Flowering plants add color and texture to your garden or landscape. With careful planning, you can plant a garden that blooms from early spring until late fall. The Oregon State University Extension recommends planting fall-blooming perennials in spring for the best results, but no matter when you plant make sure to give your autumn-bloomers at least four to six weeks to become established before first frost, according to Dr. Leonard Perry of the University of Vermont, or they may not last through the winter.
White
The obedient plant, a hardy perennial, grows up to 2 feet tall. The plant produces flower-covered spikes from late summer through the fall. These plants attract butterflies and bees.
White boltonia produces tiny, white flowers on striking silvery-blue foliage. Plants grow up to 5 feet tall and prefer full sun and moist, well-drained soil.
Other white, fall-blooming plants include baby's breath, black snakeroot, pearly everlasting and Shasta daisy.
Yellow
Blanket flower or gallardia produces large, bright yellow flowers with red or orange accents. This hardy annual often self-sows and has silver-green foliage.
Goldenrod produces feathery, long clusters of tiny yellow blossoms. This hardy plant requires full sun and can tolerate poor soils.
Rudbeckia can grow up to 9 feet tall and produces golden flowers with dark centers. This perennial tolerates a range of soils but prefers full sun.
Other yellow fall-bloomers include black-eyed Susan, coreopsis, corydalis, dwarf coreopsis, false sunflower, fernleaf yarrow, hardy gazania and paper flower.
Red to Orange
Hardy orange gazania grows up to 8 inches high. Depending on climate zone, this orange bloomer can be a perennial or a reseeding annual.
Helenium produces daisy-like flowers in a range of colors from orange to burgundy. This perennial can reach heights up to 4 feet tall and prefers full sun and moist, well-drained soil. Other red to orange fall-bloomers include California fuchsia, Orange Perfection garden phlox, ragwort, red hot poker and sunset hyssop.
Pink
Evening primrose produces aromatic pink blossoms. This hardy plant blooms in the evening.
Joe Pye weed produces 8-inch-long deep pink flowers and can grow up to 6 feet high. Plant this perennial in full sun and moist soil. Joe Pye weed attracts butterflies.
Other pink fall-bloomers include coneflower, coral bells, dianthus, Japanese anemone, Mexican daisy, rose mallow, sedum and twinspur.
Blue to Purple
Colchiums, a corm plant, produce foliage in the spring. The leaves die back during the summer and leafless flowers appear in the fall. Choose The Giant variety for large, purple and white blossoms. Colchiums prefer full sun and well-drained soil.
Crocus Cassiope and Conueror also provide blue flowers in the fall. Plant crocus bulbs in partial shade to full sun.
Lavender, an evergreen bush, produces spikes of tiny, bluish-purple blossoms though the fall. This fragrant plant also offers culinary uses.
Mexican bush sage produces purple flower spikes up to 3 feet long. This plant can tolerate dry soils and prefers full sun.
No comments:
Post a Comment