August Blooms: Recommended Plants for Vibrant Garden Displays This Month
In the heart of summer, gardens burst with life, and August is no exception. Horticulturist Tom Brown shares his top picks for August gardens, focusing on vibrant, heat-loving plants that thrive in the warm months.
Two standout choices are the Tithonia rotundifolia ‘Torch’ and Ipomoea ‘Caprice’. The former, a tall Mexican sunflower, boasts blisteringly bright-orange flowers that grow up to 2 meters and bloom from midsummer to autumn. The latter, a pale-blue morning glory variety, covers structures with strong growth and abundant flowers from July to first frost. Both plants originate from warm regions, such as Mexico and Central America, and are valued for their long-lasting summer blooms that tolerate heat well.
Tithonia rotundifolia ‘Torch’ and Ipomoea ‘Caprice’ are ideal for mixed or exotic plantings, adding a strong presence and vivid colours to your August garden. Tom Brown recommends planting them after the last frost for optimal growth.
Other heat-loving plants that provide bright, cheery blooms throughout hot summers include pelargoniums, often called geraniums. These reliable plants are a favourite for summer garden colour, including August.
Ipomoeas prefer moist and well-drained soil and full sun, while Tithonia rotundifolia ‘Torch’ thrives in reasonable garden soil. Gladiolus 'Bimbo' produces cream, dusky pink, and apricot hued flowers and grows up to 1.5-2 meters in height. Galtonia candicans, a white flowering bulb, produces bell-shaped flowers and grows up to 50cm-1m in height.
For those seeking tall border plants, Vernonia arkansana 'Mammuth' offers dark-purple flowers and grows up to 1.5-2m in height. It thrives in full sun and tolerates good moisture retention during summer months.
For cut flowers, Helianthus debilis 'Vanilla Ice' is a multi-branched sunflower variety that grows up to 1-2 meters in height. Zinnia elegans 'Benary's Giant Wine' is a taller-stemmed zinnia with sultry mulberry-coloured flowers, originating from Mexico.
Lastly, Canna 'Erebus' is a water canna that grows up to 1-2m in height and can be grown in water margins or water-logged containers. It is also happy in fertile garden soil. The dahlia Dahlia 'Black Jack' offers strong architectural, glaucous foliage and large, rich cactus flowers of the darkest maroon.
Each of these August top picks brings a unique charm to your garden, ensuring a vibrant and colourful display throughout the summer months.
- Horticulturist Tom Brown suggests planting Tithonia rotundifolia ‘Torch’ and Ipomoea ‘Caprice’ after the last frost for optimal growth in August gardens.
- The tall Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifolia ‘Torch’, is ideal for mixed or exotic plantings, adding a strong presence and vivid colors to your August garden.
- Other heat-loving plants that provide bright, cheery blooms throughout hot summers include pelargoniums, often called geraniums, which are a favourite for summer garden color, including August.
- For cut flowers, Helianthus debilis 'Vanilla Ice' is a multi-branched sunflower variety that grows up to 1-2 meters in height and Zinnia elegans 'Benary's Giant Wine' is a taller-stemmed zinnia with sultry mulberry-colored flowers, both providing unique charm to your garden.
