Given £100 garden voucher for birthday - what 'different' things would you buy to plant now?

[BobFlowerdewAndChristineWalkdensLoveChild]

So, after some inspiration. As per the title, have £100 to spend in vouchers (Woohoo!). Yes, they don't expire for months, but also yes, I'm impatient and I love plant shopping 😁.
So, what should/could I buy now, to plant now? I really only want perennials or at least self seeders. In the South East, clay but have lots of organic material to dig in/non dig in, south facing, gets extreme heat/sun and suffers periods of drought (though have lots of water butts so don't mind watering where/when necessary). Have places of mid to deep shade too, and a small woody area and an orchard row that could have underplanting. All of the areas could take more plants so any suggestions good.

I've already got lots of the usual stuff that you would buy now: roses, hydrangeas, verbena, agapanthus, salvia, geraniums and dahlias. I've also got a lot of evergreens, hedging and trees, so I am really after different things to those staples, and different colours (and not necessarily in the flower, could be the leaves).

Any ideas? Anything different or a bit unusual? Or do I have to be patient and wait til autumn, for the bulbs? (Booo!)

I have a similar dilemma, but I have a spot for a small tree so am going to find something lovely and multistemmed to splurge on. Otherwise I would be going for something with water - maybe the makings of a mini pond (container + plants). Or a very lovely pot, or set of matching pots.

I would order spring bulbs now. It's too hot and dry to plant anything.

Me too! I've also been given a £100 voucher and don't know what to spend it on.

Geum (Avens) are beautiful perennials. There is all sorts of Echinacea, I've got a blueberry cheesecake😊 They like a sunny well drained spot. Achillia and coreopis like similar conditions. Enjoy your mooch round the garden center!

I'm toying with the idea of replacing some of my tools with really good quality ones.

Ha! I was going to amend my post to say not Echinacea (but couldn't for some reason) because I have tried it, more than once, and just cant make it stick. I imagine it's because of the clay and they rot off over winter. I do like them though.

Not a bad idea at all but I am lucky enough to already have good tools, and I have learnt how to look after them. Good shout though.

I got similar for a big birthday and I kept it til Christmastime and bought a huge Wicker Rudolph we call Derek who stands on the drive every December. He's ten this year and I bloody love him

And you, although you answered first, I have left til last, because....
YOU BLINKIN GENIUS!
I never considered a pond! But that is perfect, I've got room. That's it, I'm doing it.
Thank you!
(so excited, DH looking sceptical, he'll come round...)

White japanese anemone for the light shade. Not too small. You can’t beat anemone in August to late September.

Sedum eg autumn joy

I’ve had success in a very sunny border with lots of smaller clematis, which I’ve mainly used over spring flowering shrubs. It’s taken them 3 years or so to make a proper impact. I stick to the sorts that I can cut right back in late winter/spring eg the viticella.

I vote bird bath, and spring bulbs with the change.

You will have plenty of change left on your voucher @BobFlowerdewAndChristineWalkdensLoveChild but my recommendation is Lobelia pedunculata. I planted a small pot of it years ago in a new border (which has since turned into a shrubbery so I don't know if it's still in there) and it has naturalised in my grass. It's absolutely glorious just now, the little blue star like flowers spread far and wide, bringing much joy 😊

https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/84821/lobelia-pedunculata/details