My garden is almost exclusively perennials, pink, purple, blue and white. I have fairly limited full sun space, the rest being partial shade with some sun, or even full shade.
Right now, the garden doesn't have many blooming plants. I would appreciate suggestions for late summer, and autumn blooming plants to perk up the garden, and cheer me up before the advent of winter.
I live in Lexington, MA. (I do have phlox, and some anemones, as well as cimicifuga and perovskia)
Thank you,
msmouser
perennials for late August, and autumn
Here are some of my pres and annuals that are still blooming.Bev
For partial shade,Lobelia and Chelone are a couple.For more sunny areas,Asters like Orphanage Plant,Ornamental Kale,Goldenrod,mums,to name a few.
Lynn
Tricyrtis (toad lily) is only just starting to bloom now. The flowers aren't large, but they're quite exotic looking and lovely. Mine are in areas with more shade than sun and very happy there.
Do toad lilies bloom in the fall, and not in the summer?
yes. Starting late summer and into the fall - a little behind the japanese anemones.
My helenium(below) are my best for the second half of August. Otherwise asters as mentioned come in many colors and heights.
My black eyed susans are still going strong
That's a great one Al ! I forgot to mention Helianthus 'Lorraine Sunshine' never stops blooming until a couple of frosts.Some of the newer Rudbeckias hang in there a long time,too.
Lynn
So far,Ligularia 'Britt Marie Crawford' is still going very strong.Even after the flowers die (and their blooms are not among my favorites) the foliage stays beautiful and it tolerates quite a bit of shade.
Lynn
yes- quite true guys. My helenium, helianthus and black eyed susans are all still going strong, and the asters are just beginning to bud. I get no more than about 6 hours of sun in my sunniest spots, but my sunniest spots are where all of these plants are.
I also love tricyrtis and chelone for fall.
Rabdosia is also a september bloomer for partial shade.
And there are a lot of wonderful salvias which are stars in the fall.
Most aren't hardy in my climate, but do wonderfully planted as annuals.
Big bold splashes of color. Easy and reliable.
They need at least 1/2 day sun, I would guess.
Salvia leucantha is my favorite, but others include s. guaranitica, s. 'black and blue'.
'Black and blue' isn't supposed to be hardy here, but has been perennial for me.
Here's a picture of a rabdosia bloom.
Here's salvia leucantha.
And salvia 'Black and blue'.
The fall color in the background shows you it's blooming in fall!
And I forgot about aconitum. Does really well in partial shade.
Shown here again with some fall color.
I have a black-eyed susan that starts blooming in September, after the regular ones are finished. It's more of a shrub-type plant -- Rudbeckia Triloba. Also, Purple Dome aster and hardy Ageratum bloom in the fall. Oh, and ginger lily. The leaves are showier than the flowers, but the flowers smell really good and bloom in Sept/October. I'm in zone 7B.
How about some hardy hibiscus?
I second all the above suggestions but I need to mention the monkshood is supposed to be extremely poisonous. I have been putting off trying that until my youngest girl is older because of it. just thought you should know in case you have any pets or kids that could get into them. : )
Another I didn't see already mentioned are Hardy mums like Sheffield pink or Clara Curtis are ones I've opted to try after seeing some pink chrysanthemums blooming in a couple yards around town. This was when not a single other flower could be seen that hadn't been wiped out by frost! I am not sure exactly which type they were in the peoples yards but these were the closest I could guess.I have been told if you want them to be hardy up here they 'have' to be planted in spring.
Someone had to have said autumn joy sedum already right?
Also right now my Sunset Hyssop are beautiful!!
I like Joe Pye Weed as well. It's still going strong and has been for quite some time for me. : )
I only casually mentioned mums,but in this area they are a fall standout and will bloom until a heavy frost.Sedums like 'Autumn Joy',and many others are just beginning their fall glory.
I'm in 5a and have planted mums in both fall and spring.Not all come back every year,but most do.The important thing to remember if you plant in spring,is pinch,pinch,pinch,at least until mid to late July for a really full plant covered with blooms.
Lynn
Not sure of your Zone, but Caryopteris 'Snow Fairy' is lovely for the fall. http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/68422/ (hardy to Zone 6) Variegation is wonderful all summer and by the end of August it's covered with tiny blue flowers. I'll try to take a photo today and post it to show you, it "cheers me up" every time I look at it :)
My corydalis is still blooming, and has been since spring. Likes shade/ part sun. I have it planted around the base of 2 trees in shallow soil where not much else beside ground cover would want to grow.
Your Coryalis is beautiful! I have always wanted to try one. It's good to see you are having such good results growing it so close by to me.
They proliferate like weeds in my yard. If you ever come through Boston, let me know and I'll gladly dig you up some.
Sharon
Oh thank you you are so sweet! I was just in Jamaica Plain back in June, I brought the kids to the zoo. : )
Well let me know when you come around again this fall or next year. The plants are pretty fragile when out of the ground, so probably not too easy to ship.
Caryopteris is a great fall bloomer. Mine is blue and it really perks up the fall garden. I have September Charm anemone planted near it.
weerobin, pls tell us more about Rabdosia. I couldn't find much hort info; just about its use in cancer treatment. I did see Plant Delights Nursery has R. longituba. Is that the one you grow?
Thanks, everyone
I guess I forgot to mention I'm in zone 5a-5b, and I only plant purple, white, blue and pink.
I love the look of tricyrtis, but don't seem to be able to get it to grow for me. Any thoughts???
msmouser, I doubt you're much more than 15 miles or so from me, and I'm in zone 6a. I find that some tricyrtis takes a year or two to get established, while some takes off pretty quickly. If you've only tried it in one spot, pick another part-shade to shade area and try it there. I usually mix some composted manure with humus into the soil before I plant (for most perennials, in general), but don't do anything special after that - I fertilize occasionally but often don't remember to. I don't know what tricyrtis wants for PH, but if you find you still can't grow it, you could find out from a nursery that grows it, test your soil and amend it if necessary.
If you're looking for more hardy mums, try any variety that is marked "Belgium Mum". I find that they are super-hardy, especially if planted in the spring here is Zone 5b, come in a variety of colors, don't require pinching to stay compact, and bloom profusely. They get huge after a few years, with no need to divide for many years. I treat them as die-back shrubs, much like caryopteris and the newer crape myrtles for colder areas. They also bloom in the fall (late September through October), when the color is really needed (like proper mums are supposed to do), not in August like so many newer varieties seem to be bred to do. A local garden nursery sells only Belgium mum varieties and they are wonderful. They do best in full sun of course.
Msmouser, how about NE asters? Mine are purple, I have two different kinds which come right after each other. One is smaller and lower and bluer, one is bigger and taller and pinker, but as to which is which, i couldn't say. (I.e., it might be low and big and pinker, or taller and bluer and later, or earlier and taller and pinker and then lower and bluer!) And then I do have the Sheffield pink chrysanthemum, which I pinch until July 4, and look forward to all summer.
(This is not my picture.)
Sunflowers are still going and going and going! Not a perennial, but the save the seed and you can have some next season! Fill your bird feeds with the rest..They love them!
NE Asters & Goldenrod
I just noticed that in the last few days my Gaura (pink) and Agastache (pink,purple and orange) have really taken off.They are so much brighter and taller than they were a few weeks ago.
Lynn
A bonus with the Agastache ( I have Acapulco) are the Hummingbirds it attracts.
Hummingbirds aren't a BONUS with agastache - they're main reason to grow them :0)!
Yeah, my gaura is looking good too!
If my BES doesn't perform better next year they are out of here. They look so pathetic.
I"m much further south than most of you, by my asters (Jane Bath and Purple Dome) have just begun while my pink (Clara Curtis?) has not yet started blooming. Everything seems really late.
Salvia leucantha is just now in bloom and I was disappointed that Goldenrod ' Golden Fleece' is already over, blooms turned brown.
My Obedient Plants are growing in shade...And their just starting to bloom now..But i'm gonna try some in full sun to see what happens..
My Annual reseeders Spider Flowers (Cleome) are blooming still...they start late summer here....I have Purple Queen and Rose Queen...
And my Zebra Mallow Zebrina is still going at it strong....
Haven't reseeded any of them... they've been doing the job themselves..
I have seeds of all 3...
I have some in a bed that doesn't get sun till afternoons...