Flowers Of Autumn
Last updated Wednesday, September 28, 2005 9:59 PM CDT in Your Home
By Gerald Klingaman
Ozark Gardens
Special to The Morning News
After a long and difficult summer, it looks as if the stranglehold the season has had on Northwest Arkansas has finally relented. Fall is finally here -- both on the calendar and in reality. Last week I discussed chrysanthemums, the most important flower of the season. Today, let's consider some of the other fall flowers.
Asters
Of these, the asters are the most common. The basic color for asters is blue, but breeders have created selections that range from white to various shades of pink. Unlike mums, yellow is not to be found. Generally speaking -- or so it seems to me -- selections that retain the predominate color of the species are usually the strongest growers and the most likely to persist in the garden. Certainly this is the case with asters.
The most important asters in the nursery trade are selections of New England aster (aster novae-angliae). This group has the widest color range and is the one most often found in the nurseries. Flowers of New England asters last about half as long as garden mums, and this species has never shown me much in the heavy, winter-wet soils of my garden.
The few plants that have successfully survived the winter never looked as good the second year as they did when planted. The plants I see that have established themselves in gardens are often disheveled when they bloom. A late spring shearing will help control size and keep them compact.
I have had success with other asters. Aster turbinellus is a native species with lavender flowers produced on open, airy stems above the plant. It blooms early and continues to produce flowers for about a month. Like most natives, give it a dry, sunny site where it has to fend for itself.
Aster oblongifolius, Raydon's Favorite, has been a tough, compact 30-inch tall and wide plant that continues to earn my respect. It flowers for about six weeks, beginning about the first of October. Flowers are the typical aster-blue. Unlike most asters that have a floppy habit, Raydon's Favorite is free standing and symmetrical with flowers held in a compact mass.
Goldenrod
With all these blue asters, you need some yellow to set them off. Goldenrod have much to offer in the perennial border if you want late season color, toughness and are looking for yellow flowers.
The old idea that goldenrod cause hay fever is a myth. Their pollen is spread by insects, not wind. They have the misfortune of blooming in the same season as ragweed and are falsely accused by the company they keep.
Solidago rugosa, Fireworks, is a handsome, clump-forming plant with gracefully arching fingers of flowers produced from the terminal panicles. It grows 3 to 4 feet tall, so it is best in the back of the border.
Solidago sphacelata, Golden Fleece, is a compact, clump-forming plant growing about 1 foot tall and 2 feet wide. It has long, fat fingers of blooms during the summer and fall.
Goldenrod seem to suffer from heat delay. In rainy, cool summers, they flower much earlier than during more typical years.
Goldenrod abound in Arkansas, and there are undoubtedly many that would make good garden plants. But, before releasing one of these wildlings into the garden, make sure you know its tendency to spread. Many wild species have aggressive rhizomes and can become pests if allowed to run wild in the fertile, well-watered border.
Sunflowers
Several fall blooming perennial sunflowers are worthwhile additions to the border.
My favorite is helianthus angustifolius, the narrowleaf or swamp sunflower. Like most of the fall blooming sunflowers, this one can be 6 feet tall if allowed to grow uncontrolled all summer. Although called swamp sunflower, it does not need moist soil to grow. Dividing the plant in the spring every three years or so will keep it vigorous and reduce its tendency to fade away.
An even taller sunflower, H. maximiliani, Maximilian sunflower, grows to 8 feet tall. Both of these early fall bloomers are best in the back of the border. To keep their size under control, cut them back to the ground in the first of June. Of the two perennial sunflowers, Maximilian sunflower is more perennial.
Others
Lest you think only members of the daisy family are fall blooming, let me assure you there are others. The fall blooming sedum -- the best and most readily available of which is Autumn Joy -- are worthy additions to any garden.
The common descriptor "live forever" is appropriate, for these plants persist for years with little or no care. They are best in full sun or light shade, where they grow about 18 inches tall and wide.
Autumn Joy goes through a transition. In July, it is in its broccoli stage; then it transitions to tiny pink stars in dense, 5-inch heads; then the flowers turn a deep rose as fall approaches. During winter, the skeletal remains of the plant are interesting foils in the winter landscape.
Japanese anemones also are good, dependable fall bloomers. They produce mostly basal foliage with their flowers on upright, leafy, 3-foot-tall stems in the late summer and fall. Flowers are 2 to 3 inches across in shades of white, pink or deep rose. These plants will tolerate light shade, but they need good soil and some time to establish themselves before they show you much.
Toad lilies (tricyrtis sp.) are one of the last plants to bloom in my garden. And, unlike most of the other fall bloomers with a real preference for sun, toad lilies need shade. I've tried most of the tricyrtis, and believe I like the most common species, T. hirta, best. It grows with arching, 3-foot-tall stems with the general growth habit of Solomon seal, except for the flowers. The flowers are upward facing, six-petaled affairs that are mottled shades of pink and purple.
The Hunt
You might not be able to find all of these perennials locally, but the chase is half of the fun. An interesting day trip to see many of the plants is at Mary Ann King's Pine Ridge Gardens, a native plant nursery near London (between Clarksville and Russellville, just north of Interstate 40). Mary Ann is having her annual open house weekends on Oct. 8-9 and Oct. 22- 23. For more details, see her Web site at www.pineridgegardens.com.
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