The season of fall is synonymous with a gorgeous array of various shades of red on a myriad of shrubs and trees. The sight of stately trees in all of their glory at the end of a beautiful summer is what many of us look forward to all year. Often overlooked though are the dozens of perennial flowers that offer up their beautiful blooms as we approach months of cold, ice and snow. It seems as if for these flowers it is their final performance of the season. Itâs a performance you donât want to miss.
The Pugster series of Butterfly Bush (Buddleia) consists of 6 shrubs. They are named by the color of the flower; Amethyst, Blue, Periwinkle, Pink, Pinker and White. Each is a dwarf plant that grows 2â tall and wide. They are winter hardy in our area and shouldnât need a lot of pruning each spring. They typically start blooming in July and continue all the way through October.
Want to see the sun a bit more as our days get shorter? Consider planting Arizona Sun Blanket Flower (Gaillardia x grandiflora âArizona Sunâ). The bi-color daisy type flowers have a red center with yellow edges. As the name implies Arizona Sun does best in full sun and grows approximately 10â by 10â.
Woodâs Purple Aster (Symphyotrichum âWoodâs Purple) does well both planted above ground in containers or planted in the ground. It attracts pollinators (bees) though so site it carefully. This fall blooming aster grows about 15â by 15â. The fine textured foliage compliments the bluish purple daisy type flowers. It grows best in well drained soil and full sun.
Another great fall blooming yellow flowered perennial is Tiny Dancer Sneezeweed (Helenium flexuosum âTiny Dancerâ). This cultivar was named because the petals resemble long skirts of dancers.
The name sneezeweed originates from years ago when the foliage on the plant was used to make snuff. Setting the crazy names aside this native perennial flower with its relatively compact habit makes a great addition to any garden.
Looking to add a groundcover to your planting areas? Waterperry Blue Speedwell (Veronica âWaterperry Blueâ), is a low growing plant with sky blue flowers that bloom profusely in the spring and then intermittently throughout the summer and fall. It can take foot traffic and it drought tolerant. It grows best in full sun with a height of 5â and a width of 15.â
Rose Cardinal Flower (Lobelia âMonet Momentâ) attracts butterflies and hummingbirds with its large magenta flowers. Its fragrance wafts through the garden. Growing about 30â tall and 18â wide it does best in full sun to part shade.
Plumbago (Ceratostigma plumbaginoides) Absolutely breathtaking electric blue flower paired with glossy green foliage tinged with a reddish color. This groundcover type plant grows to about 10â high and can spread to about 18â wide. My only concern with this plant is it is really, really late to leaf out in the spring. It is late to green up in the spring with the flowers starting to appear in August and continuing through October.
The small orchid like flowers on Toad Lily (Tricyrtis x âTojenâ) add beautiful pink color to a shady area. Toad lilies can grow up to 3â and need a shady spot to perform best. They are deer resistant but do attract hummingbirds.
Each year there is one vine that continually surprises me by displaying hundreds and hundreds of flowers this time of year. Sweet Autumn Clematis(Clematis terniflora) has white star like flowers that bloom on the previous yearâs growth. Butterflies are attracted to the fragrant flowers. Make sure to provide a sturdy structure for it to grow onto. Given room to grow in time it can get 10-12â high and 6â wide.
Sweet Summer Love Clematis is a red flowering clematis that starts blooming in July and occasionally blooms as late as October. It also has a fragrant flower that attracts hummingbirds. While it prefers full sun, it can grow well in a partial shade area. Mature plants can produce hundreds of flowers a year. Like the Sweet Autumn Clematis it can get pretty tall and wide reaching 15-20â in height and 4â in width.
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 emailing her at Kathleen@thegrowingscene.com. Have a gardening question? Please contact her. She may address it in an upcoming column
