Gardening with Carrie ~ Beautiful Fall Flowers

The Fall is finally here, which usually means time for mums and pumpkins. Well there are so many other colorful flowers that are also blooming this time of year. Unfortunately with the amount of rain that we had this past summer, I'm thinking that the leaves are not going to give us as much of a spectacular show as what we have seen in past years. So to make up for it, there are tons of great perennials and some somewhat frost tolerant annuals that you can plant now, to enjoy their colors instead. Fall is the best time for planting, but make sure you do not plant too late in the season, preferably 3 to 6 weeks before the first frost is estimated to hit. Here's a list of some of my favorites, that are not only low maintenance but grow great in our local area.

Sedum- 'Autumn Joy' is a great, the blooms start out pink then turn burgundy!
Anemone (anemone japonica)- these are white or pink single cupped flowers on long stalks.
Golden Rod- usually considered a weed, their yellow plumes are great in flower vases.
Black Eyed Susans (Rudbeckia)- flowers are shaped like daisies with yellow centers.
Aster- these come in tall and compact varieties, usually white, pink, or purple colored thin daisy-like petals.
Joe-Pye Weed (Eupatorium fistulosum)- another tall perennial, purple-pink flowers and butterflies will LOVE you if you plant these, Joe Pye Weeds are one of their favorite nectar sources.
Chrysanthemums- make sure you ask for 'Hardy' Mums, these come in tons of colors.
Cabbage/Kale- are great for a change of texture to your flower beds, some are two toned, even lace edged. (annual)
Pansies- again, make sure you ask for 'Hardy' Pansies, they come in all sorts of colors. (annual)
Burning Bush- this is a great shrub that has fiery red leaves, they almost look like they are on fire.(bush)
Toad Lily (Tricyrtis)- a tall perennial, their blooms are very exotic looking but have cute spots and freckles on them.
Lirope- this is a great border plant that has a purple stalks that rise from it's center, some varieties are variegated.
Hot Poker Plant (Kniphofia)- cone shaped bright flowers rise out of this grass-like leaved perennial.



Carrie Longacre is a Mommy to a very active toddler, Hannah, and wife to her Landscaper husband, Marc, of Bailey Lawn and Landscape. Carrie has been gardening ever since she could walk and has a degree in Horticultural Business from Penn State University. Carrie also has a indie biz & blog, named Buggie Sews, where she handmakes and sells (via etsy) ruffled camera strap covers and rose necklaces.