Spice up your fall garden with some of these perennial and shrub picks from our staff.
Fall tends to be a weak period of the year for many gardens. We go shopping in the spring and impulse buy all the color. By the fall, our annuals are often spent–looking weaker from forgotten waterings or nutrient deficiency. Perennials that looked spectacular in the spring have faded to a palette of green, in the best case scenario. In the worst case scenario, it looks like a wasteland of dead stems and brown leaves.
While fall tends to be a slower time at the garden center, we still have a spectacular selection of fall interest. Fall also tends to be a great time to plant, with cooler weather and lower watering needs.
I worked with Zach, one of our landscape designers, to compile a list of fall performing perennials and shrubs that he and I have tried in our gardens or on the grounds of the garden center. While there are many wonderful options for fall, the ones we selected are those we have experience with and have really adored. We also share a mutual love of native plants so many of our highlighted plants are native here in PA!
Let’s get into it:
Asters:
Asters are a powerhouse of a fall bloomer! We have lots of native asters here in Pennsylvania, most of which bloom somewhere between September and October. The purple or pink daisy-like blooms are a huge boon to pollinators who struggle to find nectar during this time of year. This plant is moderately deer resistant, which means that it will be nibbled, but typically left alone enough to thrive in the late season. This genus of plants also acts as a great host for dozens of species of caterpillars and other beneficial insects.
Aromatic asters are amongst our favorites. With a spicy scent to their leaves, they tend to be pest resistant. I really enjoy my ‘October Skies’ aster, which is a proven pollinator performer. You can watch a video about that plant here. Zach, one of our landscape designers, prefers ‘Raydon’s Favorite,’ a slightly more purple variety with a longer bloom period.
Best tip: Some asters get to be up to 6 feet tall and tend to flop if they aren’t trimmed. Between May and early July, you can cut your asters back by ⅓ to ½ of its size. The plant will branch out, giving you a smaller, rounder plant, with denser blooms. This technique, called the Chelsea Chop, can be applied to many species of plants for a more compact form.
Willow-Leaf Sunflowers:
Did you know that there are native species of sunflowers? Helianthus augustifolia is a native species of sunflower to PA. The straight native species gets about four feet tall and enjoys wet areas, bursting into life with yellow blooms in the late fall.
‘Autumn Gold’ is a compact cultivated variety that maintains the same flower and leaf color as the wild type with a manageable size for the front of the garden. You’ll get thin leaves similar to amsonia during most of the year, but by October, this plant will bloom like a better version of a mum. With a mounded shape and striking yellow flowers, this plant is a must have for the fall garden.
Brandywine Viburnum:
‘Brandywine’ viburnum is a fairly compact variety of native possumhaw viburnum. In the summer, it gives you lustrous, dark green leaves. In the fall, the colors transition to a deep red and early flowers produce clusters of red and blue berries. While these berries are best left to the birds, ‘Brandywine’ viburnum is a great addition to the yard to add deep hues of red before the leaves drop for the winter.
Best Tip: ‘Brandywine’ berries best when paired with another variety of the same species (‘Winterthur’is an excellent option), however, this plant does berry even without another pollinator nearby.
Bluestems:
Ornamental grasses shine in the fall. While you can get annuals like purple fountain grass that look good for a season, native big and little bluestems can be great additions to the garden. In the fall, some varieties transform from their soft blue-green to a ruddy or even bright red color. ‘Blackhawks’ have a purple stem that stands out across the nursery bed. Ornamental grasses are drought tolerant and deer tolerant. They support local bird and reptile species by providing shelter and seeds.
We LOVE how muhly grass looks in the fall, but our staff has not had great success with it coming back in the spring. If you love the look of pink muhly grass, maybe treat it as an annual and consider yourself lucky if it treats you with a spring return.
Best Tip: Plant these plants right into your native soil. Many native plants actually perform best when struggling through our native clay. If you add too much soil amendment, you are more likely to get floppy grasses. Grasses flopping can be a natural part of their seeding process, but many cultivated varieties should provide more upright stems that stay standing.
Pineapple Sage:
Pineapple sage is a sleeper plant–I even thought it was a dud the first few months that I had it in the ground. For most of the summer, it’s rather unremarkable looking. You can still enjoy the pineapple scented leaves that are extremely aromatic when crushed, but you won’t get much of a flower, or even height until the fall. In September to October, this sage burst onto the sage with airy stalks of bright red flowers. While in the south, it will feed hummingbirds, it normally blooms too late in our area for the birds. Instead, the butterflies and bees will thank you for a boost of nectar all the way into October.
Fothergilla:
Also known as witch alder and bottlebrush, fothergilla blooms with spiky balls of flowers in the spring, giving early nectar to bees. A native shrub, this plant does best in part sun conditions with moist soil. It is deer resistant and native to PA. In the fall, this shrub rockets back into the foreground with gorgeous orange leaves, reminiscent of a miniature maple.
Zach has grown it in his yard and has been thrilled with its performance, saying it doesn’t require pruning or other care to look its best. Taking a look at the photos, it brings the same energy as a maple in fall, in a much smaller package.
Amsonia:
Known for its beautiful star-shaped blooms in the spring (video here), amsonia puts on a second round of spectacle in the fall with bright yellow foliage. When happy, this perennial takes the role of a small shrub, growing up to 30” tall and 36” wide. In the fall, the thin foliage will transform into a warm yellow, which complements the fall leaves. In a large space, this plant can be planted in drifts. Amsonia is drought-tolerant, low maintenance, and deer resistant. Plant in full sun.
Conclusion:
The goal of adding fall interest into your garden is to extend your joy in the garden up until, and sometimes through, frost. If you’re gardening with pollinators in mind, this is a crucial time to incorporate nectar and host plants as those animals prepare for a long winter or migration. If you feel like you’re missing that crucial fall color, give us a visit for a great selection any time of year.
Colonial Gardens is an independent garden center located in Phoenixville, PA since 1967. We offer a wide range of plants of all types as well as landscaping services and gardening accessories. Open year-round, we round out the year with seasonal events, a gift shop, and a full-service florist.