Plant now for late summer flowering?

skankinpickle

Hi. Finally managed to clear out a rockery of all the weeds and tough grass.

Just wondering if there is anything I can plant now that will flower in late summer. I know it is already June (but I am in North West England and I guess the weather has been more like late April).

I guess plants do not know the exact months of the year and will react to the climate within reason-

Seems pretty decent soil in the rockery and I have also added to it with some leaf compost and hand raked it all in. It is about 4 inch deep in the middle.

Rockery is raised like on top of tool storage area and would be in full sun (when if the sun ever comes out).

Thanks.

Fairygirl

Do you have a photo? It helps if we can see the kind of area you're talking about. 
Most rockeries require smaller plants, suited to specific conditions,  but it sounds as if this isn't what you have - it sounds more like a green roof.
Those are usually planted with saxifrages and small alpines which can cope with shallow soil, and periods of dry conditions, and a very light growing medium so that excess water drains well. 

skankinpickle

I should have added something that is easy to grow and does not require much or any ongoing attention as I am doing this particular ´project´ for someone that is no longer able to attend to their garden area and I will only be able to attend to it on sparse occasions.

I had a quick search for saxifrages (rockfoils?) The info says they flower spring to early summer so I presume not much chance of an August-September bloom. Additionally the info I read said they might take 2-3 years to bloom.

So I do not know . . . It says there are different varieties so maybe not all the same. Any recommendations?

Busy-Lizzie

Alpine sedums flower later than most alpine plants, from summer to autumn. Also Erigeron Karvenskianos flowers until the frosts.

Fairygirl

You need to let us see the site. It isn't clear from your description.

skankinpickle

Fairygirl said:

You need to let us see the site. It isn't clear from your description.

Well it's just a load of now loose soil dug up and hand raked in a rectangular shape (approx 1.8m by 1m) with stones as a border - and I have several large stones (rocks) to put into the soil to create the rockery again.

Hard plastic sheet underneath it all to help with the drainage I presume.

It seems to be about 4 inches deep as I discovered when digging the roots out . .

I could do with adding some top soil to it to make up for the soil I took out with all the hard grass and weeds that had been left to take over for a number of years.

Any recommendations of where to get that? Is top soil the same as compost? As they did not appear to sell it on the B and Q site.

The  area gets no shade (apart from the 300+ days a year of cloud, lol).

It is raining as I type this. So as I said in my original message it's more like April - so presume there is a bit of leeway if something says "sow or plant from Feb-May" that now in what is datewise June 11th I should still be okay to plant within reason.

I actually just bought - "20 x Ixia Mixed- ixia corn lily. Plant grown from cultivated stock".

Purely because it said plant Jan-May for August bloom - see below. But not sure how that is going to work out.

---

About this item

WHEN TO PLANT: – Plant between January to May and flowers will Bloom July to August. HEIGHT 30-45cm. Create a breath taking landscape with colourful and free flowering display of Ixia mixed. This kind of cultivation is relaxed and stress-free for both gardening experts and beginners

Plant or animal product type	Wand Flower, Stock
Brand	Schone
Expected blooming period	Spring
Sunlight exposure	Full Sun, Partial Shade
Unit count	1.0 count
Expected plant height	30 Centimetres

Just to reiterate I am on ´holiday´where I am now so trying to get this done as a favour during the next couple of days whilst I am here. I probably wont be back until late August September time. Hence the rush to kind of plant something and hope . .

I have my own gardening issues back home (some similar, haha).

Fairygirl

So it's just a small border with some rocks? I just didn't understand how it could be on top of a tool storage area. 
Planting those now is highly unlikely to give you flowers that quickly. They aren't hardy, so they need grown undercover through winter - [certainly in your location] then planted out in May/June after frosts are over.
In frost free areas of the country, they can be outside if the conditions/site are suitable.
 
Some of the small Campanulas might be fine, although some can be quite thuggish so you have to be careful with choices. Dianthus, as long as the soil isn't too acidic. Gentians- some are later flowering - into autumn.
The dwarf hardy geraniums are also good - they make small clumps of around ten to twelve inches. There are small hostas too.