinnia ‘Benary’s Giant Lilac’

Large, lilac-mauve petals are overlaid into elegant double flowers up to 13cm across, highlighted with prominent yellow flecks of the central disc. Robust stems up to 1.3m tall.

Zinnia Giant Cactus Flowered Mixed

Flower heads are packed with quilled petals to give it a characteristic cactus-type appeal. Colours range from cream through to bright red. Grows to 1m.

Zinnia ‘Profusion White’

White flowers produced over a long period. ‘Profusion’ are interspecific crosses between Zinnia elegans and Zinnia angustifolia. Good disease resistance. Grows to 30cm tall.

Zinnia ‘Profusion Orange’

Reliable performer with sheets of dazzling orange flowers suitable for a sunny spot in a border or pots. Vigorous, copes with a wide range of conditions. 30cm tall.

Zinnia ‘Dreamland Scarlet’

The Dreamland Series produces stocky dwarf plants and plump flowers, in this case an intense red. This cultivar typically grows to a height of 40cm.

Zinnia ‘Profusion Cherry’

Another bushy choice with profuse single flowers up to 5cm across, in a vibrant cerise. Good in a border or as a cut flower. Grows to a height of 30cm.

Zinnia ‘Queen Red Lime’

A charming, new variety with an old- fashioned quality. Medium-sized pompoms in a blend of dusky pink and lime green give the flowers a delicate effect. Grows to 60cm.

Zinnia Starbright Mixed

A mix of white and orange stars just 3cm across and with yellow centres. Plants are low at just 20cm, multi-branched with narrow leaves.

Zinnia ‘Starbright White’

A looser more informal look that works well as a choice for containers. Narrow leaves below bright white flowers up to 5cm in size. Grows to 35cm in height, 20cm spread.

Zinnia ‘Red Spider’

Graceful, upwardly fluted single red flowers on delicately branched stems growing to 45cm high. A good choice for combining into the flower border.

Zinnia ‘Aztec Sunset’

A mix of jewelbox colours in shades of red, mahogany, yellow, orange, green and cream. Many have bicoloured zonal banding and some are single, some double. The flowers are 3cm wide on 40cm high stems.

Where to buy zinnia seed

• Chiltern Seeds, Bortree Stile, Ulverston, Cumbria LA12 7PB.

• Moles Seeds (UK) Ltd, Turkey Cock Lane, Stanway, Colchester, Essex CO3 8PD.

• Thompson & Morgan, Poplar Lane, Ipswich, Suffolk IP8 3BU.

• Johnny’s Selected Seeds, 955 Benton Avenue, Winslow, Maine, USA 04901.

• Select Seeds, 180 Stickney Hill Road, Union, Connecticut, USA 06076-4617.

Thanks to Great Dixter in East Sussex, where the plants pictured in this feature were photographed.

Rudbeckias, also known as black-eyed Susan, are much loved for their exuberant flowers that bring a bold splash of colour to the garden from August to October.

The most common rudbeckias, variants of Rudbeckia fulgida, are perennial, with mostly bright yellow petals and a distinctive dark central cone. They range in height from around 60cm to 2m tall, depending on the variety. Rudbeckias derived from Rudbeckia hirta often have have russet, dark-red or brown flowers and are shorter. They are usually grown as half-hardy annuals from seed, but will survive mild winters, flowering in their second and even third year.

Rudbeckias are particularly well suited to prairie-style and naturalistic plantings, alongside other plants that peak in late summer and autumn, such as echinacea, persicaria, asters and ornamental grasses. They also make excellent cut flowers.

Jump to

• Where to grow rudbeckia
• When to sow rudbeckia
• When to cut back rudbeckia
• The best rudbeckia to grow

How to grow rudbeckia

Where to grow rudbeckia

Rudbeckias do best in full sun or dappled shade, but will not do well in poor or very dry soils. Grow them with other tall, upright perennials so that they are naturally supported by them.

When to sow rudbeckia

Rudbeckia hirta cultivars can be raised as half-hardy annuals, sown under glass in late March or early April and planted out in their final positions in late May/early June. They can also be sown direct in their flowering positions in spring. Perennial rudbeckias can be sown in spring, although germination may be erratic.

When to cut back rudbeckia

Rudbeckia fulgida cultivars have attractive seedheads, so can be left standing in the garden over winter, then cut back in February. Otherwise, cut down after flowering in autumn.

Rudbeckia problems

The main problem with rudbeckias is slugs grazing on the young growth in spring, so be vigilant and protect plants if necessary.

More on growing late summer perennials:

The best small-flowered asters to grow

10 recommended plants for late summer colour

Plants for full sun

The best rudbeckia to grow

Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii ‘Goldsturm’

Widely available, reliable and floriferous. It has dark green foliage and rich yellow flowers. Later in the season it has attractive black pincushion heads and a good winter silhouette. Height: 60cm.

Rudbeckia fulgida var. deamii

More open branched than ‘Goldsturm’, with rough hairy stems, greyish-green hairy leaves and clear yellow petals. A tough plant that puts up with drier conditions than other Rudbeckia fulgida forms, and possibly more slug resistant. Height: 60cm

Rudbeckia nitida ‘Herbstonne’

Rudbeckia triloba

Has the smallest blooms of all the rudbeckias, around 5cm diameter. It is very floriferous, with very dark cones. It suits a position on the edge of woodland. It is a relatively shortlived perennial. Height: 1m.

Rudbeckia triloba ‘Prairie Glow’

Masses of small, russet-coloured flowers, with yellow tips, on tall, airy stems. A shortlived perennial. Height: 1.2m.

Rudbeckia hirta ‘Cappuccino’

An attractive annual that has burnished orange petals with dark brown markings. Makes a great cut flower. Height: 60cm.

Rudbeckia hirta ‘Prairie Sun’

Masses of cheerful yellow flowers with a pale green centre. The petals are two toned, darker yellow near the centre. Looks great in the border or in a vase. Height: 80cm.

Rudbeckia hirta Cherokee Sunset

A beautiful rudbeckia in stunning sunset shades and a dark centre. Makes an excellent cut flower. Height: 60cm.

Here’s more summer flowers to grow

Dedicating a portion of your garden to meadow-style plants is one of the best ways to support local wildlife. By using a meadow seed mix, you can grow a variety of flowers and grasses to emulate the plants found in natural pastures and create rich habitats. 

Achieving a perfect wildflower area can be tricky, so it’s worth taking a look at our expert tips for designing a meadow and brush up on the best plants to use before you get started.

How to choose between wild meadow seeds and wildflower seeds

The main difference between wildflower and meadow mixes is the type of seeds included. Meadow packs come with a range of flowers and grasses, while other blends like those found in wildflower seed bombs focus just on flowers. 

So, why should you plant a meadow? Well, you’ll be developing habitats for wildlife in the local area, and you can enjoy a blanket of colour throughout the summer. 

Daunting by sowing seeds? Read our expert guide to planting seeds.

Do meadow seeds come back every year?

Packs of meadow seed mix can potentially contain grasses, as well as annuals that’ll flower for just one summer, and perennials, which should come back year after year. As some packs have a large proportion of short-lived annuals (particularly if they’re predominantly flower blends), it’s important to check the details on the box before you buy. 

See our rundown of the best places to buy seeds online. 

Best meadow seed mix packs for a colourful display

Classic meadow mix

Thompson & Morgan is one of the best brands to browse when you’re in need of a meadow seed mix. The Suffolk-based business has been selling seeds since 1855, so it has over 150 years of expertise behind it. 

This pack blends annuals and perennials for a diverse display of different plants. In fact, this box alone contains enough seeds for 12,000 flowers. 

Rather than sell the wild meadow seeds as compact ‘bombs’, which you scatter on the ground, Thompson & Morgan has combined them with vermiculite to allow for even distribution. 

Johnsons country meadow seeds

If establishing grasses as well as flowers is important to you, this pack is a safe bet. 

Like all the best meadow seed mixes, it tells you exactly what you can expect to grow. You’ll get flowers like birdsfoot trefoil, black knapweed and yarrow, as well as grasses including browntop bent, crested dogstail and Yorkshire fog.

This pack contains enough seeds to cover 40 square metres of ground.

Mini meadow

This meadow seed mix comes with added ingredients to support the plants as they grow. There’s Super Seaweed, made from sustainably harvested kelp, which contains nutrients, vitamins and amino acids to boost growth. Meanwhile, the added Rootgrow mycorrhizal fungi should support the seedlings in their early days. 

In this pack, you’ll get enough wild meadow seeds to cover 10 square metres of ground, and you should see varieties like cornflowers, poppies and oxeye daisies.

Meadow garden seeds

• Buy now from B&Q (£4.00)

For a simple, affordable meadow seed mix, try this box from B&Q. Thanks to its selection of colourful plants, including sunflowers, daisies and poppies, it should create a vibrant display. 

Sow the seeds in April or May and you should enjoy a colourful flower patch between July and September. 

Meadowland mixture

Another great option from Thompson & Morgan, this meadow mix comes with more than 30 different flower varieties, so you should end up with a diverse and visually interesting display. 

As with many meadow-style seed kits, the plants will start to bloom over their first couple of years. While you can expect some of the plants to bloom in the first summer, other varieties will take a little longer and should spring into life the following year. 

Once established, the plants should grow to heights of between 20cm and 150cm. 

British seed mix

• Buy now from Etsy UK (£1.95)

Etsy is a great place to find wild meadow seeds like this British plant mix. The pack contains fast-growing flowers and supporting grasses, and isn’t bulked out with sand. 

Grasses make up roughly half of the plants in this blend, 5% of which will be wheatgrass to help support long stems. Other species include meadow fescue, cocksfoot and timothy. 

As for colourful blooms, you’re likely to see corn chamomile, corn marigolds, cornflowers and crimson clover, which each make up about 10% of the mix.

Meadow-style seed mix

• Buy now from Etsy UK (£9.99)

With its blend of seeds for perennial meadow and garden plants, this pack should create an impressive display. It includes 21 different flower species and eight grass varieties, but you’ll get a 50/50 mix of the two categories. 

Once established, this seed mix should create a colourful display of blue lupins, foxgloves, field poppies and zinnias. 

If you sow seeds every year, why not invest in a practical and stylish storage tin? We’ve collected our favourite seed boxes, many of which have handy calendar divisions to keep you on track. 

Trends, flowers and colours may divide tastes in the gardening community but very few plants have the universal admiration and enduring popularity of the much-loved clematis. The genus Clematis has been planted and cultivated in English gardens since the 16th century and belongs to the Ranunculaceae or the buttercup family, alongside border stalwarts such as delphiniums, anemones and thalictrums.

Every family has its divas and if we put the large-flowered attention-seekers to one side for a moment, I would like to explore the easier-to-grow, generously flowering and endlessly rewarding herbaceous clematis.

What are herbaceous clematis?

Clematis are mostly climbing plants, but some species lack the tendrils to cling as they climb, so need some kind of support. They will happily scramble through either a birch or a hazel-clad dome, or through a neighbouring shrub. They grow up from the ground each spring and die back in autumn, make ideal companions for other perennials, evergreen or flowering shrubs and roses in a mixed summer border.

These gorgeous, herbaceous clematis offer us an easy win – simple to look after and care for, extending the season of our shrubs and borders, and flowering late on into the mist-filled autumn. All they ask of us is a few pea sticks or a shrub through which to scramble.

The shrub Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Diabolo’, for example, is a useful, rich-purple foil for other plants, but now let’s imagine it with the violet-blue flowers of Clematis ‘Arabella’, popping all over its foliage, and suddenly it has been elevated to another level of interest entirely.

How to grow herbaceous clematis

How to plant herbaceous clematis

The advice of keeping the tops sunny and the base cool may be crude, but it is very apt for growing the majority of clematis. If fertile, moist and free- draining soil frustratingly eludes you, why not try growing clematis in a container? A good-sized, deep pot is ideal, filled with a mixture of peat-free compost and John Innes No.2, say 50:50, with a few handfuls of grit. Just add a 5cm layer of grit on the top and a fortnightly potash feed during the growing season and you’ll have a winning formula.

Pruning herbaceous clematis

Clematis pruning can baffle and may deter some from growing these plants but the unadulterated joy that characterises this selection of clematis is that their treatment could not be simpler: as they flower on their current year’s growth, they need to be cut down to just above the ground each spring as their buds begin to swell.

Read our expert guide to pruning clematis.

Propagating herbaceous clematis

If you are looking for an exact replica of your plant, division, cuttings or layering techniques are at your disposal, but a number of these species are easy to grow from seed. Clematis seed does not keep for long so it’s best sown when ripe and comes away from the plant with ease.

Sow thinly on top of a pot full of compost (2-3cm off the rim) and cover lightly with more compost before topping with a layer of grit to hold the moisture in and protect the seed. Place in a cool spot and do not allow the seeds to dry out. Do not be too quick to throw the pot away if germination isn’t swift, as they can be erratic. And remember that patience is a virtue.

Herbaceous clematis problems

Clematis wilt strikes fear into the hearts of most gardeners, but rest assured that the herbaceous group, with their refined and sophisticated flowers, are rarely affected.

Aphids can be problematic when growth begins in spring, but if you’re on the ball these can easily be dealt with through physical removal or a garlic- or soap-based spray.

Rabbits find young clematis shoots very appetising, so if they are a problem for you, protect the young shoots with some chicken wire and remove when the growth matures and the allure subsides as the stems harden.

Slugs and snails can also be tempted by the young leaves, and damage by these hungry pests will delay flowering and weaken the plant. A very knowledgeable chap once told me to control slugs and snails in February to prevent subsequent populations booming. Half an eaten grapefruit, turned upside down, or a beer trap from late winter onwards should keep them at bay without the need for pellets.

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• The best roses from Sissinghurst
• The best winter-flowering clematis
• Foxgloves for colour and structure

The best herbaceous clematis for your garden

Clematis ‘Alionushka’

A free-flowering herbaceous clematis with deep-mauve to pink, bell-shaped flowers from early summer right through to the autumn. An excellent form for growing up a trellis or wall, but remember to help the plant out by tying it in as it grows.

1.5m. AGM*. RHS H6.

Clematis heracleifolia var. tubulosa Alan Bloom (= ‘Alblo’)

A cultivar bred from this Manchurian and Korean variety of Clematis heracleifolia, which gives masses of hyacinth-like flowers with recurved sepals. The scented, dark-blue flowers appear from July. Loved by bees.

1.5m. RHS H6.

Clematis songorica

Pure-white flowers with cream-coloured panicles have a hawthorn or meadowsweet scent to them and are held on bamboo-like, grooved stems. Flowers are followed by fabulous seedheads in the autumn.

1.5m. RHS H6, USDA 6a-8b.

Clematis heracleifolia ‘Pink Dwarf’

Small, bell-shaped, pink flowers bloom from July with a sweet scent. This low, shrubby clematis works well in semi-shade and is suitable for the front of a border. Flowers can also be cut and enjoyed in your home.

70cm. RHS H6.

Clematis x durandii

A much-loved hybrid between C. ‘Jackmanii’ and C. integrifolia with rich, saucer-shaped, indigo-blue flowers with deep midribs. The semi-nodding flowers, with beautifully contrasting pale-yellow anthers, appear from June until the autumn.

1.5m. AGM. RHS H6, USDA 5a-9b.

Clematis x aromatica

A hybrid between C. flammula and C. integrifolia. Panicles of small, violet-blue flowers with white stamens, the petal edges rolling under as the flower matures. An excellent choice for those who are looking for scent. Flowers from July to September.

2m. RHS H6.

Clematis Princess Kate (= ‘Zoprika’)

Ideal for cutting. The white sepals with contrasting, outer, purple hues and a dark-purple centre, are fit for a queen and are borne from June to September. Reflexed sepals of these trumpet, almost tulip-like, flowers grow on dark-purple stems.

3m. RHS H5.

Clematis ‘Sizaia Ptitsa’

An offspring of C. x durandii, with one of the largest flowers in the herbaceous group. The violet-blue sepals, which have a deep-violet stripe along the centre and are paler towards the edge, are narrow and twisted, giving it a spider-like appearance. Flowers from June to September.

1.5m. RHS H6†.

Clematis ‘Everett’

Named after Everett Leeds, a former chairman of the British Clematis Society, this clematis has C. viorna parentage. The reddish-purple, urn-shaped flowers become paler towards the tip of the recurved petals and are much paler on the inside.

1.5m. RHS H4.

Clematis Sweetheart (= ‘Witswe’)

Like most C. integrifolia cultivars, ‘Sweetheart’ will perform from early summer with pink/mauve flowers and a deeper-pink, central bar. Slightly twisted sepal margins add to the appeal. The blooms last well in water so can be cut too.

2m. RHS H6.

Clematis ‘Étoile Rose’

A delightful, semi-nodding clematis. The flowers range in colour from deep pink to pale mauve, and have silvery-pink margins that curve slightly, with the centres a darker shade of pink. A more vigorous type that can be used to enhance a large shrub or to cover a sizeable wall or fence.

2.5m. RHS H4.

Clematis Mississippi River (= ‘Zomisri’)

With C. integrifolia running strongly through its genetics, rich, dark-violet flowers appear over a long period from early summer through to autumn. This excellent new hybrid originates from Wim Snoeijer of J van Zoest. 2m. RHS H6.

Clematis ‘Sweet Scentsation’

Masses of small, star-shaped, scented, white flowers during July and August. Can be used to great effect if planted with another vigorous cultivar from the herbaceous group. Its showy sepals offer both scent and colour.

2.5m. RHS H5, USDA 7a-8b.

Clematis ‘Arabella’

Rightly one of the most popular herbaceous clematis. Deep-blue to mauve flowers with a hint of pink in abundance from early summer until the autumn. Suitable for a deep pot for those without much space or who lack a suitable spot in the garden.

1.8m. AGM. RHS H6.

Where to buy and see herbaceous clematis

Kevock Garden Plants
Kevock Road, Lasswade, Midlothian EH18 1HX. Tel 0131 454 0660, kevockgarden.co.uk
Hawthornes Nursery (National Collection Holder)
Marsh Road, Hesketh Bank, nr Preston, Lancashire PR4 6XT.
Tel 01772 812379, hawthornes-nursery.co.uk
Peter Beales Roses
London Road, Attleborough, Norwich, Norfolk NR17 1AY.
Tel 01953 454707, classicroses.co.uk
Thorncroft Clematis
Merryfield, North Green, Reymerston, Norwich, Norfolk NR9 4RD.
Tel 01953 850407, thorncroftclematis.co.uk Mailorder only
Walled Garden Nursery
Brinkworth House, Brinkworth,
nr Malmesbury, Wiltshire SN15 5DF.
Tel 07921 436863, clematis-nursery.co.uk

Most of us know clematis as climbing plants with large showy flowers. But in fact, among the 320-odd species, these are a minority. Late-flowering species clematis are usually, but not always, climbing, sometimes sprawling over rocks, or forming bushes in deserts, or growing alongside grasses in meadows. Some are very vigorous, clambering over trees or rocks to reach the light, their roots usually deep in the cooler and moister levels of the soil. Others are relatively small and can be grown in containers, which makes them useful for town gardens.

Very few, however, are showy, and you need to give careful thought to placing them – you’ll want to get up close to be able to appreciate their subtle colours, and intriguing shapes and textures of their flowers – not to mention the scents some have. Many of these species flower relatively late – from midsummer, off and on, into early autumn – which is perhaps one reason they are getting increasing attention from nurseries and gardeners.

The best known of the later-flowering clematis are the ‘lemon-peel’ species: Clematis orientalis and Clematis tangutica. Both are an excellent introduction to the very large number of late-flowering species, and illustrate well one of the additional advantages of these later- flowered kinds – their spherical fluffy seedheads, produced profusely from September onwards. A big Clematis orientalis, with several thousand silvery heads, illuminated by low winter sun, can be a spectacular sight.

There are many more late-flowering clematis to discover. I would specifically like to mention the up-and-coming Clematis viorna group, a few of which are pictured here and are something of a cult in the USA, with more becoming available in the UK. With their intriguing flask-shaped blooms and wide, often subtle, colour range, these clematis (known as ‘leather flowers’) offer an enticing prospect, especially for small spaces.

With their tiny flower heads and sometimes unusual colours, these late-flowering clematis have lots of appeal, and show that when it comes to climbing flowers, bigger isn’t necessarily more beautiful.

You might also like…

Growing and choosing herbaceous clematis

How to grow, prune and choose Clematis montana

30 of the best climbing plants

Everything you need to know about pruning clematis

How to grow late flowering clematis

Site and soil

Having seen several species in the wild growing in the most appalling ground, I am not inclined to worry about soil conditions, except to stress that late flowering clematis do all need good drainage. All will need sunlight for at least half the day. The majority will cope with high summer temperatures but go into dormancy if their roots run dry. Hardiness is not a problem for the species in cultivation. The yellow ‘lemon-peel’ varieties establish quickly, but some others may be slower.

Pruning late flowering clematis

Nearly all late flowering clematis flower on the current season’s growth and are in Clematis pruning group 3. They can be pruned in late winter or early spring. Pruning can be as hard as it needs to be, which allows potentially large-growing plants to be kept to much smaller sizes, or at the other extreme, in a wilder planting, they need not be pruned at all and can be allowed to run rampant.

But be warned: clematis growth is often wayward and always very brittle, so you may find when you set out to tidy up an older plant that what starts as a light prune can often turn into something more serious, leaving a growing pile of tangled debris at the bottom of the ladder.

Plants on house walls are best cut back annually to a framework of permanent stout stems. Clematis will need both horizontal and vertical support to climb a wall or fence. Wooden trellises are readily available, but you can create your own by attaching wires to walls using vine eyes. Whatever you use, each element should be no more than 20cm apart, and preferably closer lower down.

Read our guide to pruning clematis.

What to grow with late flowering clematis

One of the great boons of climbers is that it is often possible to grow several together, allowing for an easy succession of flower throughout the year. The clematis mentioned here, for example, can be allowed to scramble up alongside wisteria, early flowering Clematis montana or roses, to provide colour later in the year. The main issue is that different climbers may have varying pruning requirements, so, for example, giving younger wisteria plants the ruthless cut-back they need in summer may result in a lot of damage to the clematis. The best strategy is perhaps to plant clematis only around old and well-established wisteria and roses.

As clematis age on high walls, more of their flowers will be higher up (one reason to prune), although this provides an opportunity to plant other shorter-growing plants below, such as the early flowering C. alpina and C. macropetala, or other small-growing species, such as C. viorna types.

15 of the best late-flowering clematis to grow

Named for the Tangut region of Tibet, this plant is found over a wide area, in many different kinds of terrain. Its yellow, lantern-shaped flowers are followed by charming, fluffy seed heads. Height: 4.5m. RHS H7, USDA 3a-8b.

This species forms the basis for many new and showy hybrids, mostly noted for their vivid flowers, often in red with creamy inners. Texensis clematis are herbaceous, so need cutting back. Height: 1.8m. USDA 4a-8b.

Dark leaves and flowers, which look almost as though they’re made of felt, give this plant a subtle, somewhat sombre charm. A good clematis to let ramble through a shrub. Best in a sheltered spot with good drainage. Height: 2m.

This lovely North American native, one of the C. viorna group, can flower from late spring right through to late summer, early autumn. Its light habit means it is good for growing over shrubs. Height: 2.5m. USDA 5b-9a.

A pretty British cultivar that is derived from the uber-cool North American C.viorna. It is extremely free-flowering but luckily doesn’t grow too large. It does, however, need hard pruning. Height: 90cm-2m. RHS H7, USDA 5a-10a.

Bearing little mauve flowers that are pale yellow on the inside, this viorna clematis is small enough to grow in a container. Flowers over several months in summer. Prefers a warm spot; herbaceous, so best pruned back to base annually. Height: 1.8-3m. RHS H7, USDA 4a-9b.

Normally, this clematis group has bell-shaped flowers, but this has white flowers with red-pink backs that flare open to about 5cm wide. Dies back to ground level in winter.
Height: 3.5m. RHS H7. USDA 6a-9b.

A small, non-clinging plant with lovely fresh foliage. Its open blue-purple flowers are larger than many late bloomers, and are produced over a long season. Its name is Japanese for ‘happiness-garden’. Height: 1.5m.

Where to buy late-season clematis

Hawthornes Nursery
Marsh Road, Hesketh Bank, Nr Preston, Lancashire PR4 6XT.
Tel 01772 812379, hawthornes-nursery.co.uk

Taylors Clematis
Sutton Road, Sutton, Askern, Doncaster, South Yorkshire DN69JZ.
Tel 01302 700716, taylorsclematis.co.uk Visitors by appointment only.

Thorncroft Clematis
The Lings, Reymerston, Norwich, Norfolk NR9 4QG.
Tel 01953 850407, thorncroftclematis.co.uk

While we’re enjoying the long-awaited colour from spring bulbs, it can be easy to forget that spring is the best time to plant summer bulbs. Dahlias, gladioli, lilies and more can all be planted in spring for colour through summer and autumn.

We asked four experts to recommend their favourite summer-flowering bulbs: Jo Thompson, one of the UK’s leading garden designers; Carien van Boxtel, a garden and landscape designer known for her designs using bulbs; Charlie Ryrie, founder of The Real Cut Flower Garden, which supplies sustainably grown flowers and Steve Lannin, head gardener at Iford Manor in Wiltshire.

Below is a selection of their top choices.

Jump to

• • When to plant summer bulbs
  • Where to plant summer bulbs
  • How to plant summer bulbs
  • Caring for summer bulbs
  • The best summer bulbs to plant

Summer bulbs: everything you need to know

When to plant summer bulbs

Plant summer-flowering bulbs in spring – you will start seeing packets of bulbs in garden centres from late winter.

Where to plant summer bulbs

Most summer-flowering bulbs do best in a warm, sunny spot and well-drained soil. For the best displays in borders, grow in groups or drifts of at least six or seven. If you don’t have the right soil conditions, summer-flowering bulbs grow very well in pots – you could add some horticultural grit or sand to the compost before planting to aid drainage. Read our expert advice on growing bulbs in pots.

How to plant summer bulbs

Most summer bulbs need planting at two or three times their depth, pointed end up (amarines like to have their nose ‘proud’ of the soil). Water in well after planting.

Start dahlia tubers off in March. Plant with the central stem pointing up, just below the surface of the compost and water in. Keep them somewhere frost-free until they can be planted outside in late May.

Caring for summer bulbs

The more tender types of summer bulbs, including dahlias and amarines, should be mulched over winter in colder areas, or lifted and stored in a frost-free place over winter.

The best summer bulbs to plant

Dahlias

Carien van Boxtel recommends Dahlia merckii: “It’s extremely elegant with small, star-shaped flowers at the end of thin stems, and lovely fine foliage.” She also loves Dahlia ‘Josie’: “Perfect for containers, it flowers early in the season. Its semi- single flowers are a wonderful bright orange and attractive to pollinators.”

Jo Thompson recommends Dahlia ‘Café au Lait Rosé’, bred from the popular ‘Café au Lait’. “It has large, double blooms with broad pointed petals in the most charming of pinks.” She also loves Dahlia ‘Penhill Watermelon’: “The huge, glamorously shaggy flowers, with twisting, pointed petals of peachy-pink, are produced in profusion over a long period and last well in the vase, too.”

Steve Lannin flies the flag for Dahlia ‘Sweet Nathalie’, a decorative type with densely petalled flowerheads. “It’s the lightest of coral pinks – a lovely cutting flower that blends well with stronger pinks and peaches.”

Read about designers’ favourite dahlias.

Heights vary. RHS H3, USDA 7a-10b.

Amarines

Amarines are a cross between Nerine bowdenii and Amaryllis belladonna. “They are extremely popular as elegant cut flowers,” says Carien Van Boxtel. “But I prefer them in borders between grasses and asters, and arranged with other other pink and magenta autumn bulbs, such as Colchicum autumnale.”

50cm. RHS H5, USDA 5a-9b.

Read our expert advice on planting nerines and amarines.

Gladiolus papilio ‘Ruby’

• Find now through the RHS

While Carien van Boxtel favours the species, Gladiolus papilio (“It has strangely beautiful hues of mauve, salmon, purple and green”), Jo Thompson adores Gladiolus papilio ‘Ruby’. “It has sumptuous velvet tones of deep red to burgundy and combines well with grasses or Eupatorium maculatum and red Persicaria.”

90cm-1.2m. RHS H4, USDA 4a-10b.

Crocosmia

• Find now through the RHS

“Crocosmias are fantastic hardy corms that will provide lovely foliage and flowers as well as decoratative seedheads,” says Carien van Boxtel. “The bold reds and orange shades are better known, but I love a yellow, both the garden and the vase.” She particularly recommends Crocosmia x crocosmiflora ‘George Davison’.

75cm. RHS H5, USDA 5a-9b.

Martagon lily

“Turk’s cap lilies (Lilium martagon) are often grown as woodland plants in part shade, but they will also tolerate sun and look great when naturalised in open grass,” says Jo Thompson. The species produces an abundance of small, pinky-purple downward-facing flowers with reflexed petals.

1.5m. AGM. RHS H6, USDA 3a-8b.

Agapanthus

Two of our experts recommended agapanthus in shades of white instead of the usual blue. Steve Lannin picked Agapanthus ‘Windsor Grey’: “It’s greyish-white, with a subtle lavender blue blush to the base of the flower.” Meanwhile Charlie Ryrie plumped for Agapanthus ‘Headbourne White’, a robust, white-flowered deciduous form which is borderline hardy. “The big domed blooms, like snowballs, top straight stems in late summer.”

Read more about the best agapanthus to grow in your garden.

1m. RHS 4, USDA 3a-8b.

Tulbaghia

Steve Lannin recommends Tulbaghia violacea: “Pale, pinkish-mauve flowerheads held in umbels of up to 20 individual flowers, amid grass-like foliage, from June to September. Hailing from South Africa, these bulbous plants need full sun and well-drained soil.”

40cm. AGM. RHS H3, USDA 7a-10b.

Dierama

Steve Lannin loves Dierama pulcherrimum ‘Merlin’. ”It has grass-like foliage coupled with sultry, black-red flowers that dangle from long, thin arching stems and dance in the wind,” he says. “Ensure full sun and moist but well-drained soil.”

1m. RHS H4, USDA 8a-10b.

Here’s more on dierama

Liatris spicata

“Liatris spicata has tall flower spikes that bear distinctive, tufted, bottlebrush-style flowers in a deep mauve,” says Steven Lannin. “Fresh growth appears in spring (keep an eye out for hungry slugs) with flowers in late summer. Liatris spicata is best planted in full sun. It’s attractive to bees and butterflies and a good cut flower.”

80cm. RHS H7, USDA 3a-3b.

Ranunculus asiaticus

“The double-flowered forms of Persian buttercups, with their ruffled layers of crepe-paper like petals, are often planted to overwinter,” says Charlie Ryrie. “But are very successful if planted in late winter for summer flowering, as long as there’s still some cold weather on the horizon.”

45cm. RHS H4, USDA 4a-10b.

Ornithogalum saundersiae

“The best star of Bethlehem for cutting, lasting for weeks in the vase,” says Charlie Ryrie. “It produces dense clusters of showy, star-like creamy-white blooms with black centres, which perch atop tall, straight stems.”

90cm. RHS H2, USDA 10.

More on growing bulbs

The best bulb suppliers

Forcing bulbs: advice and planting combinations

When to plant bulbs

When to sow sweet peas

Sweet peas germinate, grow, flower, set seed and die in one annual cycle. At Easton, we harvest and dry the seed in late August, and sow the first batch into root trainers in October in an unheated glasshouse. The last warm rays of autumn will give them the kick they need to germinate.

Once the seedlings appear we keep them as cold as possible, leaving them outside and only bringing them in during a hoar frost. This gives the plants time to produce long, strong roots. Big roots are the key to a fine sweet pea crop.

We prepare beds with lots of manure; we find that green manure sown in September is the best soil conditioner for our young plants before they are planted out in early March. Green manure prevents nutrients leaching out of the top layers of soil and gives our plants a head start.

Cool colours

(From left to right) 1 Lathyrus odoratus ‘Albutt Blue’, 2 L. ‘Astronaut Lavender’, 3 L. ‘Daphne’, 4 L. ‘Dignity’, 5 L. x hammettii ‘Erewhon’, 6 L. ‘Katie Alice’, 7 L. ‘King Sized Navy Blue’

Fancy frills

(From left to right) 1 L. ‘Frances Kate’, 2 L. ‘Pulsar’, 3 L. ‘Comet’, 4 L. ‘Twinkle’, 5 L. ‘Linda Carole’, 6 L. ‘Wiltshire Ripple’

Where to buy

Eagle Sweet Peas, Eagle Sweet Peas, Broadmoor Lane, Stowe-by-Chartley, Staffordshire ST18 0LD.
Tel 01889 270215, eaglesweetpeas.co.uk

Easton Walled Gardens, Easton, Grantham, Lincolnshire NG33 5AP.
Tel 01476 530063, visiteaston.co.uk

Keith Hammett
Tel +64 9 833 9453, drkeithhammett.co.nz

Kerton Sweet Peas, North Farm Cottage, 14 Bristol Road, Pawlett, Bridgwater, Somerset TA6 4RT.
Tel 01278 683517, kertonsweetpeas.co.uk

Roger Parsons Sweet Peas, Primrose Cottage, Clayton Lane, Bracklesham Bay, Chichester PO20 8JQ.
Tel 01243 673770, rpsweetpeas.com

Each year I grow a range of more than 20 biennials, their contribution to the spring and early summer garden is considerable, and I would not want to garden without them. By far the best way to grow them is from seed. There is something very satisfying about raising your own plants, the effect is not immediate, but the rewards are immensely satisfying. Not only do biennials provide colour in the spring garden, late-flowering biennials, such as sweet William or sweet rocket also bridge that tricky gap between spring bulbs and early emerging perennials and the summer-flowering herbaceous planting.

Biennial meaning: what is a biennial?

Whereas annuals complete their life cycle in a single season, biennials require a period of cold, called vernalisation, to initiate their flowering. From a summer sowing, biennials will produce a basal rosette of leaves, with the plant flowering, setting seed and dying in the following year.

How and when to sow biennials

When to sow biennials

The principles of sowing are exactly the same as for annual seed, but the after-care and timing is different. Whereas most annuals are sown from January through to April, biennials are sown in early summer, planted into nursery rows by late summer before been placed into their flowering positions in autumn.The first you should sow are sweet Williams followed by foxgloves, verbascum, wallflowers and pansies last of all (with the range of other biennials somewhere in-between).

How to sow biennials

The size of the seed determines the depth of sowing, a good rule of thumb is that the sowing depth should be roughly the same as the size of the seed itself. Apart from foxgloves and verbascums, which need light to germinate, all of our biennials are placed in our cool pot store in the dark, with germination taking place usually within two weeks. When they’re large enough to handle, I prick out the seedlings into plug trays before lining them out in the biennial bed for summer – you could obviously plant out to the location you want them to flower, or plant up into larger pots until ready to plant out. By the time I’m ready to transplant them to their flowering positions, usually around late October or early November, the majority have made good strong plants.

Daunted by sowing seed? Read our expert guide to planting seeds.

The best biennials to grow from seed

Digitalis purpurea f. albiflora

This white form of our native foxglove retains all the elegance and charm, with flowers held on one-sided spikes that turn downward slightly at the tips. Plant generously or allow it to self-seed freely to run through the entire bed piercing more rotund or flat shapes. 1.5m x 50cm. RHS H7, USDA 4a-8b.

Head to our plant profile for Digitalis

Erysimum ‘Pastel Patchwork’

I adore wallflowers and have grown a few every year for nearly 30 years. This new cultivar derived from Erysimum cheiri is not only drought tolerant but will also grow quite happily in poor soil. As members of the Brassicaceae family, erysimums are subject to clubroot, flea beetle and attack by cabbage white butterfly, so take preventative action. 70cm x 50cm.

Head to our plant profile for Erysimum

Eryngium giganteum ‘Silver Ghost’

A short-lived perennial best grown as a biennial. A member of the Apiaceae family thriving in hot, dry sites. Its silvery-blue flowers associate brilliantly with the acid yellows of Euphorbia or grow it in tandem with grey foliage plants of contrasting soft texture, such as Artemisia and Stachys. 90cm x 60cm. AGM. RHS H6, USDA 4a-7b.

Head to our plant profile for Eryngium

Lunaria annua ‘Chedglow’

The deep-lilac flowers of this relatively new honesty contrast wonderfully with the ripe-plum colour of the foliage, stems and seedpods. Try combining with tulips of a similar colour palette, such as Tulipa ‘Havran’, T. ‘Ronaldo’ and T. ‘Negrita’. 80cm x 50cm.

Salvia sclarea var. turkestaniana ‘Vatican Pink’

A biennial whose coarse-textured, grey leaves are not pleasant smelling, but are an attractive feature through winter and spring. But the main event is reserved for June and July when tall stiff spikes emerge and thrust upwards with white flowers and pink persistent bracts. Needs a sunny site, but can grow happily on poor soil. 1.2m x 1m.

Find out about shrubby salvias in our plant profile on other salvias to grow.

Daucus carota ‘Dara’

The wild form of the cultivated carrot is a late-flowering biennial. It has a relaxed quality, perfect for threading through borders to soften those plants with a more formal character. A rich nectar and pollen source, attracting bees, butterflies and other beneficial insects and also birds, which search out the high-energy seeds, later in the season. 75cm x 50cm. RHS H6.

Find out about other nectar-rich plants.

Verbascum blattaria f. albiflorum

A plant often overlooked, but one I love for its easy-going nature and ability to grow almost anywhere, putting itself into places with great artistry. Its five-petalled flowers are white with prominent purple stamens that appear almost to float on the wiry stems. Quick to flower, sometimes in the first year. 70cm x 30cm. RHS H6, USDA 6a-9b.

Head to our plant profile for Verbascum

Myosotis sylvatica

The humble forget-me-not blooms non-stop through spring and early summer. It energetically colonises beds and borders adding a low level welcome froth. Happy in sun or shade, but can be prone to powdery mildew if the conditions are too dry. 45cm x 60cm.

Find out more about growing forget-me-nots.

Campanula patula

A beautiful British native wildflower of hedge banks, with slender wiry stems upon which widely spaced bell-shaped flowers of violet-blue are produced. I sometimes grow it around the feet of bearded irises, which it follows in flower. 40cm x 40cm. RHS H5.

Head to our plant profile for Campanula

Lunaria annua

Honesty is one of the first spring biennials to appear blooming in late April or early May, followed by wonderful seedpods in autumn. Grow under the skirts of deciduous shrubs with early spring bulbs. After flowering most stems can be pulled away, but leave a few to develop the seedpods. 60cm x 50cm. RHS H6, USDA 5a-9b.

Digitalis purpurea ‘Sutton’s Apricot’

An old cultivar and one I liked to grow en masse in the Rose Garden at Sissinghurst. Identical in all respects, except colour, from the native purple or white foxglove. Soft-pink flowers, lightly spotted in the throat associate well with early roses and peonies. 1.2m x 60cm. RHS H7, USDA 4a-8b.

Erysimum cheiri ‘Giant Pink’

For this, as with other wallflowers, good flowering is achieved through careful transplanting. Choose a non-frosty, non-windy day to lift plants from nursery beds with a fork, leaving as many roots as possible. If the soil is dry, water it first to minimise the possibility of soil loss and root damage. After lifting, put plants in their permanent positions as soon as possible and water if necessary. 60cm x 40cm.

Dipsacus fullonum

A robust, tall biennial that can become a menace if it is allowed to self-seed. Nevertheless, a plant of great architectural presence in the garden. Mauve-coloured flowers give way to spiny seedheads, which persist all winter if you dare leave them. 1.8m x 70cm. RHS H7, USDA 3a-8b.

Delphinium requienii

A plant I first grew for the Purple Border at Sissinghurst. Tall spikes rise from a basal rosette of glossy, deep-green, slug-resistant leaves. The many flowers, the colour of a wood pigeon’s breast, provide an unusual and arresting sight in the border. 2m x 60cm.

Verbascum ‘Spica’

From June through to August this tall mullein with large, ruffled, white flowers that have the faintest hint of primrose yellow light up the garden. Leaves are grey and ovate and the stem white-felted. Flowers best in full sun on well-drained soil. 1.3m x 80cm.

Head to our plant profile for Verbascum

Hesperis matronalis var. albiflora

Sweet rocket arrives around the same time as foxgloves and can be grown in tandem to good effect. Its clusters of deliciously spice-scented flowers in white or mauve last for many weeks, even longer in semi-shade. The plant will need staking as it grows – hazel pea-sticks work well for this – and some protection early in the year from pigeons, which will eat the foliage. 1.2m x 80cm.

Matthiola incana ‘Lucinda Red’

Attractive grey foliage and almost unbeatable for the punch its flowers pack in the scent league tables. They are a bit muddled in appearance and not the most attractive, but this is not why you grow it. Group in pots and place near a door, to catch a whiff of their perfume. 50cm x 50cm.

Erysimum cheiri ‘Blood Red’

I always prefer the single-colour, highly scented wallflower cultivars, such as this, along with E. cheiri ‘Fire King’, E. cheiri ‘Cloth of Gold’ and E. cheiri ‘Giant Pink’. Most have a delicious honeyed fragrance, which is intensified by planting in a sunny situation. 40cm x 40cm. USDA 7a-9b.

Onopordum acanthium

A statuesque plant, not for the faint-hearted. Grey, heavily felted and viciously spiny basal leaves are attractive in year one. Early in year two a single woolly winged, white stem arises and branches at half-way into a candelabra of mauve thistle flowers. A plant I grew to good effect in the White Garden at Sissinghurst. 2.5m x 1m. RHS H5.

Angelica gigas

From large green leaves, with plum-coloured stems and inflated sheaths, this biennial’s refined, domed flowers of deep-maroon emerge in summer through to autumn. Looks good with sanguisorbas or, as here, with white Ammi majus. Prefers moist soil with sufficient leg-room to grow. 2m x 1.5m. RHS H6, USDA 4a-9b.

Find out about other umbellifers to grow.

Smyrnium perfoliatum

Another favourite of mine for feathering the woodland edge or for naturalising in borders to produce a wild-style aesthetic. I used it to great effect in the nuttery at Sissinghurst where the acid yellow harmonised perfectly with white bluebells, Trillium chloropetalum and Matteuccia struthiopteris. 60cm x 40cm. RHS H5.

Where to buy

• Chiltern Seeds
• Higgledy Garden
• Sarah Raven
• Seedaholic
• Special Plants

After years of being dismissed as old fashioned and garish, dahlias are firmly back in fashion. They are a much loved highlight of the late summer garden, and if deadheaded or cut regularly, they will produce hundreds of flowers until after the first frosts.

Dahlias come in almost every colour imaginable, from cool whites and pale pinks to hotter yellows, oranges and red, to deep magenta and almost black.

Their flower shapes vary greatly, too, ranging from spiky cactus blooms to decorative dahlias, lily-flowered types and the intricate ball and pompon types. The single flowered and anemone types are brilliant for pollinators.

Dahlias combine brilliantly with other late summer flowers such as cannas and ginger lilies for an exotic or jungle look. They also combine very well with ornamental grasses, which peak at around the same time. Dot them through borders or grow them in a dedicated area on a cutting patch or allotment – they make excellent cut flowers. The more compact varieties grow very well in pots.

Don’t miss our round up of garden designers’ favourite dahlias.

When to plant dahlias

Dahlias are tender, which means they won’t survive a frost. They therefore need to be planted out in the garden in late May or early June, when no more frosts are forecast. If you’re growing dahlias from seeds, cuttings or tubers, start growing them in pots in a greenhouse, mini greenhouse or conservatory in early spring, before transplanting them outside in early summer.

How to grow dahlias

You can grow dahlias from tubers, cuttings or seed. All three methods should produce flowers in the same year.

How to grow dahlias from tubers

The traditional way to raise dahlias is from tubers. Order from a dahlia specialist, in January or earlier.

• From the beginning of March, bring dahlia tubers into growth in pots in a greenhouse or polytunnel – they need lots of light and a minimum temperature of 17°C.
• Plant the tubers in large pots of loam-based John Innes No. 2 compost. Keep them moist but not wet. They must be kept warm – even a hint of frost will check growth and blacken foliage. Use thick fleece to protect them on cold nights.
• Once the plant has three to four leaves, pinch the top out to encourage the plant to thicken out.
• Do not plant outside until the first week of June, when the young plants are approx 35cm high. Harden off for at least a week beforehand – this toughens the foliage, helping to deter slugs.
• Dahlias will need support, so stake as you plant.
• Water well in the first half of summer until established. Feed with a potash-rich plant food once buds appear, and deadhead regularly.

How to grow dahlias from cuttings

• Fill 7.5cm plastic pots with John Innes No. 1  compost and water.
• Find new shoots that are 75cm long. Cut just above the base where they join the crown. Discard hollow-stemmed cuttings.
• Trim just below the lowest pair of leaves and remove leaves carefully. Dampen the end and dip into hormone rooting powder. Insert into the pot (several in one pot), making a hole with a dibber. Firm in and label.
• Place in a warm propagator if possible, away from direct sunlight.
• They should root within 20 days. Once new leaves appear, pot up individually into John Innes No. 2. Pinch out the growing tip to make the plants more bushy.

Create this beautiful dahlia combination

How to grow dahlias from seed

Dahlias are surprisingly easy to grow from seed – either from packets of mixes of seeds, or seeds that you’ve saved from your own plants. You’ll need to sow them in early spring, in a greenhouse or heated propagator. The seeds should germinate in a couple of weeks.

• Fill a pot or seed tray with compost,  lightly firm the surface and moisten.
• Sow your seeds on to the surface, then cover with a thin layer of compost. Cover with a clear polythene bag or propagator lid.
• Once the ‘true’ leaves appear, transplant into individual pots, holding them by the leaves so as not to damage the delicate stem.
• Pot on as necessary.
• Harden off before planting out in early June.

How to deadhead dahlias

Deadheading dahlias is essential – it keeps them flowering prolifically. A bud and a dead flower can appear remarkably similar, so it can be hard to tell them apart. Dahlia buds tend to be fat, rounded and hard, while the flowered ‘shell’ is pointed and squashy and can be removed.

To deadhead a dahlia, simply remove the deadhead and the thin stem beneath it.

Here’s more on deadheading dahlias and more.

Dahlia pests and diseases

Slugs and snails are the main problems you’ll encounter with dahlias – the darker leafed dahlias are most prone. Planting out plants when they are at least 35cm high can help, as can watering in the morning as opposed to the evening. Read our advice on preventing slug damage.

Viruses can also effect dahlias, causing the lower leaves to become mottled, but plants usually grow away from the problem.

How to overwinter dahlias

Once dug out at the end of the season, lay the tubers upside down for a couple of weeks in a cool, dry place. This allows moisture to drain out and prevents rotting. Then cover the tubers with sand or sawdust and store in wooden crates over winter. Check regularly for mould.

If you live in a milder part of the UK, you can leave tubers in the ground, covering them with a thick mulch once they have died back in autumn.

Where to buy and see dahlias

Halls of Heddon Tubers and cuttings, plus dahlia fields. West Heddon Nursery Centre, Heddon on the Wall, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE15 0JS. Tel 01661 852445, www.hallsofheddon.co.uk

National Dahlia Collection 1,700 cultivars from 22 different species of dahlia now lives in over half an acre of garden at the Kehelland Trust in Cornwall, enticing visitors with the huge array of colours on show. The garden is open to visitors from July-October, including some weekends and evenings during the summer months. www.kehellandtrust.co.uk

RHS Garden Wisley Spectacular dahlia trial to view. Woking, Surrey GU23 6QB. Tel 0845 260 9000, www.rhs.org.uk/wisley

Rose Cottage Plants Specialists in mail-order garden tubers. Tel 01992 573775, www.rosecottageplants.co.uk

Garden designer Libby Russell’s own garden in Somerset covers three acres and sits in a valley, backed by a shelter belt of native woodland. Here are a selection of her favourite roses that she grows there and recommends planting.

You may also like

• Rose petals for scent: making rosewater
• Training roses creatively: a new approach to rose training
• June flowers to plant: best plants for June

A classic hybrid musk rose with the best buff colour. It repeats well and will form a vigorous, medium-sized shrub. 1.2m. AGM. RHS H6, USDA 5a-9b.

A romantic small rose that looks like a wild rose but repeats. It associates well with ox-eye daisies and wildflowers. 90cm. RHS H6, USDA 5a-9b.

An elegant relation to the pink version, with frilly flowers that are wonderful for picking. It will continue flowering right into autumn. 1.2m. RHS H6, USDA 5a-9b.

The double version of pink ‘New Dawn’. Continues to flower throughout the season, even on a north-facing wall. 3m. RHS H6, USDA 5a-9b.

A favourite historic rose. Its highly fragrant pink flowers are striped and spotted with crimson. 1.2m. AGM. RHS H7, USDA 5a-9b.

A lovely magenta rambler with a delicate fragrance that repeats really well. Healthy but, unlike some ramblers, will not rampage out of control. 3m. RHS H6, USDA 5a-9b.

Its large, soft-white to apricot-pink flowers are almost luminous around the banks in this garden and it repeats reliably. 1.2m. AGM. RHS H6, USDA 5a-9b.

Libby’s favourite pale-pink hybrid musk rose, with a wonderful fragrance. A vigorous cultivar that repeats so well and is a perfect warm pink. 1.5m. RHS H6, USDA 5a-9b.