Gaps in your borders? It's not too late to plant some summer showstoppers

Long days and early summer bring wetter conditions than expected, but July can expose gaps in borders if planning is delayed. Summer is ideal for gardening in theory, yet it is often the worst time to plant because seedlings need reliable rainfall and consistently moist soil. When spring has been strong and little improvement is expected over summer, now is the time to fill gaps. Garden centers offer tempting flowering plants, but many require substantial energy and are commonly lost by overconfident growers. Perennial salvias can be planted now to provide ongoing color, support roses by helping manage blackspot, and continue flowering into November.

"We're on the brink of June: long days, start of summer, often wetter than people bargain for and time to act on the gaps that can appear in borders in July if we're not careful. It's awkward that summer is both the time most people think about gardening and the worst time to plant anything: you really want reliable rainfall and moist soil to get things off to a good start. But if you have had a spectacular spring and aren't expecting much to turn up over summer, now is the time to act."

"It's doubly tricky at this time of year because the garden centres are abundant with flowering things that look hugely inviting. Those flowering things, though, require a great deal of energy. During the summer months, while everything is getting its growth on, it's no wonder people complain that they are always killing their plants. Dahlias will give you dozens of show-stopping flowers until the first frosts"

"There are, however, some things you can plant now that will assist with that gap in July. Salvias are real doers in the garden: they're perennial, so they'll keep coming back, unlike the bedding plants that tend to take the limelight at this time of year. They're great bedfellows for roses, too, as the aromatic oils in their leaves help combat blackspot and hide those thorny stems. Fastforward to November and salvias will still be in flower"

Read at www.theguardian.com