Plant These 19 Fantastic Flowers In September Says Master Horticulturist Dan Ori
Reviewed By DAN ORI
Dan has over 27 years’ under his belt caring for plants and gardens. Working as a Horticultural Instructor and Consultant, he draws on a diverse range of experience that includes working as a Head Gardener, Tree Surgeon, Garden Centre Trouble Shooter, and writer of academic papers. Dan has a Level 3 Diploma in Horticulture and is currently a candidate for the RHS’s most prestigious award – The Master of Horticulture.
IN THIS GUIDE
- 1) Common Daisy
- 2) Crocus
- 3) Thomson’s Aster
- 4) California Poppy
- 5) Wild Daffodil
- 6) Common Chamomile
- 7) Hyacinth ‘Delft Blue’
- 8) Heart’s Ease
- 9) Sicilian Honey Garlic
- 10) Crown Daisy
- 11) Ludlow’s Tree Peony
- 12) Orpine
- 13) Common Marigold
- 14) False Bishop’s Weed
- 15) Love-In-A-Mist
- 16) Cornflower
- 17) Wishbone Flower
- 18) Garden Forget-Me-Not
- 19) Red-Hot Poker
The beginning of autumn is a great time for planting out spring-flowering bulbs before the first frosts arrive.
It is also a time when plants can be started out indoors for a head start in the following year’s growing season.
And with summer warmth often extending in September in recent years, planting out at this time can often be a great excuse to make the most of your garden in the relative warmth, before a colder climate sets in to close out the year.
The good news is that there are still many flowering plants you can introduce at this time of year – whether you are looking for immediate blooms or those that will arrive in the new year.
1) Common Daisy
- BOTANICAL NAME: Bellis perennis
- HARDINESS RATING: H7
- PLANT TYPE: perennial
- FLOWERS: white, pink and yellow
- FLOWERING SEASON(S): spring / summer
For a burst of white and pink blooms in the spring and autumn, September is a great time to plant your daisies.
Bellis perennis is a fully hardy, easy-to-grow perennial that looks best when planted with other wildflowers in a meadow garden scheme.
When planted out, they will require little to no maintenance, making them a great choice for gardeners with less time to tend to their flowers after planting.
2) Crocus
- BOTANICAL NAME: crocus
- HARDINESS RATING: H6
- PLANT TYPE: perennial bulb
- FLOWERS: varies
- FLOWERING SEASON(S): winter / spring
Crocus is a popular perennial bulb that can suit a variety of garden displays, such as rock or gravel gardens, beds or borders or container displays.
There are lots of varieties of crocus that are suitable for planting in September, but ‘Snow Bunting’ is definitely one of my favourites, as its milky-white flowers make for a beautiful display when they bloom in spring.
Make sure you plant your crocus bulbs in a spot where they will receive plenty of sun!
3) Thomson’s Aster
- BOTANICAL NAME: Aster thomsonii
- HARDINESS RATING: H6
- PLANT TYPE: perennial
- FLOWERS: blue and purple
- FLOWERING SEASON(S): summer / autumn
Thomson’s aster is a stunning cultivar that can be planted out in September from seeds sown in spring for immediate autumn flowering.
Once planted, it will produce beautiful purple or blue flowers with frilly, narrow petals and creamy pink centres on tall stems every summer.
Asters are a great plant for bees and other pollinators and would therefore make an excellent addition to a wildlife garden.
4) California Poppy
- BOTANICAL NAME: Eschscholzia californica
- HARDINESS RATING: H3
- PLANT TYPE: annual
- FLOWERS: orange, red and yellow
- FLOWERING SEASON(S): spring
Commonly grown as an annual here in the UK, the Californian poppy is often planted in spring, but will actually produce bigger, more impressive blooms when grown from September – although it might be trickier.
If sowing California poppies in the autumn, it is best to do so in pots indoors, as this is a frost-tender plant that might not grow well from seed if sown straight into the ground over winter.
However, if grown correctly, you will be rewarded with beautiful blooms come spring that will make the whole process worth the effort!
5) Wild Daffodil
- BOTANICAL NAME: Narcissus pseudonarcissus
- HARDINESS RATING: H6
- PLANT TYPE: perennial bulb
- FLOWERS: yellow
- FLOWERING SEASON(S): spring
Daffodils are popular spring-flowering bulbs that are ideal for planting in September.
You can grow daffodils in flower beds or containers and they work great when planted alongside other spring-flowering bulbs in a lasagne bulb scheme.
These perennials are easy to grow and ideal for novice gardeners or for those who prefer planting low-maintenance displays.
6) Common Chamomile
- BOTANICAL NAME: Anthemis nobilis
- HARDINESS RATING: H7
- PLANT TYPE: perennial herb
- FLOWERS: white and yellow
- FLOWERING SEASON(S): summer
Another plant that can also be sown in spring, chamomile is also suitable for autumn planting for flowers that will appear the following summer.
These daisy-like perennials look great in cottage garden displays or when used as ground cover in flower beds or borders.
7) Hyacinth ‘Delft Blue’
- BOTANICAL NAME: Hyacinthus orientalis ‘Delft Blue’
- HARDINESS RATING: H4
- PLANT TYPE: bulb / perennial
- FLOWERS: blue
- FLOWERING SEASON(S): spring
For winter blooms that can last well into late spring, ‘Delft Blue’ bulbs can be planted out directly into the ground in September.
These half-hardy perennials will need some help over winter, so I’d recommend placing a thin layer of mulch over the soil after planting.
Plant hyacinths in flower beds or borders or in container displays with other perennial bulbs.
8) Heart’s Ease
- BOTANICAL NAME: Viola tricolor
- HARDINESS RATING: H7
- PLANT TYPE: perennial / biennial
- FLOWERS: cream, purple and yellow
- FLOWERING SEASON(S): spring / summer / autumn
A garden favourite, ‘Heart’s Ease’ is great for autumn planting.
These plants are easy to care for and will look great in a variety of places in your garden displays.
I like planting my Violas in a small rock garden with other dainty perennials for a lovely burst of colour.
“If you are looking for a plant to grow in containers or hanging baskets that will transition you from summer into winter, there is no better plant than a Viola in my opinion,” says Master Horticulturist Dan Ori.
“Just keep pinching off any spent flowers and you will easily have blooms from September to March.”
9) Sicilian Honey Garlic
- BOTANICAL NAME: Nectaroscordum siculum
- HARDINESS RATING: H5
- PLANT TYPE: perennial bulb
- FLOWERS: cream, pink and green
- FLOWERING SEASON(S): summer
No doubt my favourite bulbous plant on this list, Sicilian Honey Garlic should be planted in September for flowers the following summer.
With beautiful bell-shaped flowers growing from tall stems in the summer that reach up to 1.5m in height, this is definitely a bulb worth planting in your garden.
Nectaroscordum siculum works well in a perennial border or meadow planting scheme as it is very low-maintenance and requires little care once planted out.
10) Crown Daisy
- BOTANICAL NAME: Chrysanthemum coronarium
- HARDINESS RATING: H3
- PLANT TYPE: annual
- FLOWERS: yellow
- FLOWERING SEASON(S): spring / summer
Crown Daisy is a unique annual that is usually planted in September for blooms in the spring and summer months.
To guarantee its survival over the winter months I would advise growing it indoors until the following spring.
It produces lovely daisy-like flowers that usually come in shades of yellow and the stems they grow from can reach up to 1m in height.
Suitable for a range of garden displays, make sure that you plant this flower in a site where it will receive lots of sun.
11) Ludlow’s Tree Peony
- BOTANICAL NAME: Paeonia ludlowii
- HARDINESS RATING: H6
- PLANT TYPE: shrub
- FLOWERS: yellow
- FLOWERING SEASON(S): spring
Ludlow’s Tree Peony is a medium-sized shrub that produces frilly yellow flowers in the spring.
Best planted in September, this shrub looks great in flower beds and borders and can be used to underplant larger shrubs for a bushy finish.
The lovely sunny flowers can also be harvested and used for cut flower displays in your home.
12) Orpine
- BOTANICAL NAME: Sedum telephium
- HARDINESS RATING: H7
- PLANT TYPE: perennial
- FLOWERS: pink
- FLOWERING SEASON(S): summer / autumn
Producing flowers the following summer that last until the first frosts in autumn, Sedum telephium, also known as ‘Orpine’, should be planted in September in a site that receives a lot of sun.
This plant is extremely easy to grow and can be used in a variety of garden schemes, but I think it works best in flower beds with other flowering perennial plants.
13) Common Marigold
- BOTANICAL NAME: Calendula officinalis
- HARDINESS RATING: H5
- PLANT TYPE: annual / biennial
- FLOWERS: orange
- FLOWERING SEASON(S): summer / autumn
Grown as an annual or biennial, the common marigold bears beautiful orange flowers that resemble daisies.
Like many of the plants on this list, when planted in September, it will produce flowers the following summer and autumn.
Marigolds look great when planted in container displays with other annuals and are commonly used as a trap companion plant.
14) False Bishop’s Weed
- BOTANICAL NAME: Ammi majus
- HARDINESS RATING: H6
- PLANT TYPE: annual
- FLOWERS: white
- FLOWERING SEASON(S): summer
Ammi majus, or ‘False Bishop’s Weed’, is commonplace in many UK gardens, which is no doubt in part thanks to the ease of its cultivation.
When sown in September, Ammi majus will flower the following June, producing beautiful umbels of creamy-white flowers.
15) Love-In-A-Mist
- BOTANICAL NAME: Nigella damascena
- HARDINESS RATING: H3
- PLANT TYPE: annual
- FLOWERS: blue
- FLOWERING SEASON(S): summer
A frost-tender annual, ‘Love-In-A-Mist’ can be planted in September but will need to be cared for carefully so as to avoid damage to the seedlings during the cooler months of the year.
However, I think the wonderful frilly blue flowers are worth the effort, as you will be rewarded with lots of fascinating-looking flowers in the summertime.
16) Cornflower
- BOTANICAL NAME: Centaurea cyanus
- HARDINESS RATING: H6
- PLANT TYPE: annual
- FLOWERS: blue
- FLOWERING SEASON(S): spring / summer
Another blue-flowering annual, Cornflowers are best planted in autumn for flowers that last from spring well into summer.
Make sure that the spot you choose for planting gets plenty of sun, as Cornflowers don’t grow as well in the shade.
Great for wildflower meadows and herbaceous borders, the flowers and their long stems can also be cut and used for indoor displays.
17) Wishbone Flower
- BOTANICAL NAME: Torenia fournieri
- HARDINESS RATING: H7
- PLANT TYPE: annual
- FLOWERS: purple, yellow, pink and white
- FLOWERING SEASON(S): spring / summer / autumn
Wishbone Flowers are unique annuals that flower from spring through to autumn when planted out in September.
Their trumpet-shaped blooms are often curled at the edges, which stand out against their light green foliage.
They are great for bees and butterflies and come in a range of colours from dark purples to pure white.
18) Garden Forget-Me-Not
- BOTANICAL NAME: Myosotis sylvatica
- HARDINESS RATING: H6
- PLANT TYPE: perennial
- FLOWERS: spring / summer
- FLOWERING SEASON(S): blue
A cottage garden classic, Forget-Me-Nots are perennials that are planted in September for tiny flowers that appear as soon as spring.
The beautiful star-shaped blue blooms grow in masses and bring a lovely colour to garden displays.
This perennial is also beloved by pollinators – so why not give it a try if you’re looking for an easy-to-care-for plant that will help the wildlife in your area?
19) Red-Hot Poker
- BOTANICAL NAME: Kniphofia uvaria
- HARDINESS RATING: H5
- PLANT TYPE: perennial
- FLOWERS: orange and red
- FLOWERING SEASON(S): summer / autumn
To finish this list I had to pick one of the most dramatic flowering perennials.
Kniphofia uvaria, more commonly referred to as the ‘Red Hot Poker Plant’, can be planted in autumn in full sun for long-lasting, odd-shaped blooms that start the following summer.
If you’re looking for a plant that will add a serious amount of colour to your displays, then this is most definitely the one for you.
