What to plant in September

Four to plant in September

Bulbs and perennials that want to go in while there is still warmth in the ground.

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  Scent

  Narcissus 'Thalia'

  Narcissus triandrus

  Two or three nodding white flowers per stem, gently scented and far more elegant than a standard daffodil. Plant in generous drifts now, at three times the bulb's depth.

• 
  Statement

  Allium 'Purple Sensation'

  Allium hollandicum

  Tennis-ball heads of magenta floating above next May's border — pure architecture. Plant in drifts of nine or more, never in a tidy line.

• 
  Bee favourite

  Aster 'Little Carlow'

  Symphyotrichum cordifolium

  A haze of lavender-blue daisies in October, humming with late bees when little else is open. Mildew-resistant, unlike most of its relatives.

• 
  Statement

  Nerine

  Nerine bowdenii

  Shocking pink spider-flowers on bare stems in late autumn. Plant the bulbs with their noses above the soil at the hottest, driest foot of a south-facing wall.

Garden ideas to nick this month

• 

  Two spades, back to back

  Divide anything congested

  If a clump flowered poorly this year with a bare middle, lift it and split it. Keep the young outer growth, compost the woody centre — and you have three plants where you had one tired one.

• 

  Buy early, plant late

  Order tulips now, plant in November

  The good tulips sell out by early October, but planting them into warm soil invites tulip fire. Buy this month, keep the bulbs somewhere cool and dark, and plant once it turns properly cold.

A garden to visit

The Beth Chatto Gardens, Essex

The Gravel Garden, never watered

Not a drop of irrigation since it was made, and in September it still looks composed — proof that the right plant in the right place beats any amount of effort in the wrong one.