Fall is all about appreciating foliage, but these flowering plants steal the show
As the heat of summer ebbing into the cooler day and parky nights of fall , our garden undergo another seasonal transition . While we often centre on the golds , russets , and Marxist of fall foliage , there are some flowering works that are just hitting their tread in fall . They provide pop music of colour in fall garden to complement the harvest - meter hue of pass off foliage . These plants are also indispensable to bees and native pollinator as they get quick for the wintertime that consist before .
In plus to the more common florist’s chrysanthemum ( Chrysanthemumspp . and cvs . , Zones 5–9 ) and asters ( Symphyotrichumspp . and cvs . , Zones 4–8 ) , we have several interesting flowering plants that flourish in our Mountain West autumn landscapes . I wanted to share a few of my deary with you .
Giant autumn crocus
genus Colchicum giganteum , Zones 4–8Conditions : Full to fond sunMature size:8 to 12 inches tall and 8 to 12 inches wide
Licorice mint agastache
Agastache rupestris , Zones 5–9Conditions : Full sunMature size:3 to 4 feet marvellous and 2 foot wide
I have many favourite plants , and agastaches ( Agastachespp . and cvs . , Zones 6–11 ) are on the list . They are very easy to get , and little guardianship is required . Additionally , they blossom for a foresightful period of clip . This variety starts blooming in late summer and continues through fall . The orangish - and - purple flowers remind me of the colour of our amazing sunsets , and the all right blue - greyish foliage provides interesting texture throughout the season . The licorice aroma is an added welfare . Do n’t blank out about the hummingbirds . They have intercourse it !
Baby blue rabbitbrush
Chrysothamnus nauseosusvar.nauseosus , Zones 4–9Conditions : Full to fond sunMature size:1 to 3 foot marvelous and 2 to 3 understructure wide
One of our aboriginal shrubs , this dwarf sort of rabbitrush is stark for small space . It has fine , phonograph needle - similar , blue - unripened foliage that is underwrite in bright yellow flower from September all the way through November . Our aboriginal butterfly love it , and once established ( after a class or so ) , it does not need supplemental lacrimation . In the wilderness , this works gets “ deadheaded ” by grazing creature , which help keep its material body and minimise reseeding . In gardens , it is best to trim off the played out flowers at the ending of the time of year .
Sweet autumn clematis
Clematis terniflora , Zones 4–9Conditions : Full to partial sunMature size : Up to 20 feet tall and 2 feet wide
While this vine can be invasive in some parts of the country due to ego - seeding , I have never interpret it be an effect in the Mountain West . The white , star - influence flowers cover the vine throughout September . Their sweet smell reminds me of the scent of honeysuckle . While this clematis should technically be cut back back firmly each twelvemonth to promote blooming on new wood , I will concede to being lazy and not doing much pruning . So far , I have n’t had any issues because of this , and the vine is doing a beautiful task cover my fence , as you could see in the exposure .
If you ever have freezing temperatures and several inch of coke in September , I am happy to cover that all of these plants make it through with flying colors . They may even look a bit better than they would have otherwise due to the innate moisture they receive in these situations — a significant amount given the drought we sometimes have .
For more fall flowers for the Mountain West , read along here :
— Michelle Provaznik is executive director of the Gardens on Spring Creek in Fort Collins , Colorado .
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Sweet autumn clematis grows a profusion of fragrant, lacey white flowers throughout early fall.Photo: Michelle Gervais
Giant autumn crocus puts on a larger and showier display than its spring-blooming namesake.Photo: Michelle Provaznik
Deep purple flowers contrast spectacularly with gray-green foliage that seems to glow on licorice mint agastache.Photo: Michelle Provaznik
This dwarf variety of a native shrub shows off a lot of color in a small package.Photo: Michelle Provaznik
In no time at all, sweet autumn clematis will sprawl over a large fence or wall that needs to be covered, blooming with fragrant, star-shaped flowers in the fall.Photo: Michelle Provaznik
