Late summer perennial duo

This perennial duo of yellow and white late summer plants brings together the lightness of the white Gaura 'Whirling Butterflies' and the intensity of the yellow daisy-like flowers of Rudbeckia fulgida 'Goldsturm'. When planted together in a large border, these two varieties, which flower generously from July to October, have a stunning effect. They are also friends of bees and other pollinators. The combination of yellow and white is always successful: the white softens the strong and sunny character of the yellow.

The duo consists of:

1 x Gaura lindheimeri 'Whirling Butterflies': this variety forms a bushy clump of slender, 1m tall stems, with small lanceolate leaves. It flowers from July to October, with panicles about 30cm long, filled with small, ephemeral, white flowers with 4 petals opening in the evening. It is beautiful, simple and undemanding and its root system can withstand temperatures down to -15°C in well-drained soil.

1 x Rudbeckia fulgida 'Goldsturm': a 60cm tall, vigorous and bushy perennial plant adorned with lemon yellow, almost star-shaped flowers, similar to 12cm daisies. They bloom from July to October and even November in mild climates.

These perennials appreciate full sun exposure and well-drained soil, not too dry in summer to support their flowering. They are perfect for mass planting or large borders. Ideally, the shorter Rudbeckia should be placed at the front of the border while the Gaura should be placed in the background. Plant 2 plants per square metre and maintain a distance of 60cm between each plant.

The plants in this duo combine perfectly with medium-height ornamental grasses, especially Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Black Beauty' with its purple spikes in late summer and Stipa tenuifolia which forms a blonde mane. To enhance your composition, invite Sedum 'Herbstfreude' with its pink flowers in autumn. All these plants have similar soil and exposure requirements which minimises border maintenance.