The End of Summer is Near - Keep Your Garden Looking Good!

Oh My! The end of summer is near and our gardens are looking a little drab. Question: What can we do to spice it up? Answer: Go to your local independent garden center and get some or all of the following plants, which will provide you with lots of fall & winter interest.

In the perennial category you will find:

Sedum: This traditional fall perennial has both upright & groundcover varieties.

Fall Asters: This is one of Susan’s favorites. It comes in so many colors and sizes- deep pinks, medium pink, blue, purple, & white to name a few. These wonderful long blooming perennials are anywhere from 8 inches to 4 feet tall.

Helenium: It comes in all different shades of yellow, orange and red. It is a tall, long blooming perennial.

Rudbeckia: Black Eyed Susans are known by everyone.

Japanese Anemones: Absolutely gorgeous flowers in either pink or white, blooms right into October. What a knock-out!!

Chelone (Turtlehead): They like moist soil but stay controlled in garden situations.

Aconitum fischerii – Fall Monkshood: It has dark glossy foliage, deep blue purple flowers that last until frost.

Perennial Chrysanthemum: The flowers look similar to an Aster and blooms continuously for 6 to 8 weeks.

Heuchera: It is a huge bang for your buck. It stays semi-evergreen through the winter, has fresh new growth in spring, summer & fall. In the autumn many of them take on even more interesting coloring.

Ornamental Grasses: This is a topic by itself. Grasses come in so many heights, growth habits, colors, etc. They provide huge fall & winter interest with their golden plumes on top of strong erect stems.

Other perennials that are worth a mention and bloom late summer into fall are Eupatorium (Joe Pye Weed), Coreopsis (many varieties) Echinacea (Coneflower), Salvia and Veronica.

If you want a climber that provides fall interest try Virginia Creeper, Boston Ivy, Schizophragma for great red leaf color. Or try the beautiful Clematis paniculata which has fragrant clusters of small white flowers in September/October. One of the best climbers for fall interest is Pyracantha (Firethorn). Technically it is not a climber, it grows very tall and upright but does not cling or twine. It can also be pruned to look like a shrub. It has profuse bright orange berries that persist through the fall.

Shrubs for fall interest include of course Burning Bush, for its vibrant red leaf color. Its close cousin the Spindle Tree has the same deep red leaf color but also has seed pods that pop in the fall to expose brilliant orange centers.

Caryopteris: A small shrub with blue flowers from August through to October.

Pee Gee Hydrangea: Beautiful large cone shaped flowers that turn pink with age, provide interest straight through the winter.

Red Twig & Yellow Dogwood: They have just that, red & yellow branches that absolutely shine against fresh fallen snow.

Gray Dogwood: It has wonderful clusters of blue berries.

Viburnum: Many varieties produce a show of berries in the fall from vibrant blue (Blue Muffin) to reds and pinks. The leaf color can be quite spectacular too.

Holly: The broadleaf variety which keep their leaves year round produce a beautiful show of red berries in the fall. However, the most spectacular berry display comes on the Canadian Holly (Ilex verticulata) which loses its leaves to display the incredible red berries. Breeders have developed many with very large berries
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Trees for fall interest include Mountain Ash which produces masses of red berries. Crabapples produce an abundance of small yellow or red fruit that persist well into the fall. Hawthorn also produces an abundance of red berries. All these are very attractive to birds. Many trees have a lovely exfoliating bark that provide year round interest, even more so once the leaves have dropped. Paperbark Maple (Acer griseum) would be my favorite. White Birch with its peeling bark is very attractive. There are many other trees that have interesting bark, such as the Striped Maple. Amur Maple is a large shrub/small tree 15 to 20 feet tall that has the most brilliant red fall color & dark pink/red seeds that hang off the bare branches well into the winter.

Don’t forget that Roses will produce flowers right through until frost if they have been properly fertilized & deadheaded throughout the growing season. Roses also produce orange to vibrant red hips that are gorgeous against fresh fallen snow.

These are only a few of the plants that come to mind when asked what to plant for fall. So when your garden starts to peter out late summer, just visit Oceanview Garden Centre for an abundance of choices. Happy fall planting!