Essential Plants for the Fall Garden

Growing these ensures a stunning late-season scene

Many plants have something to offer as the grow season winds down , but to sincerely take advantage of the near of fall , one should acquire the three pillars of the fall garden .

The first pillar of the autumn garden is decorative grass . During this third season of the garden , heap and hammock of these works explode into bloom and pose a framework for everything else still strong enough to be standing . The second pillar is the aster . Regardless of what partitioning they have been split into — Aster , Symphiotrichum , Eurybia(Zones 4–8)—all asters stand equal to ornamental forage in autumnal impingement , if not in height . The third pillar is the vertical sedum , now given its own categorization apart from its low - growing cousins , Hylotelephium(Zones 3–9 ) .

All three pillars play a subordinate word , almost unseeable role throughout spring and summer , often being but the works next to the one that is blossom . But the hold is worth it .

The pillars are just the start

So many plants shine in -autumn , a season full of semblance and interest that rivals — and in some ways surpasses — spring and summer . Start by search the majuscule diversity among asters , grasses , and sedums , then keep looking . Here are some idea to get you started .

Photo : Stephanie Fagan

Photo : Danielle Sherry

1. Fountain grass

( Pennisetum alopecuroidesand cvs . , Zones 5–9 )

2. ‘Brilliantissima’ red chokeberry

( Aronia arbutifolia‘Brilliantissima ’ , Zones 5–9 )

Photo : Ann E. Stratton

Photo : Steve Aitken

3. ‘Monch’ aster

( Aster×frikartii‘Monch ’ , Zones 5–10 )

4. ‘Grace’ smokebush

( Cotinus‘Grace ’ , Zones 5–9 )

Photo : Brandi Spade

5. Alma Potschke New England aster

( Symphyotrichum nova - angliae‘Andenken an Alma Pötschke ’ , Zones 4–8 )

6. Oakleaf hydrangea

( Hydrangea quercifolia , Zones 5–9 )

Photo : Lily Fagan

Photo : Kerry Ann Moore

7. ‘Oneida’ viburnum

( Viburnum‘Oneida ’ , Zones 5–8 )

8. ‘Postman’s Pride’ sedum

( Hylotelephium telephium‘Postman ’s Pride ’ , Zones 3–9 )

9. ‘Waterlily’ autumn crocus

( Colchicum‘Waterlily ’ , Zones 4–7 )

10. Arkansas bluestar

( Amsonia hubrichtii , zona 5–8 )

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Photo: Danielle Sherry

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garden with perennials in bloom and ornamental grasses

They look great together and with almost anything else.Simply planting the three pillars together yields a fantastic fall scene. But ornamental grasses fit into any design, and the color range of asters and sedums is also widely adaptable.Photo: Nicola Stocken

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Fountain grass