What to plant now for colour that lasts into autumn
June has arrived, but it’s not too late to add a final flourish to your garden. Here’s what to plant now to keep the colour coming well into September.
June is the moment when everything steps up a gear in the garden. The days are long, the light is generous, and plants seem to grow a little faster each time you turn your back. After the steady warmth of late spring, borders are beginning to fill out and pots are starting to show promise—but there’s still plenty of time to add a few stars that will keep the show going well into September.
You don’t need to start from scratch or embark on a grand redesign. A few carefully chosen additions—potted up now or sown from seed—can help extend the season and keep borders, pots and patios looking fresh right into early autumn.
Dahlias are a strong place to start. If you didn’t get around to planting tubers in spring, it’s no problem—many local garden centres now offer well-established young plants ready to go straight into your beds or containers. These vibrant, sculptural blooms really come into their own in late summer, and with regular deadheading and a touch of tomato feed, they’ll keep going until the first frost. Just be mindful of slugs and snails, especially in our damper northern gardens—they’ll find young dahlia shoots irresistible.
Cosmos is another reliable late performer, ideal for filling gaps or adding height and movement to borders. If you’re quick, you can still sow cosmos from seed directly into the soil, but plug plants are widely available and will give you a head start. Their airy structure and soft colours pair well with grasses and other light-textured plants, and they thrive in full sun with very little fuss.
For a punch of golden cheer, rudbeckias are hard to beat. These are excellent doers in the North West climate, with bold daisy-like blooms that last for weeks on end. Whether you go for perennial varieties or annuals for a single season, they’re great value and adored by pollinators. Planted now, they’ll establish quickly and reward you with a strong late show.
Nasturtiums are another excellent choice for early June. They’re easy to grow from seed, even for complete beginners, and they’re brilliant for pots, raised beds or trailing from window boxes. Their peppery leaves and edible flowers add colour both to the garden and to your lunch, and they’ll thrive in poorer soil with minimal attention. They’re also a good decoy plant if you’re growing vegetables—aphids tend to prefer them to your prized lettuces.
And then there’s the snapdragon. Often underrated, these upright blooms are incredibly versatile and well-suited to our northern conditions. You’ll find them in every colour from soft pastels to vibrant reds and yellows, and they work equally well in cottage-style borders or more modern planting schemes. Plug plants can go in now and will reward you with flowers for months to come, especially if you keep on top of deadheading.
With a bit of forward thinking now, you’ll be glad you made the effort come August—when many early summer displays begin to fade and you’ll want something fresh to take their place. Whether you’re growing in a traditional plot, a row of tubs or a tiny terrace yard, planting for late-summer colour in June is one of the simplest ways to keep the season going strong.
And as every northern gardener knows, we’ve got to make the most of every week the sun decides to show its face.
