COLUMN: Adding color to your fall landscape

By: Amanda Taylor | Statesville Record & Landmark
Published: September 25, 2011

Now that cooler weather is upon us, and summer flowers are starting to fade, and it’s time to think about replenishing color in the landscape.

Pansies are one of the few bedding plants that will flower during the winter. Pansies will flower any time temperatures are above freezing, and newer, heat resistant varieties can bloom up until June. Pansies will often self-sow, returning every year.

There are more than 250 cultivars of pansies, each with unique characteristics. Johnny jump-ups are a relative of the pansy that have smaller flowers and are more heat resistant than pansies.

Snapdragons are one of my favorite plants and are available in every flower color except blue. Varieties range in size from 6 inches to 4 feet tall, and the taller varieties make great cut flowers. To prolong the flowering of snapdragons, cut the plant back to five or six sets of leaves when the first flush of flowers fades.

Mums are one of the most common fall bedding plants. Flower colors range from white to mauve to yellow, the most popular color. Plants with lighter colored flowers tend to bloom earlier than those with darker red and purple flowers.

Although mums are often treated as annuals, most varieties are hardy. If mums are to be grown as a perennial for fall flowers, then plants need to be pinched. Pinch back the top one inch of growth every four weeks from the time the plant is 6 inches tall until early July.

Asters are also available at garden centers now. They have daisy-like flowers, are drought tolerant, and are great for attracting butterflies. Many varieties are perennial.

Ornamental kale in the fall landscape is grown for its leaves, not its flowers. Leaf color varies from purple to green and white. Ornamental kale will last throughout the winter and is a great companion to pansies.

When shopping for plants, look for stocky plants with dark green leaves and lots of unopened flower buds. These plants will grow best in rich, well-drained soil. Amend with manure or compost before planting to improve the soil. Mulch with 2-3 inches of organic material like pine bark and provide 1 inch of water per week.

To learn more about lawn and garden topics, visit http://iredell.ces.ncsu.edu, and click on the Lawn and Garden tab.

Amanda Taylor is an agriculture agent (horticulture) with the NC Cooperative Extension Service in Statesville.