August is the hottest month of the year, but it doesn't always live up to its billing, so why rely on the weather when you can turn up the heat with clever planting? As early summer's subtle stars bow out, its time for brighter, bolder plants to rise like fireworks and fill the garden with spark and sizzle.
A good number of these dazzlers have their origins in the wide open prairies of North America or in the sun-baked South African veldt, but amongst them too are stream-side dwellers from New England and plants from the Drakensberg Mountains where moisture is plentiful and these are right at home in Scotland.
Even those from drier areas will flourish here if given the right conditions and in most cases that means well-drained soil, the sunniest spot available and, for the really tender species, winter protection either in a tray in a frost-free shed or under a thick mulch in the garden.
So don't hold back. Fill your garden with tall stems, spiky foliage and starburst blooms and let the show commence.
Helenium
The wonderfully-named Sneezewort, so called because native Americans would use it to make snuff, adds rich, rusty tones to the garden. It can reach as much as 1.3m and is best staked to prevent it from flopping.
Amongst the best varieties is 'Moerheim Beauty', which is a dark, copper-red and the more compact 'Ruby Tuesday' (0.75m), which is an even deeper red colour.
There are yellow varieties too including 'Riverton Beauty' which has a maroon disc at the centre of each flower.
All heleniums like sunshine and moist soil, so grow them where they won't dry out.
Dahlia
These Mexican natives are as exuberant as a mariachi band and equally as hard to ignore. Many have dark foliage and they can reach 1.5m, although there are also many dwarf varieties to choose from. The flowers range from daisy-like single blooms to pompons, cactus forms and some that resemble waterlilies. 'HS Romeo' is a beautiful single red; 'David Howard' has petals in orange and apricot and the 'Nuit d'Ete' is a cactus form in shades of bruised maroon.
Dahlias are hungry plants that need a weekly liquid feed in early summer, then a high-potash fertiliser until September. Once the tops have been blackened with frost, the tubers should be lifted, cleaned and stored until spring.
Rudbeckia
Perennial Black Eyed Susans such as Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii 'Goldsturm' are compact plants that add a bold splash of bright yellow to the garden. Like most prairie plants they grow best in a heavy but well-drained soil and they start to perform from mid-summer, but a new variety 'Early Bird' flowers from June until October.
More colour options are available if you grow half-hardy annual Rudbeckia hirta from seed. The brightest is 'Cherry Brandy', while 'Autumn Shades' is a mix of rusty tones. There's also 'Cappuccino' which is a rich, mahogany colour.
Crocosmia
There's so much more to this genus than run-of-the-mill montbretia. With in excess of 400 cultivars to choose from, there's a crocosmia for every garden and most are worth growing for their sword-like foliage as much as for their flowers.
"Lucifer", with its vibrant red flowers, is the best-known of the tall varieties and although the blooms don't persist for long, the seedheads that replace them are attractive and long-lasting. 'Emily McKenzie', a more compact form, is deep orange while 'George Davidson' has yellow blooms, but if you want to grow a true red then 'Hellfire' is the best of the bunch.
Kniphofia
Kniphofia uvaria, with its distinctive red and yellow flowers, is enjoying a resurgence in popularity. At 1.2m high, its confident presence is often used to great effect amongst tall grasses. It flowers in August, but to keep the show going plant it with Kniphofia rooperi, which is the big daddy of red hot pokers and which only really gets into its stride in September.
For a similar effect on a small scale, opt for 'Papaya Popsicle', which grows no higher than 0.35m, but which starts flowering in June and is still going in October.
In exposed sites, all kniphofia will do better for a thick mulch of dry leaves in winter.
Monarda
The large flowers of monarda are a rich source of nectar, which is why this North American native, with its tufted petals, is known as Bee Balm. Monarda didyma likes soil that doesn't dry out, and a sunny position, but will fail if it has to sit in wet, cold soil during the winter so add plenty of grit when planting. The best red forms are 'Gardenview Scarlet' and 'Cambridge Scarlet'.
Achillea
The flat heads of achillea, a cultivated form of yarrow, are a useful horizontal accent amongst the spikes and whorls of high summer. The colour palette stretches from white to red and includes many yellow and coral varieties. Achillea 'Summerwine' is a compact variety with crimson flowers that fade to buff pink. 'Coronation Gold' is a big, bold yellow and 'Terracotta', which forms large clumps that grow to more than 1m in height, has flowers the colour of sunbaked earth.
Echinacea
For hundreds of years the Great Plains Indians used this to treat a wide range of illnesses. Today new medicinal uses of the purple coneflower are still being discovered and meanwhile gardeners are finding fresh ways to grow it in the garden. Not all echinaceas are purple, although 'Magnus' is a classic, purple form. Flowers come in red, pink and green too but some of the best are the bright orange varieties. Look for names such as 'Hot Lava', 'Tiki Torch' and 'Tomato Soup'.
High Summer Hotspots
Around the country there are gardens that excel at growing flowers from the world's grasslands. Here are just some of them.
2 Durnamuck
Will Soos and Susan Pomeroy's garden, filled with restios and other South African natives, thrives in the face of salt-laden winds and high rainfall.
Little Loch Broom, Wester Ross IV23 2QZ
Open: 20 August and 9 September, 12 noon - 5pm
Geilston
The prairie borders planted several years ago in this NTS property are now a significant feature of this garden from mid summer onwards
Main Road, Cardross, Dumbarton G82 5HD
Open: daily
Cambo Estate
Plants from both steppe and prairie regions of the world have been used in bold swathes within Cambo's walled garden.
Kingsbarns, St Andrews, Fife KY16 8QD
Open: daily
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