Asters (Michaelmas Daisy): 

These long-lived perennials are perfect for middle of the border displays and dependable fall color. Asters have daisy-like flowers that bloom in shades of blue, lavender and purple. They combine well with the rich colors of fall. Grow asters in a sunny spot with evenly moist soil. The variety Aster ‘Alert’ has vibrant carmine purple blooms on plants that are more compact – perfect for fall container gardens.

Tip: Asters are descended from native wild flowers and do not need rich soil or a lot of fertilizer. Avoid wetting the foliage with overhead watering to keep the leaves free of disease. Divide aster clumps every three to four years in the spring or fall replanting only the outer clumps of the mother plant.

Chrysanthemums (Mums): 

The traditional flower of the autumn season; mums the word for a variety of color and flower shapes. You can purchase potted mums at the end of summer to replace your summer-weary annuals growing in containers. Once the blooming season is over, transplant the perennial mum plants into the ground. They will be more likely to survive the winter and provide more blooms in the years to come.

Tip: In June prune back the new growth on your mum plants to one half their height. This will ensure that the plants have compact and sturdy stems to support the fall flowers.

Ornamental Cabbage and Kale: 

Big, bold foliage with ruffled edges make these plants show stoppers in container gardens and garden beds. Cabbage and kale will do best in partly shaded areas and cool climates. If you live in a hot summer climate unless you wait until October and plant once the cooler autumn weather arrives. The colorful heads of ruffled leaves look best when viewed from above or when displayed on a hillside or slope. Combine the rounded shape of these foliage plants with upright bloomers like mums and asters for outstanding fall color displays.

Tip: Protect cabbage and kale from slugs and snails to avoid the look of lacey leaves.

Winter Pansies: 

Fall will really resemble a second spring if you add the cold-tolerant pansy varieties to your garden. A cool spot with moist soil is best for pansies and violas and summer container gardens that need a fall facelift can be revitalized by adding some winter pansies to the mix. Winter pansies will often survive mild winters to flower again in early spring. Landscapers that add a fall planting of tulips or daffodils will plant a display of winter pansies on top of the bulb installation for instant fall color and as a spring backdrop for the blooming bulbs.

Tip: Deadhead or remove the faded pansy blooms to keep these plants in almost continuous bloom.

Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’: 

There are many sedums that bloom late in the season, but sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ provides the largest panicles of blooms with a long season of color. In mid-summer the flat flower buds are lime green, changing to cream, then peach and finally rust as winter arrives. This is a great perennial for attracting more pollinating insects to the garden and sedums are naturally drought resistant.

Tip: To make this perennial more compact with sturdy stems, shorten the new growth by one half in late May. This forces more branching, more flowers and autumn joy.

Echinacea (Coneflower):

This North American native plant will survive drought and average soil and still pump out the daisy-like blooms all summer and into the fall. Butterflies and birds are attracted to the center seed pods and plenty of new varieties offer brighter colors and longer lasting blooms. Look for vivid orange, yellow, pink and cream shades.

Tip: This perennial is great for cut flowers and by harvesting the blooms you’ll be encouraging even more flowers. Divide mature clumps in spring or fall to increase you supply.

Rudbeckia Daisy: 

A native meadow flower, rudbeckias do well in sunny sites with good drainage where they provide late summer and fall color up until the first hard frost. New varieties provide more colors and different sizes but the gold standard is still the golden rudbeckia called ‘Goldsturm’ with sturdy stems that support the bright yellow blooms without the need for staking.

Tip: This perennial is easy to divide and move about the garden for repeating clumps of color. Dig into the center of the plant with a sharp shovel and separate sections in early spring.

Ornamental Grasses: 

The tall clumps of ornamental grass that look spectacular in the fall are best planted in the spring, but the shorter varieties such as blue fescue are under one foot tall and can be added to the landscape in the fall for instant texture, color and gratification. A new variety Festuca ‘Beyond Blue’ is especially drought resistant and has a tidy growth habit as well as blades that stay blue all year long.

Tip: The blue fescues do not go dormant or turn brown in the winter and do not need to be pruned back in the spring.

Unusual Fall Blooming Bulbs –

Autumn will really look like your second spring if you add these bulbs that flower in the fall. Unlike traditional spring blooming bulbs, these plants send up green leaves in the spring, then the foliage disappears in the summer. Just when you have forgotten all about the buried bulbs the flowers emerge without foliage in the fall to accent the landscape and celebrate the season year after year.

Colchicum: 

The large white or purple petals of this low growing bulb resemble water lilies and are always a bit of a surprise when they suddenly erupt from the ground in autumn. The blooms have no foliage so they look great surrounded by low growing groundcovers such as sedums or lamiums. Colchicums like well drained soils like most bulbs but they do need summer moisture and in warm summer climates they prefer a shaded site.

Tip: Buy and plant this bulb in early September but don’t delay – get the fresh bulbs into the ground immediately as they are not dormant and can dry out. You will be able to enjoy blooms the very same autumn.

Lycoris: 

This fall blooming bulb is a member of the lily family and the funnel shaped blooms do well in hot southern climates. Great for areas that suffer from deer and rodent damage as this bulb is not edible. Look for Lycoris radiate also known as the spider lily if you want to add a punch of bright red color and an unusual shape to your autumn garden.

Tip: Be patient and give this fall planted bulb a year or two to settle in before the flowers appear. Once it blooms you’ll have many years of returning color with little care.

Fall Crocus: 

The legendary saffron crocus or crocus sativus is the golden crocus that chef’s love to grow and can be planted in the spring or fall. You can harvest the yellow pollen to use as a homegrown spice to add a yellow color to rice and an exotic flavor to recipes. Another crocus that blooms in the fall is the species crocus (crocus speciosus) with pale purple blooms. The species crocus is easier to grow and will spread into larger colonies as the years go by.

Tip: Plant fall crocus under shrubs and trees with autumn foliage color. They will add to the delight of a fall pocket garden.