Fortunately at this time of year we can brighten up damaged areas, or even pot some colour by adding the brightness of blue.

True blue is a rarity as most blues in the garden tend to be purplish or mauve - a good example of this are the tibouchinas, which flower during autumn bearing bright purple blooms.

The smallest growing of the tibouchinas is Jules, which is low growing and slightly spreading producing masses of flowers.

Lavenders also provide many shades for the garden from white to pink to mauves and purples - the strongest colour being Lavendular angustifolia or English lavender, which is flowering now - its silver foliage makes a great contrast for the depth of colour in the flowers.

Autumn is the ideal season for planting blue flowers, the range available includes viola, polyanthus, lobelia and cornflower.

Pansies are an excellent example of the bluecolour confusion - dark blue varieties are really quite purple while many lighter shades are in fact lavender.

One of the most rewarding blue annuals is salvia - it is tall and vibrant, looking brilliant with a border of yellow African queen marigolds.

Another great combination of yellow and blue is the planting of yellow daffodils with a border of blue muscari, both of which need to be planted by the end of this month.

Many of the most prolific ground covers are blue - if available in seedling punnets it is an extremely economical way to fill garden beds.