Fall is prime gardening time so take advantage of these golden days to beautify your space, tackle some outdoor chores and get a head start on next year!
REFRESH SUMMER FLOWER POTS that are looking tired. Gently pull out any spent plants and replace with fresh annuals or perennials. Some cold tolerant varieties include Lamium, Pansies, Violas, Asters, Heucheras, Grasses, Ornamental Kale and Cabbages, as well as classic Chrysanthemums.
BRING IN ANY TENDER PLANTS you intend to keep over the winter. Summer houseplant vacation time is over, so make sure you bring your babies back inside now before evening temperatures start dipping into the 30’s. If you intend to save corms or tubers such as Caladiums, Cannas, Gladiolas or Dahlias, make preparations to store them properly over the winter so that you can enjoy them again next year.
CLEAN UP YOUR FLOWER BEDS by pulling up dying annuals and cutting back any dry and withered perennial leaves or flower stalks. Be sure to leave some seedheads for the birds and winter interest! It’s surprising how some minimal tidying up in the garden right now will refresh and revitalize the space and carry it through until that final killing frost.
LIFT, DIVIDE AND TRANSPLANT any overgrown perennials or add a few new ones. The moderate temperatures and reliable rainfall of autumn help plants get quickly established before winter sets in, giving perennials a vigorous head start on growth next year!
Photo courtesy of morningchores.com
PLANT FLOWER BULBS now for early spring color. The list of bulbs available for fall planting is vast so narrow it down to your favorites while also keeping bulb-snacking critters in mind. Some dependable bulbs that naturally repel voles, mice, chipmunks and squirrels include Snowdrops, Siberian Squill, Snow Glories, Hyacinth, Daffodils and Alliums.
SPREAD COMPOST around your plants to nourish and protect both new and established gardens. Adding nutrient-rich compost will greatly improve the quality of your soil and help retain moisture during dry summers. Good quality bagged compost is available at any garden center or start your own pile now: https://www.epa.gov/recycle/composting
CELEBRATE THE SEASON and be sure to give thanks for another bountiful gardening year!
All photos by Nancy Marie Allen except where noted
With fall planting season just around the corner, late August is the perfect time for evaluating our flower gardens and planning for any changes we’d like to see next season.
Start by taking a good look at your garden space(s), preferably with a notebook in hand, and jot down what you liked about this year and what needs changing. Ask yourself a few questions: What were your best performers this year and would you like to add more? Is it time to divide some overgrown perennials? Would you like to attract more birds, butterflies and bees? Do you need to focus more on xeriscaping with plants that require minimal water? And, what about adding some spring bulbs to extend your garden season with early color? Defining your garden goals and writing them down provides a convenient checklist to work from.
Now is also a good time to think about garden color, whether you grow perennials, annuals, or a combination of both. Do you love bright pops of red, orange and yellow or is a soothing pastel palette more your style? If you’re like me, you may want to use all of these colors over the season. For example, my earliest spring flowers and those that bloom through June tend to be pale yellows, pinks, purples and blues, while July through September blooms lean towards bolder and warmer colors.
When cool and warm colors are used together, they can really enhance one another such as the blue hardy geranium with golden Rudbeckia in the photo above. I also like to use white as it adds softness and elegance to any color scheme. Looking at a color wheel for reference will help you easily find colors that work together, whether analagous and side by side in the same color family or complementary at opposite ends.
As you dream about next year’s colorful flowers, don’t forget the importance of having good garden soil. Try to get into the habit of adding compost to your garden every fall for its valuable nutrients and moisture-retentive qualities. You can just layer it on top of your garden, around existing plants, and let the rain and snow of winter do the rest of the work. In the spring, add a generous layer of shredded bark mulch. Trust me, if you do these two things every year, it will make the difference between a garden that’s just surviving and one that’s thriving!
Successful gardening requires devotion and commitment, but even with all that enthusiasm, it’s easy to become overwhelmed by the sheer work involved in dividing and moving plants, improving soil, creating new flower beds or restoring old ones. However, by writing your goals down and prioritizing what’s most important, you can tackle one task at a time over months or even years, eventually ending up with the beautiful garden you’ve always wanted!
If you haven’t yet explored the many types of hardy geraniums, you’re missing some amazing garden plants. By staggering varieties and bloom times, you can enjoy these cheerful blooms from spring to fall.
Close-up of hardy geranium “Rozanne” (Photo by Nancy Marie Allen)
Hardy geraniums, also known as Cranesbill, are generally carefree plants that tolerate some shade and do best in rich humusy soil. The larger ones make excellent middle of the border plants while the smaller varieties look best softening the garden’s edge. Hardy geraniums generally have a mounding habit with round, open flowers that bloom on long wiry stems. I like to think of these plants as “fillers” as they tend to weave and tumble through surrounding plants, filling in any available space and creating that flouncy “cottage garden” look I adore. They are not all blue, of course, but I love shades of blue with all the pinks, purples, reds, yellows and oranges that make up my summer gardens. Below, I will showcase some of the most popular blue varieties.
“Rozanne” still partying on in mid-October (Photo by Nancy Marie Allen)
There are some plants that deserve a gold star for effort and hardy geranium “Rozanne” is certainly one! It’s mid-October here in Northeast Massachusetts and most of the perennial garden is looking ready for a long winter’s nap, that is, except for Rozanne. After a few nights already in the low 30’s, just missing a freeze, this prolific bloomer is still partying on while everybody else in the garden has already gone to bed. Rozanne begins flowering here in late June and continues on and on until frost.
Geranium “Orion” (Photo courtesy of Annie’s Annuals & Perennials)
Slightly larger in size, another favorite blue geranium of mine is “Orion” which blooms in June well before Rozanne and has a similar purple-blue color and habit. Although Orion generally flowers for only a couple of months (still an amazingly long time by perennial standards), it’s another prodigious bloomer that is simply stunning next to the early yellow daylily “Happy Returns.” The photo above is a good example of how this serene blue complements every surrounding color.
Geranium “Dragon Heart” (Photo courtesy of Geranium Collection)
A few years ago I was fortunate to have some “Dragon Heart” which is a large and vigorous hardy geranium with a deeper purple hue and dark veining. Unfortunately, the plants were in my vegetable garden in full sun and succumbed to one very hot, dry summer. Dragon Heart is another early bloomer that I paired with pink roses and sparkling Allium Christophii (Star of Persia) for a lovely early summer vignette.
“Johnson’s Blue” Geranium (Photo courtesy of Michigan Bulb Company)
One of the most popular blue geraniums dating back to the 1950’s is “Johnson’s Blue.” As shown in the photo, this lower-growing, periwinkle blue geranium makes a lovely groundcover for the garden’s edge and, with enough sun, the foliage turns a striking red in fall.
Here are some hardy geranium facts:
Perfect cottage garden companions
Can be used as groundcovers
Tolerate full sun to partial shade
Prefer humusy, compost rich soil
Range from 12 to 20 inches in height and can spread up to 24 inches
Many boast colorful autumn foliage
Most are reliably heavy bloomers
Grow best in Hardiness Zones 4 – 9
Hardy Geraniums complement their neighbors (Photo by Nancy Marie Allen)
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October is the grand finale of the gardening season and the optimal time to prepare for spring!
Although May is probably the busiest gardening month for me, October brings about its own frenzy of activity. It’s my last chance to get it all done before snow – a month of bringing in tender plants, dividing and moving perennials, planting bulbs, and, finally, putting the garden to bed for winter.
Rose Hips in Fall (Photo by Roman Kraft)
GETTING READY FOR BED
Chatting with fellow gardeners over the years, I’ve discovered that everyone has their own garden bedtime ritual. For me, the schedule goes like this. Mid-September through mid-October is perennial dividing and planting time. Many plants, shrubs, and trees get established faster in the moderate temperatures and frequent rains that fall provides. By the time spring rolls around, they are well on their way and better able to withstand those first hot days and the dry conditions that are sure to follow. Best of all, I’m not out in the hot spring sun digging and watering, the heaviest work having already been done in the cooler days of fall.
For many of us, all those beautiful potted plants that we brought outdoors in spring now have to return to their inside home. Watch the forecast for any impending frost and plan accordingly. It’s always best to segregate your outdoor plants to one area of your home where you can monitor them for any insects before letting them join your other houseplants. Placing them in a cool room initially will help them gradually get used to the warmer and drier air of the house. Any potted perennials can be moved into an unheated garage where you should water them sparingly until putting them out again in the spring. Tender bulbs like gladiolas, tuberous begonias and dahlias should also be lifted and stored out of the cold. For tips on winterizing tender bulbs and plants, click on the link: https://wimastergardener.org/article/storing-tender-bulbs-for-winter/
BULBS AND MORE BULBS
October is also prime bulb planting time. Visualize your garden in early spring. Would you like to see flowers blooming as early as February and continuing on through summer? If so, look into all the types of flowering bulbs that are available and pop a few favorites into the soil now. Come spring, you’ll be glad you did! For more on planting bulbs, see my blog, The Wonderful World of Bulbs
Blooming Bulbs (Photo by Erda Estremera)
GARLIC ANYONE?
Garlic is also a bulb that you can plant in the fall. Best done from mid-October thru early November, garlic bulbs are the last thing I plant. Shredded leaves make a great mulch to layer over the garlic bed for winter protection. In early spring you’ll notice the long green leaves coming right through the mulch and by summer your garlic will be ready for harvest! For detailed instructions on planting garlic, click on the link: https://nevegetable.org/crops/garlic
Garlic Cloves Ready to Plant (Photo by Joey Huang)
ONE FINAL CLEANING
Cutting back spent perennial foliage is best left until after a hard frost when pretty much everything has died back to the ground. I like to leave some plants standing for winter interest. The dried flowers of astilbe and sedum look lovely into late fall and add drama when they catch an early snowfall. Seedpods of echinacea and rudbeckia provide food for birds while rose hips and berries add spots of color in an otherwise dreary landscape. How much you clean up is really a personal choice; just remember that all dead plant material and fallen leaves return valuable nutrients back to the soil.
After all the plants and bulbs are in the ground, and any plants I want to save have been brought inside, there are a couple of final steps I take before winter. One thing I do every fall is to apply organic bulb food to my garden beds. This is really the only fertilizer I use and it seems to benefit my perennials as well as the flower bulbs. On top of that, I like to spread some compost around my plants which not only provides nutrients over the coming months but helps to improve the soil. Shredded fall leaves make a great winter mulch for plants that might need some extra protection like hydrangeas or roses, and a good layer of snow provides the perfect winter blanket!
Photo by Alex@worthyofelegance
SAYING GOOD NIGHT
I’ve always hated goodbye’s and coming to the end of the gardening season is no exception. The cold and gray winter months ahead can look so bleak but I know there’s life under the surface, waiting for the warmth of spring to begin anew. So rather than say “Goodbye” to all my garden friends, instead I’ll say, “Good night, sweet garden – See you in the spring!”
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OLD-FASHIONED PLANT VARIETIES CONTINUE TO GROW ON!
Friends and neighbors have shared many wonderful plants with me over the years but by far the most beloved of all my plants are those that come from my childhood home on the coast of Massachusetts.
I was fortunate to be born to parents who loved to garden and who passed that passion on to me. Every summer we had a small vegetable garden with tomatoes and green beans, and there were always flowers blooming in our large perennial garden. I vividly remember the blue and white iris, lupine and tawny daylilies, many of which had already been growing for years. With so many sweet memories attached to them, divisions of these plants just had to come with me when I moved to my own home.
ONE REMARKABLE HOSTA
At some point in the 50’s or 60’s my father planted several large hostas in the front of our house near the street. Placed where they received only hot afternoon sun, they were not ideally situated. However, in spite of the tough growing conditions and without any special care, these remarkable plants produced a spectacular flower show every August and September.
Old-fashioned Hosta Lancifolia in my September garden (Photo by Nancy Marie Allen)
What type of hosta would have such an iron constitution and such abundant blooms? After doing some research, I believe this plant is the old-fashioned variety, hosta lancifolia. So named because of the lance-shaped leaves, hosta lancifolia comes from Asia and is supposedly one of the earliest varieties to be planted in this country. Although I have other “modern” hostas, this classic beauty from home remains my favorite.
Close-up of Hosta Lancifolia (Photo by Nancy Marie Allen)
MEMORABLE ADDITIONS
In addition to the hosta, I also saved some of the Siberian iris, daylilies and hyacinth bulbs from my mother’s perennial garden. These hardy plants have since been spread all over my property and divisions have been passed on to others. By adding white lilacs and rhododendrons which were also a part of my parents’ garden, I’ve managed to create around my home a constant and comforting reminder of my family and childhood. Plant gifts from neighbors and friends have only added to my collection of sweet memories that return for me year after year, the cherished rewards of “growing it forward.”
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I grow several plants in my zone 6 garden that are considered “invasive” or plants that tend to spread rampantly. If you look on your State’s website, you will find a list of invasive trees and plants that should never be planted in your area. Purple Loosestrife, for example, is an aggressive grower in New England that is taking over marshes and ponds, choking out wildlife habitat. I’m not talking about the plants that have been blacklisted but instead the ones you can purchase from your local garden center that are best described as “enthusiastic” growers. Over the years I’ve discovered there’s a fine line between plants that are considered garden thugs and those that are helpful heroes. It’s all in how you use them.
Using Groundcovers
Many groundcovers are aggressive spreaders. As the name implies, these are generally plants that will cover a lot of ground and do it quickly! Groundcovers can be extremely valuable in covering unsightly areas of our yards where other plants won’t grow. For this reason landscapers love them but new gardeners may hesitate to bring these rowdy boys home. The trick with using assertive spreaders is to keep them from getting out-of-bounds.
A case in point is the innocent looking “Creeping Jenny” with its diminutive chartreuse leaves. Planted in rich garden soil, this bright gem spreads like a bad case of poison ivy and can easily take over your flower bed. I know this from personal experience! But I love the bright green color and delicate appearance of this plant, so I use it where it can be left to its own devices – in semi-shaded bare spots around the yard or combined with other plants in flower pots where its rampant growth is confined. In the right spot “Jenny” may even reward you with bright yellow summer flowers.
Creeping Jenny shines with Obsidian Heuchera and Hosta (Photo by Nancy Marie Allen)
Another popular groundcover is Ajuga or Bugleweed. The common Ajuga reptans brightens my yard with beautiful blue or white flower spikes in May. It tends to spread into the lawn but, dug up and replanted in early spring, you can easily direct this plant where you want it to grow. Ajuga appreciates semi-shade but will adapt to full sun given adequate moisture. Two varieties that I love are “Black Scallop” and “Chocolate Chip” whose striking foliage looks good all season. (See photos below) Deep blue flower spikes are a bonus in the spring. Although Ajuga spreads quickly, it plays well with others in my garden beds and is easily divided and moved to other areas.
A native groundcover that I’ve used extensively in my yard is Vinca minor, also known as “Periwinkle” or “Creeping Myrtle.” In April, the glossy dark green foliage is covered with light blue flowers that positively sparkle in the sun. Vinca thrives along the bright edges of the woods and quickly covers large areas. On the aggressive side with its long runners attaching to any bare soil, this groundcover is best left to its own space where it will fill in to form a lush green carpet. One stunning early spring combination is the twinkling blue flowers of Vinca planted at the feet of bright yellow Forsythia!
Vinca Minor (Photo by Nancy Marie Allen)
Giving the Big Boys Room
Although we don’t usually think of our tall perennials as invasive, there are some big boys that tend to spread aggressively and quickly. Large clumps of sun-loving Shasta daisies, tall daylilies, phlox and perovskia can become almost shrub-like in size, easily overcoming a small garden. Tall grasses also make a big statement and need lots of space to spread. If you love big plants, give them plenty of room at the back of the border where they won’t dwarf your smaller perennials OR group them in a bed by themselves.
Purple Fountain Grass easily dwarfs its neighbors (Photo by Nancy Marie Allen)
In the semi-shade garden, Grape Leaf Anemone is another back-of-the-border plant that can quickly grow to three feet tall and wide, and the long flower stalks may need support. Valuable as a prodigious late summer to early fall bloomer, the pale pink to mauve blooms blend beautifully with late-blooming hostas and Rudbeckia. Because of its robust constitution, it may need to be thinned out in early spring to keep it from taking over but it’s worth the extra effort just to enjoy the spectacular late season show!
Grape Leaf Anemone (Photo by Nancy Marie Allen)
Go Ahead and Grow It Anyway
The only way we learn about the nature of plants is to grow them ourselves. Remember that whatever a plant’s reputation, your experience with it will be unique to your climate and growing conditions. Don’t be afraid to try a plant with an eager temperament; just plant with restraint if using in established flower beds and monitor its habit over the growing season. Alternatively, if you want to cover a shabby area and turn it into something you’re proud of, using these vigorous spreaders can give you almost instant gratification. So, go ahead and take a few of these plants home for a test drive. Only then will you discover who are the garden thugs and who are the helpful heroes in your garden!
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Asters, Rudbeckia and Sedum create a long-lasting autumn flower show!
Chrysanthemums are undoubtedly the flowers most people think of when Labor Day weekend rolls around. They come in a variety of colors and sizes and you can purchase early, mid and late season bloomers to keep the show going for weeks. Left in their pots they are easily moved around to add late season color where needed; and when combined with pumpkins, cornstalks and gourds, they make splendid fall arrangements for our front entryways. Although I love chrysanthemums, they have two major drawbacks – they need to be watered religiously to keep them from drooping and, although called “hardy,” they are not reliably perennial here in New England. So what autumn bloomers meet my criteria for “power” perennials or plants that are drought tolerant, care-free, and perform over a long period of time?
At the top of my list is Sedum, “Autumn Joy,” one of those rare perennial plants that looks beautiful spring, summer and fall. Because sedums are succulents – plants whose leaves hold water – they require no special treatment other than a sunny site in your garden. What makes “Autumn Joy” so remarkable is its chameleon personality during the growing season. It starts out in early spring with rosettes of leaves clustered close to the ground. Slowly, over the spring and summer, the broccoli-like flower stalks become the focus, changing color from the palest green to soft pink to a deep russet by late fall. At 12 to 24 inches tall, “Autumn Joy” is the perfect middle-of-the-border plant.
Sedum “Autumn Joy” in my late August garden (Photo by Nancy Marie Allen)
Taking up the back of the border are the tall asters which can easily reach three feet tall. I have two New England asters that have staggered bloom times – one a deep purple that blooms in September and the other a softer purple-pink that blooms into October. Aster frikartii “Monch” is one of the earliest to bloom in a pleasing periwinkle blue that blends well with its neighbors. By adding different varieties of asters, you can extend the flowering season until frost. Taller asters look amazing planted behind sedum which incidentally helps to keep the long stems from falling over – no staking needed! Though they can be susceptible to downy mildew, I haven’t found that to be a problem, instead finding them quite vigorous and trouble-free. They can even take a bit of shade but will bloom more abundantly in the sunny border.
Aster frikartii “Monch” (Photo by Nancy Marie Allen)
The classic Black-Eyed Susan known as “Goldsturm” rounds out my trio of autumn “power” perennials. Blooming starts here in July and continues through September if plants are deadheaded. The golden yellow blooms light up the garden like nothing else and last over such a long period of time that they bridge the summer garden into fall. They are stunning planted en masse and combine well with other late summer and fall bloomers. “Goldsturm” prefers full sun but will tolerate some shade.
Aster “Monch,” Rudbeckia “Goldsturm” and Sedum “Autumn Joy” (Photo by Nancy Marie Allen)
There are many varieties of these plants available, just find ones that will grow in your hardiness zone and light conditions since we all lose some garden sunlight in the fall. Remember also to group your autumn plants together for best effect and a dazzling grand finale!
DISCLOSURE: From time to time I may use Affiliate Links such as the ones below. I use these only for companies I trust. When you click through on the link and make a purchase from the website, I may make a small commission (at no additional cost to you) which helps me to maintain my website.
Life-giving sunlight changes over time and affects how our gardens grow.
If there’s one thing we can count on in life, it’s change. We live in a constantly changing world of seasons – spring, summer, autumn, winter – and each season has its own light.
As September approaches, the available sunlight in my foundation garden dramatically diminishes. The once partially shaded garden on one side now enjoys nearly full shade, while the sunny side of the garden receives a fraction of the sunlight that radiated down in May, June and July. The vegetable garden, sited for maximum sun exposure, manages to keep producing vegetables into fall.
In the spring, there’s an abundance of light everywhere as the days grow longer. Early bulbs quickly bloom and then fade, making way for spring perennials such as hardy geranium, Lamb’s Ears, allium, Lady’s Mantle and peonies. Later, sun-loving daylilies, “Moonbeam” coreopsis, “Rozanne” geranium and coneflowers take over the show, happily blooming through the long days of summer.
Early Morning Sunlight in June (Photo by Nancy Marie Allen)
Of all the gardening seasons, it’s the fall that gives us the most challenges in terms of light. When planting fall blooming perennials it’s important to make sure that any sun lovers go into your sunniest spots. Otherwise you’ll be left with plants that live but don’t thrive, and after doing all the hard work of planting, you want the most blooms for your efforts. On the other hand, if you’re planting spring or summer perennials in the fall, you’ll have a lot more leeway as to where to place them, knowing that the spring and summer months provide the most abundant sunlight over a wider area.
Trees also change the light that reaches our gardens. A partially sunny area five years ago becomes more shaded over time as the trees in our yards grow ever larger, blocking valuable sunlight. An addition to the house or a new outbuilding can also affect the light in nearby gardens. When the light changes around our gardens, we have to change our gardens to accommodate the new growing conditions; otherwise, we are left with gardens that survive but don’t thrive!
The small garden below is a work in progress as the plants are still filling in. Many years ago I had sun-loving roses planted here, but over time a large evergreen to the left has almost completely shaded the area. Now, with only morning sun, this space is perfect for the ferns, hostas, brunnera and ajuga that appreciate the shady site.
Shade Garden in August (Photo by Nancy Marie Allen)
Taking yearly photos of your garden is a great way to see how light changes over time. By planning ahead, and growing plants in places that have the best light conditions for them, we can make the difference between a garden that just hums along and one that sings out loud!
DISCLOSURE: From time to time I may use Affiliate Links such as the ones below. I use these only for companies I trust. When you click through on the link and make a purchase from the website, I may make a small commission (at no additional cost to you) which helps me to maintain my website.
