I like the color of this little guy, but when I bought it, it was to extend my season, which it does consistently. A good year for me, I'll see the first bloom around August 10, and it will bloom for 4 or 5 weeks, finishing well into September. I love it when VL's can make it to September for me.
I don't know if it's just me, but it seems to get grumpy the year after a move. For me, once it skipped the next year, and once it ho-hummed a couple really late scapes at the start of September. Both times, recovering to typical the second year.
I don't spend enough time planning which plants really look good together, but I have this in front of Thank You Dad and next to Sedum Autumn Joy. The few weeks their bloom periods cross each other, I really like that late summer combination.
Hanging in there on a rainy day with the Sedum picking up steam behind
With a little bit of blurry Thank You Dad color behind it
Showing upper scapes and buds a little better.