For gardeners, the blooms that typify the period running up to the equinox are the asters, a broad collection of daisy relatives which are just right for creating a mass of colour as the nights ...

While Europe freezes, in Britain gardens will always have something in bloom. The earliest chrysanthemums flower July, but the latest look pretty in December.

The very same flower shape can be seen in many of the other brilliantly colourful stalwarts of the autumn flower garden; fiery heleniums, sulphurous-yellow coreopsis, golden rudbeckias, burnt-pink ...

I f you have a border that can be seen from the house, or a compact garden that’s visible from every window, you’ll want it to delight you with its blooms for as much of the year as possible ...