by Ken Lain, the mountain gardener

Fall trees and shrubs with colorful fall foliage are a prized part of the autumn scene. Perennial and annual flowers are frosting of color at the same time. Fall flowers come in various colors, shapes, and sizes suitable for any garden style. Hardy perennial fall flowers bloom when many other plants are done for the season.

Fall plantings are substantial for your garden since the warm soil encourages root growth until the ground freezes in January. The roots are well established for a robust early spring plant that will take off next year. This is an ideal time to decorate Autumn gardens with additional color.

Tip

Enrich your garden’s soil with additional Premium Mulch or add Watters Potting soil for container and raised bed gardens. Fertilize with 7-4-4 All Purpose Plant Food when the garden is planted. Water in new Autumn plants with Root & Grow for reduced transplant stress and more blooms to the end of the year.

Here are 20 fall flowers to keep your landscape blooming through Autumn.

Asters, Symphyotrichum, bring vivid color to their showy flowers through fall. The blooms have a daisy-like flower stretching 2″ inches across. Pink to purple petals extend out from bright golden centers. Plants will self-seed if you leave the spent flower heads on; otherwise, you can cut the plants to the ground for a tidier look.

• USDA Growing Zones: 4 to 8
  • Color Varieties: Pink-purple, purple
  • Sun Exposure: 6+ Full sun
  • Soil Needs: Average, well-drained

Autumn Joy Sedum, Hylotelephium, and stonecrop is a low-maintenance plant that thrives in almost every garden. It prefers soil with sharp drainage. The plant blooms with small, star-shaped flowers that start pink but darken to red in Autumn. Pinch the plant back in the spring to encourage bushier growth.

• USDA Growing Zones: 3 to 9
  • Color Varieties: Pink, red
  • Sun Exposure: 6+ Full sun
  • Soil Needs: Sandy, well-drained

Blanket Flower, Gaillardia, is a perennial with a fast growth rate and a long bloom period from late spring through Autumn. The bright, daisy-like flowers stretch 3-4″ inches above the foliage on upright stems. If flowers slow in the Summer, prune back the plant to encourage more fall flowers.

• USDA Growing Zones: 3 to 10
  • Color Varieties: Red, yellow, orange
  • Sun Exposure: 6+ Full
  • Soil Needs: Average, medium moisture, well-drained

Mums, Chrysanthemums, are quintessential fall flowers. They start blooming in September and last until frost. And the many species come in various bloom shapes and colors. When selecting mums for fall planting, look for a plant that isn’t in full bloom yet. It will struggle less with transplanting. Keep garden soil moist but not soggy for the best flowers.

• USDA Growing Zones: 5 to 9
  • Color Varieties: Yellow, orange, white, red, purple, bi-colors
  • Sun Exposure: 6+ Full sun

• Soil Needs: Rich, moist well-drained

Pot Marigold, Calendula, will bloom in the late spring to early SummerSummer. Deadhead, or pinch, old flowers from this plant. Expect continuous blooms through fall. These plants feature daisy-like flowers that typically come in yellow or orange. They are grown as annuals but often self-seed in your garden.

• USDA Growing Zones: 2 to 11
  • Color Varieties: Yellow, orange, cream, pink
  • Sun Exposure: 6+ Full sun
  • Soil Needs: Average, well-drained

Red Salvia, also known as scarlet sage, has bright red flowers around 2 inches long and grows in clusters on erect stems above the foliage. It blooms June through the first fall frost. Plants are potted in the fall and overwintering indoors.

• USDA Growing Zones: 10 to 11
  • Color Varieties: Red
  • Sun Exposure: 6+ Full sun
  • Soil Needs: Moist, well-drained

Russian Sage, Perovskia, is a woody perennial with gray aromatic foliage. It has a long bloom period from mid-summer through fall with clusters of small, tubular flowers. While Russian sage can tolerate a bit of shade, the stems might flop over without enough sun, and flowering will likely be diminished. Cut plants back in the early spring for renewed growth.

• USDA Growing Zones: 5 to 9
  • Color Varieties: Blue, lavender
  • Sun Exposure: 6+ Full sun
  • Soil Needs: Average, dry to medium moisture, well-drained

Snapdragon, Antirrhinum, are perennials that are also grown as annuals. Blooming from spring to Autumn frost. In climates with hot summers, they often slow down in the heat but increase flowers when cool fall weather returns. The plants get their common name because the tubular flowers appear like a dragon’s head.

• USDA Growing Zones: 7 to 10
  • Color Varieties: White, yellow, red, orange, pink, purple
  • Sun Exposure: 6+ Full sun
  • Soil Needs: Rich, moist, well-drained

Sweet Alyssum, Lobularia, spreads with mounds of gray-green, lance-shaped foliage. Its clusters of small, four-petal, sweet-scented flowers first bloom in the spring through the end of the year and often seed themselves for next year’s flowers.

• USDA Growing Zones: 5 to 9
  • Color Varieties: WhiteSun Exposure: 6+ Full sun
  • Soil Needs: Average, well-drained

Violets refer to the low-growing, mounding plants that spread readily in the garden. Many species struggle in the summer heat but return with showy five-petal flowers in the fall. Apply 7-4-4 All Purpose Plant Food in Autumn to encourage fall flowers.

• USDA Growing Zones: 3 to 8
  • Color Varieties: Blue, purple, white
  • Sun Exposure: 4+ Full full
• Soil Needs: Rich, moist, well-drained

Free Garden Classes are offered @ Watters Garden Center

We go deep into growing better. Check out this Summer’s class selection offered every Saturday @ 9:30 am.

September 30- Fall Containers that Bloom Like Crazy

October   7 – Fall ‘To-do‘ list for a Healthy Yard

October 14 –  Autumn Colors Best Enjoyed at Home

Until next week, I’ll be helping gardeners grow Fall Flowers here at Watters Garden Center.

Ken Lain can be found throughout the week at Watters Garden Center, 1815 Iron Springs Rd in Prescott, or contacted through his website at WattersGardenCenter.com or Top10Flowers.com.