Fall garden.

For some, fall and garden do not go together in the same sentence.

I remember back when I lived in Michigan I pretty much threw up my hands in exasperation by the end August.   It was a sad sight.

Can you relate?

When I moved to New York I knew that my next garden needed to be an all-season garden.   Since I love the colors of fall and being outside, I made sure to select perennials that would bloom in September and into October.  My husband even says that he likes our fall garden best.  For me, that’s success!  I wish I could show you photos of that garden….hopefully my computer expert is soon able to extract them from my crashed laptop.

Now living in Pennsylvania, we have lots of shade, very stony clay soil, and a sloped yard.  It’s a bit of a challenge.  But, we decided to put a garden island in a spot that receives part sun in our back yard.    We brought some of our plants with us from NY; Tim selected some of his fall favorites.

Sedum ‘Vera Jameson’, Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’, Sedum telephium ‘Matrona’,and Eupatorium rugosum ‘Chocolate’  put on quite a nice show in September.  And here in my PA garden they are doing really well.  Lots of Sedum.  They are easy, they have good structure and substance in the garden, and even if it rains a lot, they look great for a long time.

Some years I don’t cut my Sedum down at the end of the season, but leave it up for winter interest.

Have you noticed all the Honey Bees and Bumble Bees buzzing on your fall flowers?  I love them.  And I love the fact that unless I squish them, they most likely will never sting me.

Another fall bloomer that I would like to add to my garden is the Fall or Japanese Anenome.  This one photographed at a park near my home is the variety Anemone × hybrida ‘Rosenschale’.  It’s considered to be a spreader….something I usually shy away from…yet I’m considering it.  Each time I move to a new area, I watch to see what plants people are growing.  I was encouraged to see the Fall Anemone doing well in the park.  Now I only need to decide….white or pink.  Hmmmm.  Which do you prefer?

What’s lovely about these plants I’ve mentioned is that they begin their bloom time in late August and put on a show through October.

A fall garden can also include Chrysanthemums and Asters.  Generally, I use them in my porch pots, and after they are spent I plant them in the ground for the following year.  Though in my NY garden I had mixed emotions about them.  Some years they did well, other years the plants did not even survive through the spring.  I’ve decided that my best option is to treat them like annuals.  And if they look great the following year….I’m doubly blessed.

• Is your garden tired and worn out come fall?
• What are your favorite fall plants?
• I’d love to hear your Fall garden successes….even failures.

Here’s to Extraordinary Gardening!

Diane

To receive more inspiration like this in your inbox or reader, subscribe now.  It’s FREE!

If you enjoyed the post, please invite your friends for a visit.  Thanks!!