Add perennials & grasses for fall beauty!

Are your summer annuals looking tired? Need something to brighten a corner of your garden? Nothing says "Fall is in the air" better than late blooming perennials! Perennials are those plants that come back year after year - increasing in size and beauty!

Late summer and fall is my favorite time to plant perennials. Perhaps that's because spring is too frenzied and summer is too hot, but I love the still-warm days and cooler evenings for spending time in the garden. The plants seem to love it, too!

Some of my favorites include Purple Coneflower (Echinacea) and Russian Sage, as seen above. Another old-fashioned favorite is Autumn Joy Sedum - blush pink buds now, turning to russet later in the season. They hold their dried blooms through the winter, providing interest when other plants are gone.

The ornamental grasses are coming into their showiest season, and currently one of the most popular is this Feather Reed Grass 'Karl Foerster'.

Another showy grass is the Hardy Pampas Grass, or Ravenna Grass. Its plumes reach up to 8 feet tall!

For a blue accent, consider Blue Oat Grass, which forms a nice mound about 2 feet tall and wide. The grasses are also good for providing winter interest in the landscape.

Purples and golds bring out the best in a fall garden, and the best of the golds include the Black-eyed Susan variety 'Goldsturm'. It is low-growing (about 12") and spreads slowly to form a large clump of golden coneflower-type blooms. Many of the plants called Black-eyed Susan are in the Rudbeckia genus, and include 'Goldsturm' as well as the Gloriosa Daisy with much larger blooms. 'Indian Summer' is a vigorous variety that reaches 2 feet tall. Though not as winter-hardy as some, it frequently re-seeds for blooms the next season.