I didnât realize how many pictures need to be hung on walls to make a house feel like a home, until I had 3 hours to fully transform 5 rooms. During the 72 hours that my husband and I spent helping our daughter move into her first college apartment, we cleaned, cried, and laughed. Then we shopped. It was during the shopping trip that I consistently found myself gravitating towards things with flowers. Flowers on the tablecloth, flowers on the kitchen canisters, flowers on the picture for the laundry room walls, silk flowers in a cute basket for the living room coffee table. While she did politely say no to some of the flowers, I was able to leave Manhattan, Kansas knowing her apartment was clean, safe, and cute.
I think that we all tend to benefit from flowers. As the summer comes to a close and we embrace fall, here are a few perennial flowers that bloom in the late summer and into the fall.
Coreopsis Moonbeam (Coreopsis verticillata âMoonbeamâ) This yellow, daisy type flower lends an airy feel to the garden. Grows best in full sun and dry soil (once established). Deadheading will promote reblooming. Grows approximately 15â tall by 15â wide. Blooms mid summer through fall.
Yarrow (Achillea âMoonshineâ) This yarrow has beautiful gray leaves with very bright yellow flowers. It is a great choice for dried floral arrangements as well as cut flowers. It grows about 24â tall and does best in full sun.
Plumbago (Ceratostigma plumbaginoides) This perennial flower really comes into its glory in August. It has electric blue flowers with a maroon fall color on the leaves. It grows about 12â tall and spreads 15â. It grows best in part sun to part shade. It is very late to leaf out in the spring. This is a very unique perennial flowers.
Palace Purple Coralbells (Heuchera âPalace Purpleâ) The purple leaves on this mound shaped plant add color to the landscape throughout the spring, summer and fall. It has spikes of creamy flowers and grows best in part sun to part shade.
Autumn Delight Sedum (Sedum âAutumn Delightâ) This succulent has chartreuse leaves. The pink flowers emerge in August and continue throughout the fall. It grows about 24â tall and wide and does best in full sun.
Black eyed Susan (Rudbeckia fulgida âGoldsturmâ) The bright yellow flowers bloom from late summer through early fall. This flower grows about 18-24â tall and does best in full sun.
Honorine Jobert Anemona (Anemone x hybrida âHonorine Jobertâ)Â The large white flowers (2-3â) appear in late summer and will brighten up any garden space. Chosen plant of the year 2016 by The Perennial Plant Association. Does best in part sun to part shade.
Blue Mist Shrub (Caryopteris âSaphire Surfâ) This compact, very low maintenance flower produces an abundance of blue flowers from late summer through the fall. This is deer and drought resistant. It can be used in mass as a perennial border or groundcover. Grows about 2â tall and 3â wide and does best in full sun.
Obedient Plant (Physostegia âMiss Mannersâ) Great plant for small spaces. Is less aggressive that other Obedient plants. Has white spikes of flowers that do best in full sun and grows about 18â tall. Good for cut flowers
(Veronica âWhite Wandsâ) This perennial flower attracts butterflies with its pure white flowers. It grows about 16â tall and does best in part to full sun.
Rozanne Geranium (Geranium âGerwatâ) This is one of the longest blooming perennial geranium. It is grows in a compact mound and has clusters of large, blue cup flowers. Grows about 18â tall and 15â wide. Does best in full sun to part shade.
Kathleen Carr is the owner of The Growing Scene, Inc., a garden center and landscaping company. She can be reached by calling 815-923-7322 or tgsinc12@msn.com. Have a gardening question? Please contact her. She may address it in an upcoming column.
