Fall Perennials That Never Disappoint

Late August can be a difficult time of year for many gardens. By then, there may have been four or five heatwaves that often stresses out gardens throughout Central Bucks. Choosing a few hardy perennials that can deliver some color and vibrancy in late summer should be part of the overall planning process. In early spring we were asked to revitalize the gardens of this Doylestown Township property in preparation for a garden tour in early June. So many of the plantings were selected for that period of time, but we did make a few suggestions that we knew would stand tough in late summer as well. We also took on the task of building out a few brick patios using materials our client acquired from “The Streets of Philadelphia”.

We recently returned for these photographs and as you can see, the gardens in this backyard are doing very nicely in early September and our client’s concrete potting bench accents this backyard garden nicely.

Fall Blooming Perennials for Central Bucks [slideshow]

Let’s zero in on a few of those fall blooming perennials that we eluded to. I have found that White Cloud Calamint is an extremely tolerant plant that continues to bloom through October in southeast Pennsylvania. The lacy white flowers are loved by butterflies and other pollinators. Although it derives from the mint family, the root systems plays well with other plants in your garden and the minty fragrance lasts until late October. This plant thrives in well drained sunny locations and can withstand a prolonged drought.

I am a big fan of ornamental grasses and certain varieties of evergreens if you have a nice size area to work with.
When spaced properly, they act as nice anchor plantings for an annual garden or when standing by themselves. For this home we chose Hamelen Fountain Grasses to accent a few taller evergreens that were already on the property. The light tan blooms dart out from a nice compact mound of a medium green foliage. These feathery spikes turn a pinkish brown color in the fall before going to seed in late fall and helps feed the birds throughout the colder months of the year. This hardy ornamental grass is drought tolerant, enjoys full sun and the deer don’t particularly care for it.

The next fall blooming perennial we selected for this home was “Big Blue”. The truth is there is nothing big about Liriope Muscari and typically grown to only 12 – 18 inches tall…but that is what they call this plant. This is a tufted evergreen that parades blue flowing spikes in the late summer weeks. This plant is great for borders or as a ground cover and holds up very well if you forget to water or Mother Nature is being stingy with her rain in August. Native to Asian climates of Korea and Japan but does very well in the Philadelphia region. Big Blue is often confused with Grape Hyacinth and is also known by some as Lillyturf or Monkey Grass. It is a great addition to your fall blooming perennial garden and a favorite for this landscaping designer for Doylestown homes.

Neon Sedum does not glow in the dark but it does brighten up any perennial garden in the fall. This dependable plant is found throughout our region for good reasons. It provides a colorful display of pinks and red hues all the way till the first frost. You will even find dried sedum flowers in many cut flower vases inside the home. The succulent leaves hold water for long periods without rain and therefore holds up very well drier climates. This plant is very easy to care for and it too is loved by butterflies. If deer are an issue on your property already, you may want to avoid most varieties of sedum. They look great couples with blue asters in the fall as they stage a great duet of color.

We hope we have helped you plan for next year’s garden with a few fall blooming perennials. If we can be of any help to you in designing your garden, don’t hesitate to reach out via our website http://www.jerromlandscapes.com/.