Fall gardens can be spectacular with bold combination of jewel toned colors. The trick to designing your garden with perennial flowers is making sure you have something wonderful in bloom all the time. Each season has its fabulous divas, and fall blooming perennials have some of the best. But they do take some planning earlier in the gardening season. Two techniques need to be considered when planning your garden.
The first is easy. Select plants that have a late bloom period and that you are certain will bloom in our area before frost. A good garden center should have staff to help you with your choices.
Secondly, the fall bloomers can get very tall and leggy, growing foliage all summer. Once they bloom, they are often top heavy and fall over. To ensure your fall display is as glorious as it should be, you will either need to stake your fall bloomers earlier in the season or do some periodic pruning to make the plants stockier and more self-supporting. Keep in mind that if you prune your plants, you will be delaying the bloom period by a week or more.
Fall bloomers tend to blossom in the jewel tones of the season; deep purples, rusts, scarlet and gold. Here are my top picks for fall blooming perennial stars:
Aster Novi-Belgii (Michaelmas Daisy) – In shades of pink, purple, blue and white, these delicate daisy-like blossoms start popping open in late August and continue on until frost. Pinching them in the early summer turns these Asters into mounds with dozens of flower buds. Asters will tend to creep throughout your garden, but their airiness allows them to blend particularly well with other flowers.
Caryopteris (Blue Mist Shrub) – Caryopteris is a sub-shrub that is often grown in the perennial garden. Caryopteris slowly blossoms in August with dazzling blue flower clusters. Just try and keep the butterflies and bees away! Caryopteris is cut back in early spring, like a Buddleia, and the gray-green foliage is attractive all season.
Chelone (Turtlehead) – Nicknamed for their blossoms shaped like turtle’s heads, Chelone is a carefree fall blooming perennial whose only real dislike is excessive dry heat. Chelone behaves itself, growing in a dense clump with attractive foliage and red, pink or white blooms.
Chrysanthemum – There are many varieties of mums and not all of them are particularly hardy. The plants sold in the fall as “hardy mums’ should have been sold to us in the spring. However, we wouldn’t have had the patience to plant them and wait. Mums and pumpkins are the flag bearers of the fall. Try and get your potted mums in the ground as soon as possible. Keep them well watered and mulch once the ground freezes and you’ll stand your best chance of having truly hardy mums.
Eupatorium (Joe Pye Weed) – Joe Pye is one of those natives we take for granted because we see it growing by the side of the road. It does, however, make a wonderful backdrop for the garden in borders or against a fence or wall.
Helenium (Sneezeweed) – Helenium is making a resurgence in gardens. They look like small russet-toned coneflowers, in reds, yellows and oranges. Many Helenium can grow quite tall and will need to be staked or pinched. Like clematis, they like cool feet and hot heads. Helenium is also a good choice for poorly drained areas.
Helianthus (Perennial Sunflower) – Helianthus is a good natured and jolly plant, branching and flopping on its neighbors. The brilliant gold, fluffy, daisy-like flowers make and instant focal point and attracts butterflies and birds. Helianthus tend to be sterile and can be reproduced by division.
Heliopsis (False Sunflower) – Heliopsis is very similar to Helianthus. Heliopsis tends to begin blooming earlier in the season and stays on for 8 or more weeks. Newer varieties have been bred smaller and sturdier for less flopping.
Sedum (Stonecrop) – Sedum “Autumn Joy” comes as close to perfection as any plant can. It looks good all year, requires minimal attention and attracts few problems. Its only drawback is that it is not deer resistant. “Autumn Joy” has been joined in the garden by growing a number of fall wonders like “Bertram Anderson”, “Brilliant” and “Matrona”. No fall garden is complete without sedum.
Solidago (Goldenrod) – Goldenrod is finally getting the respect it deserves, especially with introductions like “Fireworks” and “Golden Fleece”. Unlike the native solidagos that spread everywhere and never stood up on their own, these newer varieties are sturdy and chock-full of fall blooms.
When you think about it, we gardeners are a bit like show-biz directors. We stage our big production numbers for the spring and mid-summer. There’s no reason at al that we can’t turn our fall gardens into a Busby Berkeley musical of rioting fall blooms!
The first is easy. Select plants that have a late bloom period and that you are certain will bloom in our area before frost. A good garden center should have staff to help you with your choices.
Secondly, the fall bloomers can get very tall and leggy, growing foliage all summer. Once they bloom, they are often top heavy and fall over. To ensure your fall display is as glorious as it should be, you will either need to stake your fall bloomers earlier in the season or do some periodic pruning to make the plants stockier and more self-supporting. Keep in mind that if you prune your plants, you will be delaying the bloom period by a week or more.
Fall bloomers tend to blossom in the jewel tones of the season; deep purples, rusts, scarlet and gold. Here are my top picks for fall blooming perennial stars:
Aster Novi-Belgii (Michaelmas Daisy) – In shades of pink, purple, blue and white, these delicate daisy-like blossoms start popping open in late August and continue on until frost. Pinching them in the early summer turns these Asters into mounds with dozens of flower buds. Asters will tend to creep throughout your garden, but their airiness allows them to blend particularly well with other flowers.
Caryopteris (Blue Mist Shrub) – Caryopteris is a sub-shrub that is often grown in the perennial garden. Caryopteris slowly blossoms in August with dazzling blue flower clusters. Just try and keep the butterflies and bees away! Caryopteris is cut back in early spring, like a Buddleia, and the gray-green foliage is attractive all season.
Chelone (Turtlehead) – Nicknamed for their blossoms shaped like turtle’s heads, Chelone is a carefree fall blooming perennial whose only real dislike is excessive dry heat. Chelone behaves itself, growing in a dense clump with attractive foliage and red, pink or white blooms.
Chrysanthemum – There are many varieties of mums and not all of them are particularly hardy. The plants sold in the fall as “hardy mums’ should have been sold to us in the spring. However, we wouldn’t have had the patience to plant them and wait. Mums and pumpkins are the flag bearers of the fall. Try and get your potted mums in the ground as soon as possible. Keep them well watered and mulch once the ground freezes and you’ll stand your best chance of having truly hardy mums.
Eupatorium (Joe Pye Weed) – Joe Pye is one of those natives we take for granted because we see it growing by the side of the road. It does, however, make a wonderful backdrop for the garden in borders or against a fence or wall.
Helenium (Sneezeweed) – Helenium is making a resurgence in gardens. They look like small russet-toned coneflowers, in reds, yellows and oranges. Many Helenium can grow quite tall and will need to be staked or pinched. Like clematis, they like cool feet and hot heads. Helenium is also a good choice for poorly drained areas.
Helianthus (Perennial Sunflower) – Helianthus is a good natured and jolly plant, branching and flopping on its neighbors. The brilliant gold, fluffy, daisy-like flowers make and instant focal point and attracts butterflies and birds. Helianthus tend to be sterile and can be reproduced by division.
Heliopsis (False Sunflower) – Heliopsis is very similar to Helianthus. Heliopsis tends to begin blooming earlier in the season and stays on for 8 or more weeks. Newer varieties have been bred smaller and sturdier for less flopping.
Sedum (Stonecrop) – Sedum “Autumn Joy” comes as close to perfection as any plant can. It looks good all year, requires minimal attention and attracts few problems. Its only drawback is that it is not deer resistant. “Autumn Joy” has been joined in the garden by growing a number of fall wonders like “Bertram Anderson”, “Brilliant” and “Matrona”. No fall garden is complete without sedum.
Solidago (Goldenrod) – Goldenrod is finally getting the respect it deserves, especially with introductions like “Fireworks” and “Golden Fleece”. Unlike the native solidagos that spread everywhere and never stood up on their own, these newer varieties are sturdy and chock-full of fall blooms.
When you think about it, we gardeners are a bit like show-biz directors. We stage our big production numbers for the spring and mid-summer. There’s no reason at al that we can’t turn our fall gardens into a Busby Berkeley musical of rioting fall blooms!
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