If you would like to prolong the summer gardening season, you can begin by refreshing your outdoor containers with fresh flowering annuals, perennials or shrubs. These new seasonal additions, such as flowering annuals, grasses or blooming panicle hydrangea shrubs, will provide a bridge between summer and fall. You’ll be able to enjoy them now and also next year if you plant the perennials and shrubs into the ground in September. This will provide enough time for good root system development.
SUMMER to FALL FAVORITES…
ZINNIA: Depending on your container size, you can choose between short or tall varieties of zinnias. The heat-loving, bold & colorful Zinnia is the hardest working annual in the summer garden. They also attract pollinators to the late summer container… just in time for butterfly migration season, too.
CELOSIA: The feathery, plume-like flowers are chosen for their vibrant pink, red, yellow, and orange shades. These hardy annuals are drought tolerant, too.
PENTAS: Pentas plants are heat-loving annuals in our zone 5 and a favorite of butterflies. They grow well in outdoor containers, flowerbeds, and mixed borders. The star-shaped flowers have inspired the name.
DRAGON WING BEGONIA: This begonia is a non-stop bloomer that only gets more beautiful throughout the growing season. The red, white or pink flowers of this gracefully shaped annual will add color to both sun and shade containers.
SUNFLOWERS: Always a bold and classic choice for mid to late summer gardens. You’ll need to choose short or compact varieties for containers. The dwarf varieties typically grow between 1.5 to 3 ft. tall, while still producing vibrant, full-sized blooms: ‘Teddy Bear,’ ‘Sunray Yellow,’ or ‘Drop Dead Red’ dwarf sunflowers. The yellow, gold, and barn-red colors of the petals make a beautiful transition from summer to autumn. Birds will drop by to snack on its edible seeds.
SUNPATIENS: Instant color! These sun-loving annuals are larger than shade-loving impatiens. Although they look like New Guinea Impatiens, SunPatiens do best in full sun where they produce more flowers. Or, even in partial shade with at least four hours of sun, the flowering won’t be affected.
TURTLEHEAD or CHELONE: Turtlehead, a fall blooming perennial, gets its name from the blossoms that resemble the shape of a turtle’s head. Red, white or pink flowers highlight this clump-forming perennial that typically grow 2-3′ tall in a container.
RUDBECKIA hirta (pictured): Treat this plant as an annual Black-eyed Susan, rather than a perennial. The larger yellow, golden orange, and red-mahogany flowers of ‘Irish Eyes,’ ‘Cherokee Sunset,’ & ‘Cherry Brandy’ will give you the perfect transition from summer to fall.
ORNAMENTAL GRASSES: Many grasses will be at their peak of beauty in late summer and early fall when larger plants will be available in our August greenhouse. Grasses will add movement to the landscape with their airy and feathery inflorescence.
Perennial grasses: Blue Oat Grass, Feather Reed Grass, Japanese Forest Grass, Pink Muhly Grass, Prairie Dropseed, Japanese Blood Grass (Although classified as a perennial…in Zone 5, the foliage will die back in the winter, but the root system will remain alive and send up new red foliage every spring.)
Annual grasses: The popular Purple Fountain grass offers waves of graceful, soft purple plumes that arch like a fountain above deep burgundy, strappy foliage.
PANICLE HYDRANGEAS: The panicle hydrangea is in full bloom for the mid-summer through fall months. Pop one into a container and you’ll receive instant gratification! Choose panicle hydrangea varieties with cone-shaped blooms that typically transition from creamy white or lime-green to vibrant shades of pink and burgundy in the fall because of cooling temperatures.
Smaller, compact favorites: ‘Little Lime,’ ‘Bobo,’ ‘Firelight Tidbit,’ or ‘Tiny Quickfire.’
