As summer starts to glide gently into autumn, Åsa Gregers-Warg makes the most of the last days of sunshine with a golden sunflower, bright foliage and a soft fountain grass
PHOTOGRAPHS RICHARD BLOOM Åsa Gregers-Warg is head gardener at Beth Chatto’s Plants and Gardens in Essex bethchatto.co.uk
HELIANTHUS ‘LEMON QUEEN’
I wouldn’t be without this reliable classic that blooms continuously from late summer until the first hard frost. Its mass of lemon-yellow flowers combines so well with the purple shades of Aster tataricus, Vernonia arkansana and tall grasses, and a Chelsea chop in late May lessens the need for staking. H. ‘Carine’ is similar, but lighter in colour and more compact, while the towering H. giganteus ‘Sheila’s Sunshine’ has lovely creamy-yellow blooms, held aloft on very tall, wine-stained stems. Admittedly, neither suits a small space, where Silphium mohrii might be a better choice. AGM*
Height and spread 2m x 1m.
Origin Garden (species North America).
Conditions Any reasonably fertile soil; full sun or partial shade.
Hardiness RHS H4, USDA 2a-11†.
Season of interest August – September.
CARYOPTERIS X CLANDONENSIS HINT OF GOLD (= ‘LISAURA’)
This lovely hybrid forms a bushy compact shrub and has the broad leaf of C. incana, one of its parents, decorated with wavy edges. The foliage is brightest in spring and early summer, slowly turning a more luminous chartreuse as the season progresses. Although Beth preferred the grey-leafed types, she wasn’t averse to adding a spot of uplifting gold, believing even the slightest change in leaf colour could bring out different tones to the flower colour. Prune in late spring, back to a strong pair of buds. AGM.
Height and spread 90cm x 90cm.
Origin Garden (southeast Asia).
Conditions Well-drained soil (especially in winter), sheltered from cold wind; full sun.
Hardiness RHS H4, USDA 5a-9b.
Season of interest August – September.
SALIX UDENSIS ‘GOLDEN SUNSHINE’
I prefer to use golden-leaved plants sparingly and mostly in dappled shade, where they don’t scorch, but this willow sits happily in full sun on a bank above one of our garden ponds. Shining like a golden beacon, clothed in narrow, lance-shaped leaves, visitors sometimes mistake it from a distance for a yellow-leaved bamboo. The vibrant foliage remains attractive into autumn, but slowly takes on a more chartreuse tone as it matures. Like most willows, it’s easy and fast growing. To keep the size in check, we give it a hard prune in late winter.
