MY delphiniums and lupins are long gone, my roses are fading and the giantflowered hybrid clematis are past their best, but my perennial borders remain a riot of colour thanks to a few well-chosen gems.

Late summer can be a time when colour is at its hottest, when blazing crocosmia, burnt orange helenium, bright yellow rudbeckias, acid green euphorbias and an array of other plants come into their own.

Exotic orange ginger lilies (Hedychium), which release a great scent, clash with vibrant red Dahlia ‘Bishop of Llandaff’ or its relative D ‘Tally Ho’, with its hot, deep orange flowers.

If you prefer pastel shades, plant sun-loving cone flowers (Echinacea) in shades of pink and white for a cooler, more subtle scene. The daisy-like flowers and height (they can grow to 5ft tall) mean they work well towards the back of the border, attracting bees and butterflies and adding impact alongside globe thistle (Echinops) and monarda.

If you thought hard before summer started and were wise enough to plant some nasturtium seeds in your hanging baskets and patio pots, they should be now showing their true colours in a hot array of orange and yellow.

Clumps of bulbs are particularly useful in extending the season. Spikes of crocosmia will add architectural interest to the late summer border, their upright, spiky leaves with elegant sprays of orange-red flowers brightening the scene.

Many warm yellow herbaceous perennials look fantastic in mass plantings, such as the long-lasting Rudbeckia fulgida ‘Goldsturm’ and late season heliopsis.

Bronze or burgundy leaves look fantastic mixed with the hotcoloured border. Place shrubs with red-purple foliage, such as Berberis thunbergii f.

atropurpurea, behind red or orange plants. The burgundy leaves of heucheras also make a wonderful foil at the front of the border, as their more vibrant companions show off from behind.

Other good choices include the herbaceous perennial Lysimachia ciliata ‘Firecracker’, a moistureloving bronze-leaved plant with brilliant yellow flowers.

Use drifts of perennial border phloxes in the middle of borders to provide intense pools of summer colour. Herbaceous potentillas or small asters can be planted in front to hide the bare phlox stems. Phloxes are ideal follow-on plants for poppies and shouldn’t need staking except in windy gardens.