Colorful Plants That Linger Through Fall

Gardening Sweet Spots
By Donna Hessel

Cool-Season Annuals
If you’re like me, you hate switching out still-vigorous summer annuals when cool-season fall annuals first appear on garden center shelves in early September. If you’ve procrastinated, early October is an ideal time to head to your local garden center to take advantage of fall sales.

Decorative fall mums, grown in northeast Ohio as annuals, come in shades of red, orange, yellow and purple to create a bright focal point in both containers and garden beds. Colorful annual ornamental grasses, such as purple fountain grass, shine in the fall when their feathery plumes sway gracefully in the breezes.

Perennials, such as coral bells, are available with purple, red, orange and gold foliage to complement mums and grasses.

More Annuals for Seasonal Color and Rich Texture

• Calendula:  The cold-tolerant “Lady Godiva” cultivar thrives in spring and fall but its orange- and gold-toned, double flowers endure through summer as well, making them a good choice for gardens or containers. Mounded plants are 10-16” tall and are deer resistant.
• Purple Fountain Grass: (Pennisetum s. ‘Rubrum’) has been available for years, but now, new variegated forms with striped leaves offer visual interest throughout the seasons. Smokey purple fronds begin in midsummer and last through fall. At 18-36,” they can be grown in beds or containers and are deer resistant.
• Nemesia: Another mounding plant with bright flowers that is cold-tolerant. It’s available in several varieties from 6-18” tall, as well as bright colors.
• Daisies:  They bloom profusely and complement many other plants. Osteospermum daisies are very cold-tolerant and are available in purple, gold and orange tones. At 8-14” tall, they work well in both containers and in garden beds.
• Pansies and Violas: Frost-tolerant violas (technically a perennial) come in a wide variety of color combinations. Pansies can also be found in a rainbow of colors. If pansies and violas are planted in the fall and mulched over winter, they can survive and bloom again in the spring. Do you know how to tell the difference between pansies and violas? Four petals up, one down is a pansy. Two petals up, three down is a viola.
• Sunflowers (Helianthus annus):  Sunflowers are a staple of the late-season garden. In addition to the familiar bright yellow petal varieties, cultivars have red, rosy pink, orange, bronze and white flowers. The brown seedheads also add variety to the fall garden.
• Zinnias and Marigolds: Although planted for summer flowers, these plants, especially if deadheaded regularly, transition nicely into autumn, providing fall colors in the garden and as cut flowers for arrangements.
• Flowering Kale (Brassica oleracea):  I love using this plant in fall containers. Grown for its frilly green outer leaves and center leaves that turn white, pink or purple in the fall, this kale is extremely cold-hardy and will remain colorful well into winter.
• Snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus):  With its tall flower spikes and variety of colors, snapdragons are a welcome addition to containers and gardens. They love the sun and will bloom until frost.

Perennials that Shine in the Fall

• Coral Bells (Heuchera): As mentioned above, you can find coral bell cultivars in every shade of foliage from pale to dark green, light to dark red,  purple and chartreuse to complement any color scheme you desire. At 6-12” and compact, they can be grown in part-sun, individually in containers or mixed with other plants in beds.
• “Fun and Games” (Heucherella):  Deeply lobed foliage in coppery orange and gold pairs beautifully with purples and reds in containers or beds. These plants prefer shade vs. familiar  coral bell cultivars.
•  Autumn Stonecrops: These classic fall blooming sedums are available in a wide range of sizes and colors. I have groups of red-flowering Autumn Joy, which has been around for years, in all of my gardens to provide fall color. New cultivars come in a variety of pinks, reds and whites. They are low-maintenance and look great in the landscape even before they start to show their fall colors.  Leave the seedheads in the garden when blooms fade for winter interest.
• Asters  (Symphyotrichum):  Daisy-like flowers bloom in late summer and early fall. They

  

  are available in a wide variety of sizes from 1 to 4 feet. Their bright white, pastel blue and pink colors, to hybrids of deep scarlet and purple attract pollinators. They are disease and deer resistant and grow best in full sun.

• Japanese Anemone:   You may have heard them called windflowers because of how the 2- to 4- foot stems bob in the wind. Single or double flowers come in shades of white, pink or purple. The plant’s deeply lobed foliage is also attractive.
• Goldenrod (Solidago): In varieties from one foot to 6 feet, goldenrod blooms in early fall until frost and provides food for migrating pollinators.  Keep an eye on it as it can spread aggressively.
  
• Black-Eyed Susans:  This North American native blooms from late summer into late fall.

  

  Birds feast on the seedheads all winter, so don’t cut them down when they finish blooming. Typically with yellow petals and darkcenters, newer cultivars may be gold, red, rust or bronze.

• Blanket Flower (Gaillardia):  Fiery red and orange blooms on one to three foot stems start in summer and bloom well into fall. Look for “Heat It Up Scarlet” that trails, making it ideal for containers.
• Montauk Daisy: (Nipponanthemum) Not really a daisy (it’s in the chrysanthemum family), 2-3” wide, white flowered Montauks bloom in mid September and mix well with tall sedums and other late-blooming perennials.
• Sneezeweed (Helenium): Colors that echo autumn leaves brighten the garden with stems that rise 3-5 feet tall. Sneezeweed is a native perennial.

Caring for Fall Plantings
Planted in the fall, flowers won’t grow as vigorously as those planted in spring and will need less water and no fertilizer. They can also be planted closer together in containers because they won’t get much larger than when planted.  If temperatures are expected to drop for a few nights before rebounding back to average for the time of year, use an old sheet or other lightweight fabric to cover them. Doing this for a few unusually cool nights will prolong your enjoyment of the fall color.

Shrubs for Fall Color
The ideal time to plant new shrubs is in September when they will have had time to establish roots and some growth before the first frost. However, garden center sales of shrubs in the fall may tempt you to try adding some to your garden that will provide color this fall and in the future. If so, look for the following: oakleaf hydrangea, burning bush, meadowsweets, viburnum, Virginia sweetspire, dogwood, witch-alder, beautyberry, hydrangea, barberry, aroni melanocarpa, winterberry holly, nandina, smokebush, American witch-hazel, aronia arbutifolia, sumac, dwarf fothergilla, ninebark, Virginia creeper, blueberry, shadbush, chokeberry.

A Google search for any shrub you may be interested in will provide details on its characteristics and growth habits, as well as the best time to plant. 

Wishing for a long, gentle and colorful fall this year! No matter its duration, adding a few plants with fall color now will increase enjoyment of your garden beds or containers throughout the season and into winter.

Article Resources:
Shrubs for Fall Color: from sources across the web  (search: shrubs for fall color)
Proven Winners Online Newsletter – “5 Ways to Boost Fall Color” and “A New Spin on Fall Plantings” – Contributor: Susan Martin
Proven Winners Online newsletter – “Fall Potted Plants: Container Gardening in the Fall” – Contributor: Kerry Meyer
All photos by Donna Hessel