If you’re planning on planting flowers during fall, you should know that dogwoods and sedums are the most popular options. Not only are dogwoods known for their spring buds, but their leaves turn a brilliant scarlet and the berries that accompany them attract birds. Sedums are drought-tolerant plants with fleshy leaves and clusters of colorful blooms. You can choose creeping varieties or those that grow low and tall.
Mums
When you’re planning a fall garden, consider adding mums to your mix. Although they’re relatively easy to care for, they do require a little extra TLC. A little care now will pay off in the long run. A little care now will ensure that your mums last well into the winter months. Listed below are tips to help you care for mums and get the most from your fall plant.
After planting your mums, remember to water them well and water frequently. Mums need moist soil but not soaking wet. Pinch off dead blooms as they fade, and mulch your mums before the first frost to keep them from freezing. Leave dead stems on mum plants as they will attract bees and other insects. Mums are best planted in sunny areas where they get adequate air circulation. And remember, mum plants respond to temperature and day length. A mum plant develops flower buds during a period of about six to eight weeks.
The mum’s foliage dies back after the fall blooming season. Trim it back every two weeks to encourage branching. Mums bought as annuals don’t need pruning, but cutting back their dead branches will encourage more blooms. You can also make your own mum plants by taking cuttings from your favorite mums. Simply place them in soilless medium and place them in a sunny location. A few months later, you can bring mums indoors to decorate the Thanksgiving table.
Pansies
The best plant for fall is the classic pansy. These colorful flowers bloom during the fall season and require 6 hours of sun daily, but can tolerate partial shade. Plant them in a well-drained soil. They do well in low-pH soil and need four to six inches of organic matter, such as compost or peat moss. You can also add some compost, or mushroom compost, to your soil to improve its pH level. Then water them thoroughly, giving them enough water for the first three weeks to establish their roots.
Fall-planted pansies will provide you with a colorful display for nearly six months. You can plant them after mid-September and continue to enjoy them through late-October. Planting more than one of these annuals will ensure a greater number of blooms. And they’re easy to care for and maintain. They require only a thin layer of mulch to survive the winter. You can also buy a few perennial pansies and rotate them each year, to get the most blooms for your garden.
Although pansies aren’t considered seasonal plants, they do perform better in cooler weather. In fact, the coolest temperature they tolerate is only about 65 degrees, so planting them in mid September and early October is a good time to plant them. And once they’ve established their roots, they will bloom in early spring. If you’re wondering what to plant in the fall, pansies come in almost every color imaginable. Some have black flowers. Others are solid colors. Some even have faces.
Celosia
A gorgeous and low-maintenance plant, the celosia can be an excellent choice for the fall garden. The plant needs ample sunlight and warm temperatures to thrive. Watering is also important. A celosia will not tolerate a wet foot, so make sure you have good drainage. A celosia that is over-watered will look limp and lifeless. In order to minimize damage, amend your soil with organic matter.
If you prefer to grow celosia in a container, they can be grown from seed. They prefer rich, moist soil. It is best planted when the first frost has passed. Be sure to water generously after planting to settle the soil and avoid weeds. Be sure to fertilize your celosia on a regular basis with general-purpose fertilizer. Increasing the amount of phosphorus can encourage new blooms.
To grow celosia, make sure you prepare your garden well before planting seeds. Remove any dead foliage or weeds. Also, amend the soil with compost. Plant the seeds about an inch deep, about one-quarter inch below the surface. Once the roots have formed, you should plant them in soil about 10 to 12 inches apart, and keep in mind that they require light to grow. To care for your celosia properly, plant it in rich soil with ample nutrients.
Asters
Asters are a favorite of many gardeners. They are easy to grow and can survive all seasons, but they can be troublesome if deer, rabbits, and other pests eat them. To keep deer away, try using deer netting or putting reflective mulch around the plants. You can also use insect repellents to keep them away, but these should be used early in the season.
Asters are a perennial with a wide range of sizes. Some are short and compact, so they’re perfect for container gardening or along a garden path. Others are tall and dramatic, providing additional color in a flower garden or fresh flowers for a fall arrangement. Depending on their height, asters are great for both containers and beds. A variety that grows to about 18 inches tall is a good choice for smaller gardens.
For best results, asters should be planted in the spring, but they can also be planted in the fall. They need to be planted early in the fall before temperatures begin to drop. Planting them in early fall is best because asters are hardy and usually return the following year. If you want to get a variety of colors, you can purchase asters online. If you buy them in the fall, you can plant them early enough to avoid them from dying during the winter.
Sedums
In addition to attracting bees and butterflies, sedums are among the best plants for fall. They hold up reasonably well throughout early winter and can be pruned to the ground on a dry midwinter day. Once the foliage has died back, they will grow back with a new growth of fleshy leaves in the spring. Sedums are low maintenance and do not require fertilizer.
For color in late summer and early fall, there are several sedum varieties that bloom early and provide a dense ground cover. In areas where rainfall is scarce, low-growing varieties are great as ground covers. They are very drought-tolerant once established. Sedums are also very resistant to rabbit damage. And despite their low maintenance, they will bloom through the coldest months of winter. The bright colors of their leaves will complement many autumn-themed decors and will complement a wide variety of other fall-themed accents.
The most well-known sedum is Autumn Joy. With clusters of small, star-like flowers, this sedum is an ideal choice for a garden in the fall. This variety can produce three or five plants and has led to several sports. Another good sedum for fall is Autumn Fire, which has slightly fewer flowers but a deeper red bloom. Some varieties are even variegated, such as Autumn Charm and Autumn Delight.
Dogwoods
While most people associate dogwoods with spring color, they provide more than just pretty leaves during the fall season. In addition to being attractive to look at, dogwoods also feature distinctive, wispy foliage that rivals maple’s foliage. Fall foliage from dogwoods can range from deep red to purplish purple. And as winter approaches, dogwood leaves fall off, leaving only the beautiful foliage to show through.
Despite their beautiful fall foliage, dogwoods can be susceptible to disease and pests. A variety of diseases can infect dogwoods, including spot anthracnose, which causes leaves to turn purple. Fungicides will not cure visible symptoms, but can protect young trees from infection. Dogwoods are also susceptible to dogwood borer, a pest that attacks stressed trees. To avoid pest problems and enjoy beautiful foliage, plant dogwoods in full bloom.
These trees also attract birds, which makes them great plants for fall. Their scarlet-red berries attract birds. Their foliage turns deep purple and red in fall, while their leaves drop in the winter. Dogwood trees also have scale-like bark and graceful horizontal branches, which look graceful even in winter. These trees are great plants for fall landscapes, and they can add beauty to any yard. So, go out and get some dogwoods and start planting them today!
Sumac
Sumac is a striking plant with colorful foliage that transforms throughout the fall. The leaves don’t all change at once, so the variety of colors in autumn is truly stunning. The berries on the Sumac tree are edible and last throughout the winter, providing food for wildlife. While many shrubs are better suited to partial shade or full sunlight, this one thrives in a variety of conditions.
The foliage of the sumac plant turns a gorgeous orange and cardinal red color in the fall, and it is the perfect choice for any fall garden. Sumacs also make excellent informal hedges. Sumac flowers attract hundreds of pollinating beetles, making them a great plant for a wildlife garden. The berries of this shrub attract songbirds, who often pick the clusters as they ripen in the winter.
There are several species of sumac, each with its own unique characteristics. The staghorn species is the largest native form, reaching up to 25 feet tall. Its large, green leaves change to a fiery orange and red in fall. A cultivated cultivar, called ‘Tiger Eyes,’ has leaves that are less dissected. Tiger Eyes grows up to six feet, is fernlike, and is a dwarf version of the staghorn species.
