October 2010 - The Bulletin Magazine

in the garden
Late Blooming Perennials
by Jeannie Nicolaou
Many people are saddened by fall
because warm weather and vacations
are over and it’s back to school and
work. Bright, flourishing gardens
with vibrant reds, purples, yellows,
whites, and oranges seem to be at an
end, leaving only greens and browns
for fall and winter. However, while
work and school are inevitable in
autumn, colourless and boring
gardens are definitely not!
If lively and interesting gardens are
possible this time of year, why don’t
we see them more often? Perhaps it’s
because nurseries tend to wow
throngs of spring shoppers with high
impact spring-blooming plants. At
that point, late blooming perennials
may offer little promise: they are
slow to start, and have no blooms to
catch people’s attention.
It’s a leap of faith to buy them in
spring, but late bloomers will give
many years of enjoyment just when
you think the fun and beauty are over.
For those with forethought, fall can
become the best season in the garden.
If you have come to the realization
that your garden lacks bloom in fall,
right now is also a great time to plan
and plant a display of late blooming
perennials.
Perennials that wait to burst open
until late summer or fall may test our
patience but they reward us with
glorious jewel tones of deep purple,
rust, scarlet and gold. Asters and
chrysanthemums are readily
available. Today they are retailed like
annuals, sold in late summer to
customers to make autumn vignettes
with plump pumpkins. They can be
interchanged for spring-planted
annuals that have begun to droop.
There are so many
extraordinary perennials
that should not be missed.
To make my top-ten list, a
plant must have long
blooming times, be tough
and require low
maintenance, and are
usually drought tolerant.
Many of the following
long-bloomers burst out in
summer and continue into
fall. Including them in your plan can
help to ensure continuity of colour
and plenty of butterflies and birds.
Joe-Pye Weed (Eupatorium) is a
great moisture loving perennial. E.
maculatum ‘Atropurpureum’ can
reach a stately six feet or more.
Consider the five foot variety,
‘Chocolate’ (which actually does
smell like chocolate), or the more
manageable four foot ‘Little Joe.’
A garden should not be complete
without ornamental grasses that peak
in autumn. Their flowing blooms
sway in the breeze, taking on lovely
shades of gold, orange and red.
Panicum virgatum ‘Shenandoah’
turns a beautiful red in late summer.
Pennisetum has soft bottlebrush-like
flowers that you’ll want to caress.
To complete the picture, add tall
Sedum spectabile ‘Autumn Joy’, a
mainstay in many gardens. It’s as
tough as nails and gives several
seasons of interest. In September,
the blooms turn burgundy and then
fade slowly but continue to provide
Toad Lily
winter interest. You can get more
blooms and strengthen the stalks of
Sedum and certain tall late bloomers
if you cut back the first buds in July.
For shady spots, try beautiful
Japanese anemones (Anemone
hupehensis). They have a profusion
of cheery white, pink or purple
flowers on wiry stems.
Another perennial for part shade is
the unusual flower of the toad lily
(Tricyrtis hirta). In September, its
spotted flowers are small but
numerous. Site them in a spot where
you can appreciate their delicate
nature.
A wonderful low maintenance plant
is the perennial Geranium. There are
a few long blooming varieties, such
as ‘Rozanne’, ‘Jolly Bee’, and ‘Pink
Penny.’ Blue-violet or pink blooms
start in June and keep going until the
frost flies, with no deadheading
10 The Bulletin | October 2010 www.thebulletinmagazine.com