Bring lasting colour to your garden this August

While some summer flowers begin to fade, August can still be bursting with vibrant colour. Whether you’re refreshing a tired border or want to extend the flowering season, these late-summer stars will keep your garden buzzing with life.

Here are our top plant picks for August colour — and if you haven’t already, don’t miss our full August Garden Jobs guide for more seasonal tips.

🌻 1. Rudbeckia (Black-eyed Susan)

These cheerful yellow blooms light up beds and borders right through to autumn. They’re hardy, low-maintenance, and great for pollinators.

🌿 Varieties to try: Rudbeckia fulgida ‘Goldsturm’
🔗 RHS: Rudbeckia profile

🟣 2. Sedum (Stonecrop)

A fantastic structural perennial with succulent leaves and clusters of pink or deep red flowers that bees love. Looks great mixed with grasses.

🌿 Cut back in spring and it’ll return reliably year after year.

🟠 3. Crocosmia (Montbretia)

Arching stems of fiery orange or red flowers make this a standout in late summer. Great at the back of borders or in cottage-style gardens.

🌿 ‘Lucifer’ is one of the most popular varieties.

💜 4. Echinacea (Coneflower)

A real butterfly magnet, Echinacea brings bold pink, purple, or white tones to the summer garden and pairs beautifully with grasses or salvia.

💙 5. Caryopteris (Bluebeard)

A lesser-known shrub that provides a pop of blue in late summer. Its aromatic foliage and long flowering period make it ideal for low-maintenance borders.

🌿 Bonus Picks for Containers or Shady Spots:

Heuchera – colourful foliage that lasts all year
Fuchsia – reliable summer colour, especially in shade
Japanese Anemone – flowers from late August into autumn

📍 Local Tip for Norwich Gardeners

Most of these plants thrive in our East Anglian climate and are ideal for beds, borders, and containers. August is still a great time to plant perennials — just water well in dry spells and mulch afterwards to retain moisture. For more advice on keeping your garden vibrant year-round, visit our Planting & Plant Care hub.