fabulous fall perennials

By Barbara Arnold

Early October is a terrific time to plant fall perennials that will give you color throughout the cooler season. With summer winding down, late blooming, colorful fall perennials are a wonderful way to extend the gardening season. Not all color comes from blooms, many perennials with variegated or changing leaf color look very attractive once your summer blooms have begun to die back.

Chrysanthemums are a favorite fall perennial that offers gardeners a range of color and lots of blooms. There are many varieties of mums, but not all are particularly hardy. Plant your chrysanthemums in full sun and in a well-drained soil. If you plan on having the plants survive until next year, mulch them well and cover them generously with mulch for the first winter. Asters are an excellent companion plant with garden mums because of their similar bloom times. The daisy-like flower of asters comes in a variety of shades that include pinks, reds and blues with contrasting centers.

Another nice choice for fall color is Solidago, or Goldenrod. Solidago is enjoying some popularity again, especially with new varieties like 'Fireworks' and 'Golden Fleece'. Native Solidago tends to spread everywhere and never stands up well on its own, but these newer varieties are sturdy and chock full of fall blooms. Visitors to Franklin Park Conservatory are always asking about Solidago ‘Fireworks’ planted in the Park’s beds. ‘Fireworks’ puts on a sensational display with its cascading yellow flowers. Sedum 'Autumn Joy' also looks great with Solidago ‘Fireworks,’ and is an easy garden plant. It looks good throughout most of the season and requires little care, although it is not deer resistant.

Anemones are another beautiful showy fall bloomer. They come in almost all colors and bloom from early September through late October. There are three types of anemone flowers, and the fall flowering type is larger and tends to have fibrous roots. Fall is also a good time to plant spring and summer flowering anemones.

On the foliage side, look for various colored sages such as Purple sage (Salvia officinalis purpurea) and Tricolored sage (Salvia officinalis tricolor). Coral Bells (Heuchera) and Bugleweed (Ajuga) are lower growing perennials that can also add colorful foliage. There are many Heuchera cultivars that offer excellent foliage color along with a showy flower display. Look for 'Montrose Ruby,' ‘Key Lime Pie,’ or 'Palace Purple'. Ajuga plants are a groundcover that like moist areas and tolerate clay soils. Cultivars such as ‘Bronze Beauty’ or ‘Rubra’ will brighten up the low spots in your garden, but choose the location carefully since Ajuga can be mildly invasive. Hardy plumbago, or leadwort, is another great low-growing fall bloomer. Plumbago has deep gentian blue flowers from late summer until frost, and its foliage turns a lovely bronze-red before it dies back in late fall.

Ornamental grasses are also wonderful for adding instant texture and form to your fall garden. They can be grouped in clusters or planted individually as focal points. Red switch grass, blue oat grass and fountain grass are especially useful for adding fall color to your landscape. Ornamental grasses are also great for adding multiple seasons of interest to the garden.

These fall perennials are fabulous and fun and sure to brighten up your garden as the days grow shorter.

E-mail your questions about fall perennials to Barbara Arnold at info@ourohio.org

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