Nurserymen's favourite: September

Bidens aurea ‘Hannay’s Lemon Drop’

Thirty years ago one of the best places to find great plants was Hannays of Bath. Sadly the nursery is long gone but lots of the plants that I first found there are still growing strong. This selection has much darker flowers than the species and each petal is tipped with white. It has a sunny cheerfulness about it that harks back to high summer. Don’t let anyone persuade you that this plant isn’t a thug: it is, and – unchecked – will spread through the whole garden. Keeping it under control is easy, just make sure that every year you dig out the pieces you don’t want.

HEIGHT/SPREAD 2m x 1m.
ORIGINS Introduced by Hannays of Bath.
CONDITIONS Any soil in full sun or part shade.
SEASON Flowers August to October

To see eight more plants that peak as summer draws to a close, chosen by John Hoyland, buy the September issue of GARDENS ILLUSTRATED (Issue 177) available 26 August.

Photograph by Rachel Warne