Peter Dowdall: Echinacea and verbena are stars of the show this autumn

Echinacea 'White Swan' is adored by butterflies and bees and makes a great late-summer accompaniment to verbenas. Picture: iStock

Late summer and early autumn highlight the real stars of the garden. Those treasures that are still giving their best. Over the last number of years, I have fallen deeply in love with all the verbenas and many of the echinaceas.

Sometimes referred to as nature’s immune booster, echinacea, commonly known as the coneflower, is a perennial herb native to North America. It is adored for its vibrant, daisy-like flowers that come in various different shades.