Here Are the Best Plants to Plant in Your Fall Garden
As summer fades into fall, that doesn’t mean we have to hang up our garden tools. In many ways a fall garden is just as rewarding as the fruits of spring. Vibrant blooms and tasty vegetables are still on the menu, offering equally delightful yields.
Fall Garden Ideas
Fall gardening has several unique advantages over the rest of the year. The cooler temperatures can reduce stress on your plants while the soil is still warm enough to promote healthy root growth.
Best of all, some of the most persistent garden pests are less active and, depending where you live, the frequent rainfall may eliminate the need for daily watering. Here are some fall garden ideas that are sure to dazzle and delight, even through to the first falls of snow.
Flowers and Plants for Your Garden
There are many ways to add pops of color to your garden. Several flowers are not only resilient, but will continue to bloom even as the temperature drops. Some examples include:
Chrysanthemums: Mums are a fall favorite, available in a variety of colors including red, yellow, orange, and purple. They’re hardy perennials that can provide bright bursts of color from late summer all the way through to the first frost.
Asters: These star-shaped flowers come in shades of blue, purple, pink, and white. They do very well as fall garden flowers. Asters are also attractive to pollinators like bees and butterflies, making them a great addition to any garden.
Pansies and Violas: These cool-weather annuals can be planted in late summer for bright bursts of fall color. They’re fairly frost-tolerant and can even survive light snowfall. They’ll stand in stark contrast with their bright blooms on a cool bed of white snow.
Sedum: Sedums, also known as stonecrop, are succulent plants that produce clusters of small, star-shaped flowers in the fall. Their flowers often turn a rich burgundy color as the season progresses, adding a deep, earthy tone to your garden.
For more on our favorite pollinators, here’s some information on how climate change is affecting bumblebees.
Vegetables for Your Garden
A fall vegetable garden can yield lasting results, especially if you like to can and preserve items in your kitchen. Some of the crops below even taste better after a light frost, if you can believe it. Here are a few suggestions:
Kale: One of the hardiest leafy greens, kale can be harvested well into the winter. The leaves actually become sweeter as the temperature drops, making them perfect for soups, salads, and sautés.
Brussels Sprouts: These mini-cabbages thrive in cooler weather and can be harvested from late fall into early winter. They do, however, require a long growing season. So, it’s best to plant them in mid-summer to enjoy a fall harvest.
Carrots: Carrots can be planted in the late summer for a fall harvest. They grow best in loose, sandy soil and actually develop a better flavor after a frost.
Radishes: These quick-growing root vegetables can be planted in early fall and harvested in as little as 30 days. They add a spicy crunch to salads and are great for pickling.
Garlic: Fall is the best time to plant garlic. It will grow through the winter and be ready for harvest in the summer. If you plant individual cloves in well-drained soil, you'll enjoy a wonderful harvest next year.
As a gardener, you’ve probably learned to predict the weather pretty well. Be sure to check your local weather news to know when you can expect a day off from daily watering.
Perennials and Shrubs for Your Garden
If you plant perennials and shrubs all around your flowers and vegetables, you can maintain a pretty garden all throughout the year, even when everything else has gone dormant. Some colorful options include:
Heuchera (Coral Bells): These shade-loving perennials have striking foliage in shades of green, purple, and bronze. Their leaves remain colorful all throughout the fall and winter, adding life to your garden even after the flowers have faded.
Hellebores (Lenten Rose): Hellebores are evergreen perennials that bloom in late winter to early spring. Their leathery, dark green leaves provide year-round texture, and their flowers add color during the colder months.
Winterberry (Ilex verticillata): As a deciduous holly, winterberry loses its leaves in the fall, revealing bright red berries that last through the winter. These berries provide food for birds and add a nice pop of color to the winter landscape.
Boxwood: This evergreen shrub is perfect for creating structure in your garden. Boxwood retains its green color throughout the year and can be shaped into tiny hedges and borders.
As the leaves are changing, don’t forget to take a Sunday drive to enjoy nature’s show. Here are the best places to see fall foliage across the U.S.
Maintenance and Care Tips for Your Garden
Plants are like people – or animals. They have unique needs and can sometimes be unpredictable. Still, with a little care and attention, these general rules of thumb can ensure your success.
Timing is Everything: The key to a successful fall garden is to plant at the right time. Most fall flowers and vegetables need to be planted in late summer to early fall, allowing them to establish roots before the first frost.
Soil Preparation: Fall garden plants need well-drained soil that’s rich in organic matter. Try to work compost or well-rotted manure into the soil to improve its structure and fertility.
Watering and Mulching: While fall generally brings rain, it's still important to monitor soil moisture. Newly planted gardens require consistent watering until the plants are fully established. Applying mulch around your plants may help retain soil moisture, regulate temperature, and suppress weeds.
Protection from Frost: Unfortunately, frost can damage tender fall plants for a garden. Be prepared to cover your garden with frost cloths or blankets during unexpected cold snaps.
Pruning and Maintenance: Don’t forget to deadhead former blossoms to encourage new blooms. You should also remove any diseased or damaged leaves to prevent the spread of pathogens.
Happy Planting
Gardening is one of the most rewarding things we can do around the house. And it’s nice to know that we can still enjoy this hobby, even after the leaves have changed.
To help you monitor your fall garden, and know when to expect rain, be sure to stay tuned to our daily weather updates. Together, we’ll help you ensure a robust garden, season after season.