No summer garden is complete without Agapanthus. The blue varieties are perfect with dark red Dahlias,  brown Heleniums, yellow or red Hemerocallis, and all manner of Kniphofias. I plant white varieties with silver Artemisias.

Agapanthus in containers are also a must for summer. Plant them in tubs or large pots.  Their bold architectural heads of flowers make a perfect backdrop for Pelargoniums.  After flowering Agapanthus seedheads, first bright green, later turning brown, continue to provide invaluable bold graphic shapes into the late autumn.