Fall Flowers in My Garden

Pink Ivy Geranium (Pelargonium peltatum)

If you are wondering what plants are good for the fall and winter season, this is the time to make your observations.  It is good to go to garden centers and see what they are selling right now.  Drive around your neighborhood and see what plants are blooming or looking good right now.   Even in your garden, there are things that are blooming and staying beautiful.  Take note of those plants and keep a record of them in your journal.  Next year plan carefully so that by late summer you anticipate what these plants will do for you in the fall and winter.  Make sure that you properly prune then id necessary.  Give them some fertilizer and keep them watered.  They will provide color in your garden when everything else is going into their winter rest.

In my garden, these are some of the plants that look decent right now:                                        

Ivy geraniums are versatile plants.  They put on flowers profusely year round and are very hardy.  There are several varieties of this plant in the market so most likely you'll be able to find one that meets your choice of color.  The varieties come not only in varying flower colors but also the leaves come in all shades of green.  Some are glossy while others are not.  These plants are perfect for planters.  Keep them dead-headed, fertilized and watered.  Sometimes it is also necessary to prune them as the stems tend to get woody.  It is unlikely that you will kill this plant due to negligence; however, you will surely be rewarded with beautiful flowers and lush leaves if you tend to them.

Rose (Rosa 'America')

Roses are still blooming in my yard.  The internodes are getting longer than they used to due to reduced light intensity...that's why they are taller.  At this time, pruning is not advisable because it will encourage new stems or canes to come out.  New stems will not be hard enough to endure the winter temperatures.  For healthier roses in the spring, wait till after Christmas or later to prune.

Rose (Rosa 'Abraham Darby')

Santa Barbara Daisy (Erigeron karvinskianus)

The Santa Barbara Daisy is one of the earliest flowers in the spring and one of the last flowers in the winter.  It has clusters of dainty flowers that complement a lot of other plants and they are also great by themselves.  This plant is great for planters and mixed borders.  It is a perennial plant and it reseeds it self.    

Most of my plants are perennials.  If you like color in your garden during this time of the year, plant some annuals in early fall.