Editing Garden for 2019

As my style of gardening is always a "work in progress" with high and lows, mistakes and happy accidents now is the time to think of what I would have more of and what I should discard.
The inspirational pictures from members help in this process and to see so much going on in gardens in August has made me look closely at what I could achieve to make my garden (or part of it) aglow with colour this month.
Looking round my garden I'm finding that the colour comes mainly from annuals. Lovely but labour intensive.
I have lots of agapanthus and dahlias in pots but find the borders lacking. My own fault because I've been attracted to structural and foliage plants which has resulted in too much green. The garden looks wonderful in spring, early summer and even winter but August is my least favourite month.
Any suggestions on what would thrive in my improved, heavy clay soil would be most welcome.

 

Hi @alana - I would look at @Verdun 's pictures, which show what combinations look good together - they are mostly herbaceous and shrubs, and many of those would do fine in improved clay. However I suspect there is a lot of work behind the perfection that verdun shows us!
Also, if you visit garden centres throughout the year, you should see what they think looks good at each season. Most of us normally madly buy in the spring - so the garden is lacking at other times.

 

Kind words CarolineL...thanks

Alana, check out heleniums......long flowering, eye catching, bigger and better every year.
Some here have been flowering already for weeks but all go on well into autumn in yellow, red, browns and orange.
Also sanguisorbas.......tall, self supporting and I love 'em. Lilac Squirrel, Red Thunder, Pink Elephant, etc. And persicarias.....go for the amplexcaulis type like Fat Domino, Blackbird, Orangefield, Alba. They flower for weeks and weeks.
Salvias like Amistad look their best in August to end of September.
Thalictrums too like Elin, Thundercloud, Hewitts Double, Splendide White and more give structure, height and colour for weeks and weeks.
Acteas.....superb purple foliage from spring to autumn and scented spires of flowers in August and September
Anemone Wild Swan is a superb variety flowering al summer with pure white flowers and blue on the backs of the petals
Rudbeckias like Goldsturn are at their very best now as well as Aster Frikartii Monch.
Grasses like Stipa Gigantea....the Golden Oat grass is a very tall, beautiful swaying variety. Superb stand alone feature. Miscanthus and Calamagrostis varieties too look good now.
Phormiums ...evergreen but check out Sundowner and others with lovely red/pink foliage.
Dahlias....get some in the ground alana. Some like Twynings After Eight, The Bishop of Llandaff, The Bishop of York have purple foliage too. Some like Yellow Honka have delightful single, star like flowers. One of my favourites; simple and elegant
Verbena Bonariensis.....common but always worth growing.
Veronicastrums are medium tall with excellent self supporting architectural foliage and delightful white, lavendar or pink flowers.
Consider cannas......Tropicanna Black, Pretoria and the like have wonderful coloured foliage with red and orange flowers in August through to autumn. The flowers here stand over 8'.
Geums like Totally Tangerine will flower from spring to autumn. Often here in the winter too.
I also grow lots of dwarf kniphofias.....the popsickle sorts are constantly in flower.
Gauras, whirling bitterflies, flower from mid summer onward
Need to stop...I am being called...but I hope this gives you some ideas alana

 

Wow - thanks Verdum. I doubt I'll have room for all your suggestions but I'll look at the heleniums and rudbeckias which I had considered buying. I lost my white Japanese anemones to the drought but I intend to replace them. I'm not keen on salvias or kniphofias - I guess I'm more of a daisy person.
Some of my dahlias are in the ground but I potted up several to fill gaps. None are named varieties but they are superb and go on and on. For the past two years I've left them in the ground, just covering them with straw over the winter, and they survived.

 

shh its Verdun . It's only Verdum when he does not agree with us You are right though he has amazing knowledge on plant combinations

 

Alana, when I suggest anemones I dont mean the japanese sort. The Wild Swan variety is a completely different and relatively new one. It is not invasive but a clump former and, instead of flowering only in late summer, it flowers from spring to autumn. It is a quality plant and a real beauty
Since you like daisies, check out anthemis E. C. Buxton.....a true perennial that flowers for a very long time....butter yellow flowers.

 

Heathen!

Given your soil conditions you could do worse than Salvia sclarea.............
Salvia sclarea var. turkestanica by longk48, on Flickr

Once established it has a very long season and puts on a terrific show..............
Salvia sclarea var. turkestanica by longk48, on Flickr

Salvia forsskaolii is another that will thrive ................
Salvia forsskaolii by longk48, on Flickr

Salvia forsskaolii by longk48, on Flickr

Salvia forsskaolii by longk48, on Flickr

The shadier spots are made for Tricyrtis............
Tricyrtis "Taipei Silk" by longk48, on Flickr

Tricyrtis hirta by longk48, on Flickr

Tricyrtis hirta "Tojen" by longk48, on Flickr

Tricyrtis hirta "White Towers" by longk48, on Flickr

Tricyrtis macropoda by longk48, on Flickr