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For the past several seasons, this Seattle-area garden designer has decided to slowly replace her water and labor-intensive annual and tender perennial beds with hearty, foliage-oriented perennials. Now several years old, the beds have matured and filled in nicely, and provide low-maintenance, year-round interest. In the fall, yellow, golden orange, and red hues take the place of showy flowers, while dramatic shapes keep the eye moving left, right, up, and down.
We often think of the leaves falling from the trees in our backyard when the weather becomes chilly and crisp. The summer’s heat-loving vegetation, drought-tolerant roots, and humidity-loving blooms are long gone. Plants that thrive in lower temperatures and less sunshine flourish in the fall, giving excitement to the scene with their blossoms and leaves. It’s time to focus on developing your green thumb and getting your hands dirty. Any flower with a genetic component to autumn blooming or a lengthy bloom time that lasts throughout the fall is a good option for a fall garden. The following eight plants are ideal for the fall garden.
Marigold
Since they bloom far into the autumn while most other annuals are finished blooming, marigolds provide a punch of color to containers. French and African marigolds have a variety of colorful blossoms to offer. These annuals are wasteful, giving our summer and fall gardens an abundance of copper, gold, and brass. Marigolds are employed in numerous rites and festivities in India, giving them various symbolic connotations. A marigold-filled lawn is an excellent option for a fall garden since many festivals take place in the autumn.
Plant Mums (Chrysanthemum morifolium)
The potted gardening daisies that are so attractive for autumn decorations are often pushed toward late bloom by commercial producers. Your planted mums from spring transplants will likely bloom in the middle to end of the summer. Despite being perennial plants, mums are often grown as annuals, and their flowering season ends with the first frost in the late autumn. Some color choices are yellow, purple, maroon, lavender, white, and coppery orange. They grow best on wet, well-drained soil and get plenty of sunshine.
Asters
Asters are a staple of the autumn garden, and their indigo or blue flowers may thrive just as well in a container garden throughout the season. The majority of kinds are best suited to enormous pots since they may grow to be very tall. They thrived in pots grown into rich soil and kept moist but not soggy. They like bright sunshine. When blooming is over, cut the stems down and preserve the potted plants inside a cold frame or greenhouses.
Pansies
When the temperature has cooled down, pansies, a traditional cool-season annual that typically blooms in the early spring garden, may also be planted in the autumn. Pansies do not perform well during the sweltering midsummer months. They need wet soil to grow in pots or hanging baskets, so water them often. They often come in solid colors and bi-colors with darker cores; they also exist in different blue and purple tints and orange, rose, maroon, white, and yellow.
Cosmos
The greatest seasons to observe cosmos blooms are summer and autumn. Their daisy-like flowers come in various hues, including pink, red, yellow, chocolate brown, gold, and orange. They also attract pollinators to them. Cosmos don’t need the soil to be prepared. In fact, while rich soil favors foliage over blooms, they prefer ground that isn’t very rich. These magnificent plants have a maximum height of 6 feet. Cosmos grow well in gardens and pots, making lovely cut flowers. These colorful blossoms are perfect for designing your dream fall and autumnal landscape.
Black-eyed Susans
Native to North America, black eyed Susan is among the most widely cultivated wildflowers. This daisy-like flower, also known as a rudbeckia, blooms from June through September, startling onlookers with its golden-yellow splendor as they cover broad fields. The plants may reach heights of over 3 feet, with leaves that are 6 inches long, stalks that are over inches in length, and blooms that are 2 to 3 inches in diameter. They make excellent cut flowers and work nicely in pots or borders. Because the flowers provide nectar, bees, butterflies, and other creatures are drawn to them.
Petunias
In warm climates, petunias may be grown as annuals over the winter. To enjoy them in autumn and winter, grow them in your garden. The blooms bloom from spring till frost and come in various hues and designs. The spread’s breadth may vary from 18 inches to 4 feet. Regular watering and maximum sunshine exposure are required for petunias to generate several blooms.
While petunias may thrive in a shady environment, the entire light produces a more vivid and abundant color. Before planting petunias, the soil should be amended with well-composted organic materials.
In the end, What plants will you choose to create a beautiful autumn garden once we’ve given recommendations for September through November?
