Autumn flowering perennials
While foliage colour and berrying plants tend to be the mainstay of the autumn garden, there is an excellent range of autumn flowering perennials that can help keep your garden blooming right up until the first frosts. Some of the best are agastache plants with their tall, upright habit and fuzzy violet flower spikes and sedums, perennial succulents producing mases of star-shaped flowers in shades of reds, pinks, whites and yellows through summer and autumn. Asters are another excellent choice, particularly for informal cottage gardens with their daisy-like flowers in a range of bright and pastel colours, while blue lily turf has evergreen, arching ribbon-like foliage and upright flower spikes from August through November. Be sure to deadhead faded flowers to encourage a fresh flush of blooms lasting until the beginning of winter.