Just when the garden begins to look a little tired, a few flowers are only getting started. And today I’m sharing my favorite late-season bloomers are worth making room for, not only because they bring color into the garden, but they also provide fresh material for arranging when pickings are slim, and also provide an important source of nectar for pollinators preparing for winter or migration.
Sidenote: though I know it’s a little too late to plant and enjoy these flowers this year, fall is a great time to either plant so the roots can get established over winter, or at least make a list of what you want to be sure to plant next spring.
1. Asters
If there's one perennial I'd encourage you to tuck into an existing garden bed, it's an aster. Their clouds of daisy-like flowers arrive just as summer's showier blooms begin to disappear, bringing shades of lavender, purple, pink, and white to the autumn landscape.
Asters look particularly beautiful woven among ornamental grasses, where their loose, natural habit feels right at home. They're also wonderful for cutting, adding a delicate, meadow-like quality to arrangements. There are so many to choose from varying in heights, but my personal favorite is Calico Aster ‘Lady in Black.”
2. Heirloom Chrysanthemums
Forget the tightly mounded mums lined up outside grocery stores every October. Heirloom chrysanthemums are something entirely different.
With their unusual petal shapes, graceful stems, and colors ranging from soft apricot to deep burgundy, these old-fashioned flowers deserve a place in both the garden and the vase.
I love the idea of growing them among other perennials or in a dedicated cutting bed, where their sometimes unruly growth can be embraced rather than controlled. As a cut flower they’re magnificent, often lasting well over a week indoors.
Just note that if you want the latest show of blooms, it’s important to pinch them back throughout the growing season. I’ve also found that it’s helpful to cover them with a frost cloth throughout the winter to make sure they bounce back strong the following year.
Sadly I’ve found it’s difficult to get your hands on heirloom mums in local nurseries, but thankfully there are growers such as 3 Porch Farm and Harmony Harvest that sell mum cuttings you can order now and plant in the spring.
3. White Boneset
White boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum) is a tall plant that produces clusters of tiny, soft white flowers in late summer and early fall. Native to much of eastern North America, it's a wonderful addition to naturalistic gardens and also wonderful to use in extra large arrangements.
Give it room toward the back of a border or along the edge of a meadow, where its height and relaxed habit can be appreciated.
(pictured here is white boneset with sweet autumn clematis I happened to find on the side of the road - it’s also a wonderful late bloomer, but I wouldn’t suggest planting it due to its invasive nature. instead, you can opt for planting Virgin’s Bower within your own landscape, a native that won’t take over and possibly kill other plants)