Fall colors, though brief, add a rich and vibrant feel to any garden, especially one that has been planned with all four seasons in mind.
The right combination of plants, trees and shrubs can be used to landscape naturally and turn an otherwise boring yard into a flourishing autumn garden that features color, texture and dimension.
Every garden should include a wide variety of plants to ensure that there is something blooming and providing visual inspiration year round.
In fall, there are a select few plants that flower and several shrubs and trees that provide both color and interesting foliage.
Some of the best flowering plants to add to a garden in the fall include several annuals that you might not think of as the best choices for fall.
Marigolds, salvia and silver dusters, and snapdragons are three annuals that provide plenty of color and are capable of surviving and blooming well into autumn.
If your yard has extensive garden beds, these three annuals are best used in abundance together, in rows or large groupings.
Another way to add them to your garden for a vibrant fall showing is in the form of a border.
Because the annuals do not grow very tall, and their traditional fall colored blooms, an annual border will come across very naturally.
In order to have success with flowering annuals in a showy fall garden, these plants do need to be planted before fall has completely arrived and the temperature begins to steadily drop.
This gives the plants a chance to acclimate and establish themselves in the garden.
Other fall flowering favorites include several varieties of mums and asters. Both of these are widely used in fall gardens, and many times, only offered by nurseries towards the end of the growing season specifically for autumn planting.
Mums and asters tend to grow a little bushier than most annuals, so they are best planted in clusters to fill in a large space, or individually placed between other landscaping features.
In addition to flowering plants, other types of plants should be included in your garden to ensure color and texture throughout fall and winter.
Popular bushes and shrubs include those that have a showy display of leaves through fall or bear fruit and berries in fall.
Burning bush is a personal favorite of mine because not only does it do a good job of filling in spaces adequately and quickly, but the bush turns a shocking shade of red that remains right up until the first snow.
Other great fall choices for color and texture include Cotoneaster, Cranberry, and Canada Red Select Cherry.
Each of these selections is a great example of color, texture and an ornamental addition to your garden.
The Cotoneaster can be used to create a hedge when several are lined up, but it is the waxy leaves that make it unique and interesting in the garden.
Cranberry shrubs can be used as ornamentals for the fruit and color they add, as well as the Canada Red Select Cherry which brings a new color to a garden with dull foliage.
Used in combination which each other, each of the plants mentioned make a great addition to any garden and add visual appeal for more than one season.
When you select those plants that you find appealing and experiment with the layout and design of your garden you may find yourself surprised with the end result.
And for more ideas and tips, be sure to check out these helpful guides:
- 15 of the Best Annuals for Vivid Fall Color
- The Best 15 Woody Shrubs for Fall Color
- How to Plant an Autumn Vegetable Garden
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