Preparing a flowery garden for the fall

[PHOTO VIA SCENIC REFLECTION]

by: RONAMAG

Decor column - published on Sunday, September 2, 2012

It is always pleasant to create colourful scenes in our backyard. As autumn approches, prepare your garden with plants that will extend the summer by waiting for the fall to bloom.

Take advantage of the peak of their beauty during the fall, while the weather is still mild enough to stroll through the garden.

[Photo via Live Internet]

Japanese anemones are indispensable plants for fall gardens. The Pamina cultivar, with its beautiful semi-double pink lavender flowers and yellow heart, is a fantastic choice. The exceptionally compact fall sedums are also a great choice for the fall, as is the Carl variety with its grey-tinted leaves and gorgeous pink-red flowers.

[Photo via Jardin de Ville]

[Photo via Florum]

Echinacea is also well-known for its long flowering period that tends to brighten gardens from the middle of the summer to the fall with its long, flower-topped stems that can range from pink and orange to yellow or purple. Consider also that certain strains of wilted flowers will remain highly decorative and may survive until the first snowfall (and sometimes even longer); the flower of the Chinese silver grass (Miscanthus sinensis) is one example.

[Photo via Lulu Landscaping]

[Photo via North West Garden News]

When purchasing a tree or bush, take into consideration the fact that their fruit-bearing period can last part of the fall and even into the winter in some cases. The fruit from rowan, ornamental apple trees or viburnum are simply a sight to behold in the fall!

A layout of potted plants can brighten even the grayest fall day or bring life to a sunny one. A few plants have a flowering period that occurs late in the summer and often resists to the first chilly period, making them perfect to create a miniature fall garden.

[Photo via Salonie]

[Photo via Rusty Hinge]

Use fruit from your garden to garnish your potted flowers or to add colour to the terrace or stairs of your home. By utilising the vivid colours of chrysanthemums and fall asters (both of whom grow easily in pots), you can bring back some of those summer feelings. Cucurbita maxima, Cucurbita moschata and Cucurbita pepo are but a few varieties of winter squash that can produce very original-looking fruit!