Now that the days are growing shorter and temperatures are cooling down it’s time to change out those summer gardens with fall flowers. Chrysanthemums, Pansies, Daffodils, Asters, and Winterberries have proven to be some of the best flowers to plant in the fall season. And here at LeafGuard we would like to take a moment to share a few suggestions for planting fall flowers. Keep in mind that many flowers need time to take root so if you want to see your flowers in bloom this season, purchasing established flowers from a nursery, instead of planting from seeds may be your best bet.
Chrysanthemums (Mums)
Chrysanthemums have become known as one of falls quintessential flowers and can bring plenty of autumn beauty to your home and garden. Considered the flag bearers of fall, mums grow in a wide variety of colors, shapes, and sizes, so you can pick the style that is perfect for enhancing your homes garden. Florist mums are meant for cutting blooms, while hardy mums are meant to flourish longer in the garden. No matter which option you choose it is too late in the season to start mums from seeds. But you can find them already matured at most nursery’s (be sure to buy mums with lots of unopened buds so that they last longer into the fall season). Make sure to plant your mums in well-drained soil and leave 6-12 inches between each plant and water frequently.
Pansies
Pansies bloom in dozens of vibrant colors, are a cool weather favorite, and are great for both spring and fall gardens. They can be difficult to start from seeds and are much easier to grow when purchased from a local flower shop. With heart-shaped overlapping petals and one of the widest ranges of bright colors and patterns, they’re sure to be the perfect addition to your homes garden. Astonishingly resilient to cold weather, pansies can survive a frost and can come back from even single digit temperatures. Even if the blooms wither in the cold the plants will often stay alive to bloom again later in the season. Making pansies a great flower option for fall and early winter.
Daffodils
Daffodils need to be planted in the fall (anywhere from September to late November, depending on where you live) about 2 to 4 weeks before the ground freezes. Daffodils are a fall-planted bulb, so if they are planted in autumn they will bloom in late winter or early spring. They do tolerate some crowding but grow to their full potential when spaced 3 to 6 inches apart. However, you may try planting multiple bulbs together for a more naturalized look than a scattered single bulb. Plant bulbs 1 to 5 times their own depth and leave the pointy side of the bulb facing upwards. Daffodils can also be susceptible to rot when the soil is too wet, so make sure that you plant them in a well-drained area.
Aster
Asters can be started from a seed but are often purchased as a potted plant. We recommend planting Asters in planters or beds that allow them to have plenty of room to fully flourish. Asters typically grow 1 to 6 feet tall and 1 to 4 feet wide depending on the types and varieties you decide to plant. Beautiful daisy-shaped white, pink, blue, purple or red colored flowers that bloom in gardens when little else is flowering. Asters have a good resilience to cold weather but their ability to survive the harsh winter depends on what type of soil they are planted in. Soil that stays wet and has poor drainage can kill asters but a soil that’s fertile and drains well will help fight off the tough winter. It’s also best to plant asters in the fall because you need to allow the root system time to get established before the cold of winter sets in.
Winterberry Bushes
Winterberries are an iconic winter plant and are unique because they produce flowers in the summer and bright red berries in the winter months. It gets its name from the Christmas red berries that develop once the leaves have fallen. The creamy white flowers appear on the shrub in early summer, followed by bright red berries that last from summer through winter. From deer to colorful birds, winterberry bushes also attract an abundance of wildlife. And if the berries are not eaten by wildlife, they will stay on the branches for most of the winter. We recommend planting winterberries from nursery transplants or cuttings, rather than wild plants. Winterberry bushes are a type of holly that grows wild in soggy and muddy areas. But can be easily modified to fit a home’s landscape. And the best time of the year to plant winterberries is in early autumn in an area that receive full sunlight.
Replacing that summer garden with a few of the flowers listed above is a sure way to have your home looking great this fall. And if overflowing water from those clogged gutters has been a problem for your flowers in the past, then protect your home and garden with the LeafGuard gutter system. From all of us here at LeafGuard we hope these tips were helpful and we wish you the best of luck on your gardening endeavors.
