Lexington, KY - The spring perennial garden is fresh and young. The summer garden is bright and cheerful. In the fall garden we see earlier blooms gone to seed, some plants with dried brown leaves, and the tough fall bloomers decorated with the jewel toned flowers of the season: deep purple, rust, scarlet and gold.
This changing beauty only deepens the pleasure of the garden; the cycle of life is made visible. Even though you've been gardening for months, don't give in to the temptation to throw in the towel when September comes. You can extend the show well into the fall.
Here are a few of my favorite fall flowers, three natives and three non-natives. Some are very tall, making the fall garden dramatic. First the native plants:
Aster
With their masses of blooms in colors ranging from pink to purple, including a wonderful blue, asters are classic fall flowers. Many are three to four feet tall, but there are some shorter versions, such as "Purple Dome," that top out at a compact 18 inches.
Some find asters to be a little weedy-looking when they aren't in bloom, but that's easy to solve by planting them amongst other earlier flowering perennials. In early to mid- June, I often cut some of mine back by a third. They still bloom beautifully on a somewhat shorter plant.
Goldenrod
For those of you who are thinking I'm way off base for recommending a plant that causes hay fever, you can relax. Ragweed, which blooms at the same time, is the culprit.
Goldenrod has been a popular garden plant for years in Europe and now it's finally catching on here. Solidago canadensis hybrids have the bright yellow, plume-like clusters of blooms characteristic of the species but on shorter, denser plants. "Crown of Rays" has dense, horizontal panicles on 15 to 24 inch plants.
Solidago rugosa, "Fireworks," is simply spectacular. The blooms arch gracefully downward like the trails of exploding fireworks, thus the name. There are also some dwarf plants, such as the 15-inch Solidago sphacelata, "Golden Fleece."
Joe Pye Weed
What an inelegant name for a tall and stately plant that makes a wonderful backdrop to a garden border. I wouldn't be without it. Butterflies and other pollinators love it, too. There are a number of shorter cultivars available, such as "Gateway" and "Phantom."
Some other wonderful native plants that bloom in the fall are Sneezeweed (Helenium), Sunflower (Helianthus) and Obedient Plant (Physostegia virginiana). If you want to try another really tall plant, go for Ironweed (Vernonia altissima.) It has reached nine feet tall in my garden, topped by clusters of fluffy purple flowers.
And now some non-native favorites.
Stonecrop
The genus Sedum includes hundreds of species, some of which are native. The fall blooming, taller species like "Autumn Joy," look good all year, require minimal attention and have few problems. They have broccoli-shaped, flat-topped, upward facing flower heads and succulent stems and leaves. You might also consider using a lower growing cultivar as an edging plant, such as the darker leaved "Vera Jameson."
Japanese Anemone
These anemones form clumps of dark green, deeply cut leaves. In the fall graceful, branching, upright stems appear, bearing round buds that open into large, poppy-like blooms. My favorite is the white "Honorine Jobert."
Let me warn you, though, that this plant is hard to control. It will spread by underground runners into nearby plants, making it difficult to remove. I dig out any spreading pieces, but you must keep at it. Some may feel it's not worth the effort.
Chrysanthemum
Fall chrysanthemums are mounding plants that tend to die out in the center over time. Divide them frequently, every couple of years, and discard the woody center. Pinch them back in the spring and summer to keep them more compact. There are many popular cultivars, such as "Clara Curtis" (deep pink), "Mary Stoker" (butter yellow), and "Duchess of Edinburgh" (muted red).
Great perennials, one and all. And let's not forget the ornamental grasses that look so good with these fall blooms.
Karl Foerster feather reed grass (Calamagrostis x acutiflora) has a dramatic vertical form. It is early blooming and by the fall the bloom has become very narrow and tan colored. The cultivar "Avalanche" is somewhat shorter with variegated leaves. It will do well in sun or partial shade.
Many of our native grasses are lovely in the fall. Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) grows up to three feet tall and is noted for its distinct silvery-blue color. Following the first frost, the grass turns to a copper color, making a notable contribution to the winter garden. Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) blooms with open, lacy sprays. Bottlebrush grass (Elymus hystrix) has, as you might expect, a bottlebrush shaped bloom.
For some shorter native grasses, try prairie dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis), sideoats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula) or hair grass (Deschampsia cespitosa).
Fall isn't the end of the gardening season, it's another beginning. Don't put away those gardening gloves. There is so much more to enjoy.