What to plant in my pots in September?

[traceybeaker]

I have several pots waiting to be filled.
What shall I plant, I would like a bit of colour please.

All suggestions welcome.

[cyb]

Well I usually go the pansy route but they seem a little leggy to me

Dont like cyclamen

So I'll see if anyone helpful comes along too!

[ComeIntoTheGardenMaud]

Are you thinking of something permanent - a shrub, maybe - or bulbs and bedding?

My current obsession is tulips, so I would suggest tulips in a zingy colour and with some winter bedding to fill the gaps. I like bold colours in winter so would go for (say) dark purple tulips and orange violas but you may prefer something more sedate!

Daffodils are good in pots (and also combine well with violas) and there are other suggestions from the RHS here. The RHS also has general advice on bulbs in pots

Cyb - If you give the pansies a short back and sides every so often it should stop them getting so leggy. Another method to stop them getting leggy is to bury them under an inch or so of compost - each stem then roots and becomes a separate plant.

[cyb]

Do you mean bury the whole plant? or just more of the stem?

[traceybeaker]

tulips and daffs when do they flower.

I want colour NOW!!!!!! LOL

[stripeybump]

Watching as have literally no clue about gardening but got a half-barrel thing to stick out the front of my house so need to put something in it.

[ComeIntoTheGardenMaud]

Cyb - Sorry, that could have been clearer. Sieve some compost over the plant until the surface has been raised by about an inch but the rest of the plant is still visible.

Tracey - Tulips and daffodils flower from February onwards. Colour now is more tricky because summer stuff is mostly over but winter stuff isn't yet in flower. If you want flowers, head down to the garden centre and see if they have any canna or chrysanthemums in flower. Otherwise, you could get some colour from shrubs.

Look for

Cotinus coggygria Royal Purple

Cercis candensis Forest Pansy (a small tree, so you'd need a hefty pot)

Choisya Aztec Pearl

Photinia Red Robin

Pieris Forest Flame

(Sorry, the first version of this post with links to the plants got eaten by MN and I don't have time to redo them, but if you google you'll find links to lots of gardening sites).

[traceybeaker]

Thanks for the tips.

[sukima]

my sedum autumn joy is just coming into flower.

also plenty of buds about to open on hibiscus plants in large pots

and my verbena bonesiaris (sp!) has been in flower since early summer and is still in full bloom!

you could also plant some autumn crocus that will flower in about ten weeks (i think it is still time enough to plant but better check!)

[MurielTheActor]

I just planted miniature chrysanthemums in pots - very bushy and lots of flowers.
Also dwarf rose shrubs will flower for a while yet.
And there's always heather.