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Fall Blooming plants can be difficult to think of in the autumn. Summer heat has an impact on annual and perennial beds. Shorter days and cooler weather in the fall gives us many other plants available that will add fresh color to the landscape. Below are suggestions to add new interest to your landscape, however do not forget about using Ornamental Grasses as well. There are many plants that produce fruits and berries or have fall foliage that is quite striking with color in the autumn like Paperbark Maple.
| Pansies |
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With Icicle Pansies you can now have a beautiful garden in November and in March! They are easy to grow. When proper care instructions are followed, they're guaranteed to bloom the following spring when planted in the late summer or early fall. Icicles will bloom in the fall and again in the spring if proper care instructions are followed. |
Pansy Care
- Plant in fertile, well-drained soil. Water, and apply all-purpose fertilizer at planting time. Fertilize again in spring. Water as needed during fall and spring.
- Avoid wind-swept/exposed locations. Do not place near exposure to road salt or standing water. Plants may bloom until snow covers them, look dormant in winter, and will bloom again in warmer spring temperatures. Replace with annuals in late spring/early summer.
- Plant in fertile, well-drained soil. Water, and apply all-purpose fertilizer at planting time. Fertilize again in spring. Water as needed during fall and spring. Avoid wind-swept/exposed locations. Do not place near exposure to road salt or standing water. Plants may bloom until snow covers them, look dormant in winter, and will bloom again in warmer spring temperatures. Replace with annuals in late spring/early summer.
Pansy season is generally in April and can depend strongly on the climate in the spring; the warmer, the better. Pansies come in all colors and arrangements some with Yellow/Purple, Yellow with Black Centers, Clear Black, Red, Red with Orange/Yellow, Clear Blue, Denim, Blue Sunrise which has a black center and yellow blotch, clear yellow, clear orange, clear purple, sapphire purple, Tie-dye Purple, and much more. |
| Anemones |
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Japanese anemone, adds a tall, late blooming accent of pink, rose or white to the late garden. Anemones are long-lived, fibrous-rooted perennials. The base of the plant is a dark green clump, which produces leaves covered with soft hairs. The low foliage clumps look nice from the moment they emerge in spring until frost enforces their dormancy. Graceful, branching stems grow 2-4 feet high.
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| Asters |
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Aster produce large clusters of delicate daisy-like flowers in white, purple, lavender, pink or red. Asters should be planted in moist well-drained soil in full sun, but they will tolerate light shading. The plants form broad bushy clumps, so plant them at least 18 inches apart. Mature clumps will need to be divided every 3 - 4 years in the early spring, or late fall after the flowering has finished. Pinch back the tops by 6-8 inches at least once during the summer, to create a bushier plant and to prolong the fall bloom. This pinching MUST be done prior to mid July, or it will have an opposite effect, and blooming will be reduced.
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| Garden Mums |
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Mums are everywhere in the fall and they make a tempting impulse buy when in full bloom. While mums will stay in flower for weeks, many gardeners do not realize there are hardy perennial mums that can be planted in the garden and will improve year after year. Maybe you’ve purchased mums labeled ‘hardy’ only to be disappointed the following spring when they didn't survive. The key to a truly hardy mum is selecting the right variety and giving it time to establish itself in your garden, before winter comes. |
| Pansies |
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Pansies are one of the most popular and recognizable cool weather annuals. Breeding has produced pansies that are better able to stand up to the cold, but there hasn’t been much luck producing more heat tolerant varieties. Many pansies are bi colored, making them striking plants for their small size. Although delicate, they are surprisingly hardy. And like their cousins the violas and violets, the flowers are edible. |
| Russian Sage |
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Perovskia or Russian Sage is a woody sub-shrub with long panicles of lavender-blue flowers that become increasingly brilliant as they open.They are drought tolerant plant that prefers full sun.
Perovskia can be used in the middle or back of the border or cottage garden or in many other places in the landscape. It combines well with ornamental grasses and white or yellow-flowered perennials, especially white phlox, Rudbeckia (blackeyed Susan) and coreopsis. Other possible combinations include red-leaved barberry or dark green foliage plants for contrast, or blending with other silver-leaved plants. The silvery foliage and open architecture add an almost-Mediterranean feel to the landscape, and can be useful as a filler plant. It is also useful for separating stronger colors. Use it as a specimen in small areas, in mass to intensify its presence in large spaces, or in a long, wide row as a divider hedge. |
| Black-Eyed Susan |
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Rudbeckia or Black-Eyed Susan blooms prolifically in late summer with narrow, golden-yellow petals surrounding a raised black cone. Black-Eyed Susans can be applied in Wild-flower gardens, erosion control, and any landscape. Black-Eyed Susan blooms from June to September. Black-Eyed Susan generally grows to about two feet tall and wide.
Rudbeckias are easy to grow, low-maintenance flowers that are ideal for beginning gardeners, yet their wide range of sizes, colors, shapes and forms appeal to the most experienced gardener. Rudbeckias grow best in full sun in average well-drained soil, but will tolerate light shade and dry conditions. Rudbeckia is recommended as being deer-resistant.
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| Sedum |
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The Autumn Joy Sedum is an excellent border plant and works well in rock gardens. The tall sedums are excellent in the bed and border, especially effective when planted in masses. The shorter, sprawling types are best for the rock garden. Most make excellent cut flowers. Sedums need only a good, well-drained garden soil in full sun. They withstand drought and do amazingly well in very poor soils. Try out Sedum spp. such as Dragon’s Blood, Angelica, Autumn Fire, John Creech, Vera Jameson, and many more amazing varieties.
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| Ornamental Cabbage & Kale |
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Ornamental cabbage and kale prefer cool weather. Planting them in August or early September will allow the plant to become established, but if the temperature isn't cool enough, this will result in a leggy, relatively colorless plant. The colorful pigmentations which these plants are known for does not appear until after prolonged cool weather and several frosts. Ornamental cabbage and kale should be planted in a sunny location in a moderately moist, rich soil. Kale or cabbage are best planted in areas where you can peer into the center-on slopes, doorsteps, decks, and patios. They're also successful in ground beds and in large plantings. |
Some other woody plants that compliment with the above and will bloom in the fall until early winter are Knockout Roses, Endless Summer Hydrangeas, Limelight Hydrangea, Pee Gee Hydrangea and Rose of Sharon to name a few.
Printable Fact Sheet
UMASS has provided Northeast Nursery with downloadable fact sheets for common garden concerns and tips. Click here for the Fall planting fact sheet. |
Printable Fact Sheet
Espoma has provided Northeast Nursery with downloadable fact sheets for common garden concerns and tips.Selecting And Planting Bulbs. |
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