Late-summer flower selections

A wide variety of plants bud up and decorate the garden in the fall months. Good late-summer flower choices that take center stage include aster, mum, coral vine, angel’s trumpet (brugmansia), helianthus (perennial sunflower), sedum, coreopsis, joe-pye weed, helenium (sneezeweed), mallow, false dragonhead, coneflower (Echinacea), rudbeckia, yarrow, salvia, toad lily, daylily, globe thistle, wine cups and goldenrod. Fall-blooming beauties tend to have flowers in rich autumn jewel-tone hues, such as rust, gold, scarlet and deep purple. These colors give you the opportunity to use the plants for your fall decorating schemes.

When to plant fall-blooming flowers

For an eye-catching late summer and fall bloom, plant late-blooming flowers at the beginning of August. This will give the plants a chance to set down strong roots and bud up by early September. If you want to grow fall-blooming flowers by seed, plant the seeds by early July. Make sure to keep the seeds and seedlings moist in the hot weather.

Planting fall-blooming plants in the garden

Plant fall bloomers in a full-sun location with rich, well-drained soil. Often the locations where your spring- and summer-flowering plants are growing well also work for your fall bloomers. If there are still summer flowers in bloom in the planting bed, put the fall bloomers next to them and then pull up the summer flowers once they stop blooming so that the fall bloomers can completely take over the bed. Fall-blooming flowers also do well when planted in containers. Use a high-quality potting soil.

Late-summer flower maintenance

If there is no fall rainfall, keep the flower bed moist but not soggy. Feed fall-flowering plants once with a fertilizer designed for blooms when you plant and then a second time in September. Deadhead with pruners on a regular basis to keep the plants producing flowers as long as possible.