Skip to main content

Soft palette for autumn flower beds



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

Labels:
Location: United States

Comments

Post a Comment

Thanks

Popular posts from this blog

Social media gardening myths. . .DEBUNKED!

If your feed is anything like mine, you will receive regular updatesmGardening information every time you look at your phone. Manyn These articles, memes and posts are mostly good or at least harmless. But some ideas that keep popping up are useless or dangerous to you or your plants. Here are some ridiculous social media myths we should all avoid sharing 1. Oil and vinegar kill weeds. Homemade herbicides have been making the rounds on social media since I first got on Facebook 15 years ago. All of the household herbicides you see include vinegar or oils that kill plants more quickly and "naturally" than something like Roundup. The problem is that vinegar and oil kill quickly By burning the tops of a plant, they don't kill the entire plant, so the weeds grow back on the roots. Of course, very small plants can be killed completely, but this is the exception rather than the rule. A final The problem with vinegar and oil is that they are extremely dangerous to a...
Post a Comment
Read more

They are one of the most difficult perennials to grow

Most difficult perennials to grow 'Some perennials often considered difficult to grow require the right conditions and some patience to fully enjoy their beauty,' 'Some plants I classify as the gold of perennials - they must be successful. Too hot or too cold, too wet or too dry, too much sun or too much shade, and they cannot survive or thrive. 1. Bearded iris Although bearded iris is one of the oldest and most well-known perennials, there are some common problems that can make it challenging to grow. "Root rot is a common problem with bearded iris, caused by planting too deep or where the soil doesn't drain well," says horticulturist Katie Sunderlage. ‘To avoid root rot, it is important to plant the rhizome 1-2 inches below the surface of well-drained soil, adding organic matter if needed. These majestic garden plants are also susceptible to insect and disease problems, particularly leaf spot, iris borer and aphids. Katie continues, 'To prev...
Post a Comment
Read more

Steps to creating a more eco-friendly garden

In this garden, which blends so seamlessly with the surrounding natural landscape, certain plants play an important role in the transition from manicured beds to wild vegetation. The following are mostly native shrubs and perennials that tolerate challenging conditions well. They are equally at home in the garden and on its edges. What is an Eco Garden? Eco-gardening is a collection of environmentally friendly practices for growing plants and maintaining gardens and lawns. The goal is to choose plants that create a harmonious and balanced ecosystem without synthetic chemicals and consider how you use natural resources. Ecological gardening follows natural growing cycles and relies solely on biological processes. When you start sustainable gardening, you learn to respect "nature's ways" that encourage the presence of beneficial insects, protect the ecosystem from invasive species, and reduce water loss. This approach creates a balanced ecosystem where plants t...
Post a Comment
Read more