Stems and stalks of perennials like sedum, coneflower and phlox look wonderful growing through drifts of snow, but let’s face it, they’ve served their purpose, and as the world around them starts to turn green, their unsightly brown clumps should be chopped to the ground. Also remove the dead leaves of coral bells, hostas, barrenwort and hellebores (all but H. argutifolius and H. foetidus), and cut back ornamental grasses to within 10 to 12 centimetres of the ground.

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How and when did we start thinking that back-to-school time signals the change in seasons from summer to fall? Technically, summer is with us until September 22, so there’s a whole lotta summer left to enjoy. If you’re one of the many who think that June is the peak of the gardening season, listen up and start making a list of plants to extend the season. Here’s what you can look forward to seeing in the late summer garden.

Pre-Fall Perennials
For weeks in August I watch the plump buds of Japanese anemones swell and colour before unfurling to reveal their elegant petals. Plant nothing more than these for the late summer garden and you’ll be happy. The China pink blossoms of ‘September Charm’ will indeed charm your sox off, and the pure white ‘Honorine Jobert’ is one of my favourites to brighten a shady woodland. Growing anywhere from 60 to 120 centimetres tall, these perennials prefer anything but blazing sun which tends to scorch their foliage and make the colours of the flowers look wishy-washy.

Another gift to the late summer garden is Chelone or turtlehead plant. Rosy pink flowers (look for the native one too, which has white flowers) poke up above the foliage like a turtle peaking out of its shell. Give this perennial moist soil and shade to part shade and it will clump up generously over time.

For sunny spots, there’s a host of plants that start blooming in early to mid-August, but continue to look great into September. Coneflowers have become stalwarts of the late summer garden, and many new cultivars are becoming available at the nurseries. Look for Orange and Mango Meadowbrite, the Rocky Top hybrids and ‘Ruby Giant’. Rudbeckia (black-eyed Susan), Sedum (there’s more than ‘Autumn Joy’ – try the mahogany coloured ‘Bertram Anderson’, ‘Matrona’ or ‘Cloud Walker’), Stokes aster (Stokesia), and of course, ornamental grasses (take your pick – they all shine from late summer through winter).

Johnny-Come-Lately Annuals
By the end of the summer, many annuals are looking a bit past their prime, but not so Verbena bonariensis (contrary to the literal translation of the name, it’s anything but “good for nothing”). Tall, airy and majestic, this verbena bears little resemblance to its window box cousin. Tiny purple-mauve pincushion flowers wave in the sunshine, creating a see-through garden “scrim”.

Moonflowers. It takes the full summer for these annual vines to get up the energy to produce their stunning, silken white flowers, but it’s well worth the wait. The spiraled flowerbuds unfold into large fragrant moons of flowers that invite you to stop a while and enjoy the late summer evening.

End of Summer Shrubs & Vines
I was smitten by my first Caryopteris the moment I saw it in a flower arrangement in the Library of the Toronto Botanical Garden. From then on, it’s held pride of place in my late summer garden. This low-growing shrub (also called bluebeard) features clear, deep blue flowers that I love to see blooming against the golden leaves of my favourite, ‘Worcester Gold’. But there are many other worthy cultivars to select, including ‘Blue Mist’ and ‘Longwood Blue’. Any of these looks great growing alongside another shrubby plant, Perovskia or Russian sage. Looking like an out-of-control lavender, this misty mauve sub-shrub releases a pungent fragrance when you brush past it – bliss.

I don’t know where in the universe sweet autumn clematis starts to grow in the fall, but in my garden, it’s getting ready to show off its starry, creamy-white flowers just about now. A vigorous vine, Clematis terniflora, as its known in the nurseries, will cover a chain link fence, or gracefully amble over an arbour or pergola. This is a must-have vine for the late summer garden.

So, instead of saying goodbye to the summer, start saying hello to three more weeks of late summer beauty in the garden.