As many gardeners will now be thinking about emptying their patio pots of exhausted bedding plants, the gems of the late summer border come into their own.

In my own garden, nepeta (catmint) is in bloom again after a trim when it started looking straggly earlier in the summer, Sedum spectabile is producing large soft pink flowerheads above light green succulent leaves, while fiery crocosmias are providing structural interest with their sword-like leaves and bright red flowers.

Anyone who relishes September colour in their border should not be without rudbeckias, also known as black-eyed Susan, grown for their brightly coloured daisies with the big black cone in the centre in shades from burnt orange to vivid yellow.

Old fashioned rudbeckias grew lanky and required some staking, but more modern cultivars such as Goldsturm' are naturally bushy and self-supporting with a long flowering season, although they need regularly deadheading to flower better.

Heleniums also make a superb late-flowering contribution to the garden in shades of yellow, bronze, orange and red. They are good partners for sedums and asters, are good for cutting and attract bees and other beneficial insects.

For a splash of purple, go for Aster x frikartii Monch', whose daisy-like flowers have a yellow centre. For a more subtle show, grow Amaryllis belladonna, the scented bulb whose clusters of pink flowers open on stout stems in the autumn.

For the back of an informal border, lavatera (mallow) will flower its heart out well into the autumn, producing masses of showy, funnel-shaped flowers in colours from white, to pink and purple-pink. They thrive in sunny, herbaceous borders and look great in a traditional cottage garden.

Some annual lavateras are often grown as bedding plants, but if you want a more permanent fixture go for the tree mallow, L. olbia, which grows to 2m (6ft). Popular varieties include Rosea', with its mauve-pink flowers, and Barnsley', with pale pink flowers and a deeper pink eye.

I know that the humble chrysanthemum may not be the most popular plant among gardening trend-setters, but don't underestimate its worth because it can brighten up the whole scene when everything else is looking tired. A good, compact variety is Chrysanthemum Emperor of China, which grows to around 60cm (2ft) high and wide and produces giant flowers in two shades of pink which should flower throughout autumn. It is also hardy, so if you plant it in a well-prepared border in full sun you should be OK.

Another dazzling late-flowering giant is the red hot poker, Kniphofia Samuel's Sensation, which grows to 1.5m (5ft) and starts flowering at the end of summer through to autumn, producing scarlet poker flowers. Plant it in a hot, sunny spot in good drainage and cut out any blackened old foliage in spring. Don't forget too, that some ornamental grasses come into their own at the end of summer and in autumn.

Dwarf pampas grass, Cortaderia selloana Pumila, still stands a lofty 1.5m (5ft) tall and looks just like its larger relative, only you can use it as a big feature.

With a little thought, your borders can be awash with colour long after your bedding plants have faded.

GOOD ENOUGH TO EAT EndiveI know we can buy bags of assorted salad leaves all year round, but endive, closely related to chicory, is so much tastier and cheaper than the clinically-bagged versions. Its flavour is more distinctive than traditional lettuce and if you make successive monthly sowings you can be cutting it from September to February.

Sow seeds of broad-leaved types from July to September for late autumn and winter use, sowing thinly 13mm (0.5in) deep in rows 30cm (12in) apart.

Cover the seeds with a very fine layer of loose soil or starting mixture. Water lightly, and keep soil moist. Thin plants to 6in apart, in rows 18in apart.

Start blanching endive about 12 weeks after sowing, which will take away the bitterness. You do this by making sure the leaves are dry and loosely tying them together. Then cover with a black plastic pot with the drainage holes covered. The heads should be ready in around three weeks for summer crops.