The calendar may say that summer is over and autumn has begun,
but savvy local home gardeners know better.
The calendar may say that summer is over and autumn has begun, but savvy local home gardeners know better. Yes, while friends and relatives in the Midwest or back East are putting their gardens to bed for the year, we’re still planting for fall color.
And why shouldn’t we? We still have at least a couple of months before severe fall weather – in the name of heavy frost – usually arrives. There’s a wide array of fall/winter annuals that can be planted. These include old-standbys like pansies, violas, snapdragons, stock, calendula and Iceland poppies, to name a few. But don’t forget about some perennials that are reliable and often quite spectacular in the fall – and we’re not just talking about chrysanthemums!
Salvias. This is a huge family of annuals and perennials, all of which bloom well into fall and even winter in our mild climate. Many salvias are favorites of hummingbirds, too. The Mexican sage bush (Salvia leucantha) features spectacular lavender and white (or all lavender) spikes. Salvia ‘Indigo Spires’ bears dark purple flowers on arching stems. Pineapple sage (Salvia elegans) offers fire-engine-red flowers. And the common scarlet sage (Salvia splendens) comes in a host of colors, including cream, purple, pink, salmon, orange and bicolors.
Daisies. Everything from black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia hirta) to coreopsis and good old marguerite daisies will continue to bloom well into November. All of these are perennials, too, meaning they’ll come back again next year.
Scabiosa or pincushion flower (Scabiosa columbaria) is so-named because the stamens stand above the petals. Varieties like “Butterfly Blue” and “Pink Mist” are favorite renditions, as is the prolific bloomer “Samantha’s Pink.”
For shady areas, a steady stream of new cultivars has given coleus a whole new outlook. Coleus are known for their vivid foliage colors, usually dark reds, maroons and yellows. The new varieties have colors that are more intense and the color combinations more numerous. There are even new types that can stand full sun. Many of these new varieties don’t bloom at all, meaning you don’t have to bother cutting off the flowers.
Coleus flowers have never been anything to write home about anyway. It’s always been the leaf colors when it comes to coleus.
Finally, one shouldn’t forget about those old autumn standbys: chrysanthemums. Like coleus, there are many new and exciting varieties waiting for you at the garden center. If you divide chrysanthemums every year, you’ll also have plenty of new plants to plant throughout the garden or give away to friends and relatives.
So don’t let our “second gardening season” pass you by. Take advantage of our great autumn weather and continue planting for color.
Keith Muraoka lives and works in Gilroy. His award-winning column has been in this newspaper since 1984. E-mail him at ga********@*ps.net, or write him in c/o The Dispatch, P.O. Box 22365, Gilroy, CA 95021.
