When you have a garden, autumn can be about more than just growing mums.
We believe fall is for planting, and as summer ends, it’s time to get your fall flowers into the soil.
Let’s take a look at what you might want to plant for this fall.
First, you should have a strategy. When your summer flowers start to fade, rejuvenate the borders of your garden with some late season blooms. Perennials that you plant in the fall will develop strong roots in cooler/wetter months and will take off when spring comes again.
You can pick up fall blooms at our NJ garden center to beautify your autumn garden. Here are a few fall flowers to try out this year:
Rudbeckia
Also known as the “Prairie Sun” or “Black-Eyed Susans,” this rugged perennial is a cousin to the sunflower, and lends itself to sunny blooms that will return from the summer until first frost.
Echinacea
These flowers will rebloom through late fall, with dozens of daisy-like petals surrounding orange centers. You’ll find them in a number of colors, including butter-yellow and raspberry varieties.
Moonshine Yarrow
This easy-to-care-for perennial will give your garden a blanket of yellow from spring to fall, with flat flower heads that make a perfect landing space for pollinators.
Sedum
Otherwise known as “Autumn Fire,” these succulents require very little water and provide your garden with a burst of late-season color. Look for their blossoms to go from pink to copper as fall arrives.
Wendy’s Wish
The tubular flowers on this sage plant will attract hummingbirds to your garden, and provide a splash of vivid magenta from spring to fall.
Roses
Modern roses can bloom from spring to autumn, provided that you prune them in mid-summer, followed by a treatment of rose food and watering once or twice a week.
Easter daisies
Their name might suggest springtime, but these tall-growing perennials will bloom into autumn. Also known as Michaelmas daisies, their white flowers give off a honey aroma.
Dahlias
These lush blooms will add a sense of vibrancy to your garden from summer until the first frosts arrive. If you cut back the stems in autumn and leave tubers in the ground, they’ll regrow in spring.
Toad lilies
These orchid-like flowers are easy to care for, and do well in shady sections of your garden. Plant them to keep your yard from looking dull as the season ends.
Russian sage
This durable plant blooms in shades of airy blue and silver, providing a nice contrast to the reds and yellows of a lot of fall flowers.
Fall crocus
Think of these flowers as the forgotten step-child to the more popular spring crocus. They’re just as lovely, and do well in the sun or the shade.
Leadplant
Don’t let the name fool you: the term lead suggests something colorless, but this flower actually offers two vivid shades in the autumn: an electric blue followed by a lovely red.
And remember that fall isn’t just for planting flowers. Crops like lettuce and cabbage, beets and broccoli, carrots and cauliflower all do well in cooler weather, provided you plant them in advance of first frost.
Some plants, such as lettuce, can even survive fall’s initial frosts, but be sure to consult with a gardening professional before trying to grow new veggies in autumn.
Let Mendham Garden Center guide you as you prepare your garden for the fall. The experts at our three NJ garden centers can advise you on what to grow – or not grow – in your yard this autumn.