Fall Perennials

By the time sedum starts to bloom autumn is not too far behind, and since every year I have the same problem, which is that the fall landscape turns into a sea of mums in every color known to man, I made a list of other perennials to get a little variety during the cooler months.

Between the obedient plant, the goldenrod, the Japanese anemones and the asters there should be plenty of flowers for the fall garden. Monkshood has spectacular purple-blue flowers and blooms in the fall, but it is very toxic, so be careful.

An easy care ground cover, plumbago, has the most beautiful blue flowers, followed by deep maroon seed heads and spectacular fall foliage.

Snakeroot is gorgeous as a specimen plant and would make the garden all by itself, but it doesn't thrive in areas where summers are hot and in my garden it always dies down to the ground in July instead of growing to produce its lovely fuzzy wands that smell like grape soda.

Don't forget the delicate lace of Russian sage for sunny dry sites and ligularia for the shade border. Turtlehead is also supposed to be a great fall blooming perennial for the shade, but I planted it three times already and I have yet to see it in my garden.

Toad lilies are the last flowers in the garden, they start after the equinox and last through the beginning of November. They look like tiny orchids and bloom abundantly, usually long after the leaves have fallen off the trees and all the other perennials have retired for winter.