Mix annuals with late-blooming shrubs and perennials for colorful fall flower borders.
Try to fall flowers in cool shades
Gardening season may be over, but that doesn't mean your borders are over. When you grow long-lasting annuals with late-blooming shrubs and perennials, the color and interest will continue until frost—even if you leave the foliage and seed well into winter.
Fall border palettes are often filled with warm jewel-toned hues — oranges, reds, purples and burgundy — full of deep, moody shades. But the combinations here have a softer feel. Pale shades like peach, lavender, cream and silvery gray green will brighten up the shorter days and give your patio or sitting area a soft ambiance. Let's take a closer look.
Peaches & Cream
When you're in the market for plants that can tolerate hot, dry summers and still look great, this group is just what you need. Zinnia and St. John's Wort will benefit from a little extra water in the hot part of summer, but are drought tolerant once they are established.
Blooms begin to fade toward the end of the growing season, but if you've killed zinnias and salvias, they'll still have plenty of new blooms that will keep the garden colorful until frost. There's no need to cut off spent flowers on St. John's wort: it produces attractive berries that last through the winter unless the birds eat them first.
A) Zinnia (Zinnia 'Eldorado')
year; Double Salmon to Apricot blooms from summer to frost; full sun; 30 to 36 inches tall, 18 to 24 inches wide
B) Salvia (Salvia curanitica 'Purple & Bloom')
Tender perennial; Large deep purple flowers with black petals from late spring to fall; Full sun to part shade; 40 to 48 inches high, 36 to 48 inches wide; Hardy in USDA zones 8 through 11
C) St. John's Wort (Hypericum x Inodorum)
bush; Bright yellow flowers with prominent yellow stamens from summer to fall; red, pink, cream or coral berries; Full sun to part shade; 3 to 4 feet high, 2 to 5 feet wide; Hardy in USDA zones 5 through 9
D) Artemisia (Artemisia 'Povis Castle')
perennial; Inconspicuous yellow flowers in late summer; silvery-white foliage; full sun; 2 to 3 feet high, 1 to 2 feet wide; Hardy in USDA zones 5 through 9
c) Lamb's ear (Stachys byzantina)
perennial; Long spikes with lavender flowers in early summer; Fuzzy silver leaves; full sun; 4 to 18 inches high, 12 to 18 inches wide; Hardy in USDA zones 4 through 8
Combine fragrant aster with easy-care companions
Fragrant aster keeps borders colorful with a variety of blooms from summer to frost, a late-season feast for butterflies. The flowers are not fragrant, but the leaves have a balmy smell when crushed. The short, pale green leaves of soapweed yucca are sharp, so be careful when you're weeding nearby. No need to worry about juniper eggplant: this low-growing cultivar does well without it.
A) Aromatic Aster (Sympheotrichum oblongifolium 'Dream of Beauty')
perennial; Pale pink flowers with orange centers from late summer to fall; Full sun to part shade; 12 to 15 inches high, 22 to 24 inches wide; Hardy in USDA zones 4 through 8
B) Juniper (Juniperus squamata 'Blue Star')
bush; Spiny, evergreen, bluish-grey leaves; full sun; 12 to 36 inches high, 12 to 48 inches wide; Hardy in USDA zones 4 through 8
C) Soapweed Yucca (Yuca glauca)
perennial; bell-shaped, greenish-white flowers in summer; full sun; 3 to 4 feet high, 2 to 3 feet wide; Hardy in USDA zones 4 through 8
Leave the seeds
When 'Millennium' Allium blooms, the show isn't over—these unique seeds provide interest from winter through fall. 'Honorin Joubert' Japanese anemone grows a low mound of foliage just 18 inches tall, but its flowering stems can reach 4 feet, so you can grow it in the front or back of the border. If you've struggled with floppy asters, 'Carmine Red' can help. Its sturdy stems hold flowers where you can see them.
A) Aster (Symphyotrichum kickin® 'Carmine Red')
perennial; Reddish-purple flowers late to mid summer; Full Suri Yen; 2 to 3 feet tall and wide; Hardy in USDA zones 5 through 9
B) Japanese anemone (Anemone x hybrida 'Honorin Jaubert')
perennial; White flowers from late summer to fall; Full sun to part shade; 36 to 48 inches high, 18 to 24 wide; Hardy in USDA zones 4 through 9
C) Allium (Allium 'Millennium')
perennial; Globe-shaped, rosy-purple flowers from early to late summer; Dry seeds last through winter; Full sun to part shade; 12 to 18 inches high and wide; Hardy in USDA zones 4 through 8
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