Everyone wants to have a beautiful home with terrific curb appeal. While spring and summer hold their charms, don’t forget about fall! Shorter days and cooler temperatures don’t have to mean the time for flowers is done. Here are some excellent choices for fall flowers.
- Garden Mums- It’s hard to think about fall flowers without the versatile Garden Mum coming to mind. Mums have a profusion of blooms per plant, and they last for weeks. You get a lot of bang for your buck with Mums.
- Oakleaf Hydrangea- This North America native will give you four seasons of interest. While it has clusters of white blooms in the summer, its leaves can be a real show stopper when autumn rolls around. If it is planted in a sunny location with some afternoon shade, the Oakleaf Hydrangea will dazzle with leaves of burgundy, orange, yellow and brilliant red.
- Pansies- The simple pansy is a very versatile plant. There are hundreds of varieties. The humble Johnny-jump-up is one of our first spring volunteers, but thanks to the pansy’s ability to tolerate a little frost, they make an excellent choice for fall plantings as well.
- Caryopteris- Caryopteris are small woody shrubs whose flowers produce a pleasing scent. These lovely bluish-purple flowers thrive in sun to partial shade.
- Asters- The daisy-like aster is another good choice. You may spot deep purple asters dotting the country landscape come fall. Cultivated varieties come in a variety of colors like white, lavender, pink, purple and red.
- Goldenrod- Goldenrod gets a bum rap as an allergy trigger. That, however, is a bogus claim. Goldenrod provides a nice counterpoint to some of the deep purple flowers such as asters or as a complement to the autumn foliage. This golden flower is a perennial and will grow back year after year and will attract butterflies to your garden.
- Helenium- These tall, alluring flowers come in browns, yellows, and even mahogany. Their centers are usually yellow or brown. The flowers themselves are another that resemble a daisy. They’re fairly low maintenance perennial, so you can look forward to seeing them again the following year.
- Fountain Grass- Although technically not a flower, fountain grass provides some beautiful, soft variety in your landscaping. Fountain grass resembles its namesake with fuzzy plumes arching gracefully up, out and down. Available in white, red, pink and even purple, fountain grass will fit nicely into a wide range of landscape designs.
Enjoying the outdoors doesn’t have to end when autumn rolls around. The right plants and flowers can really pull a space together and make it into a place where you and your family want to spend time. So, make your outdoor space a place to enjoy this fall. Embrace fall in all its glory!
