Derek Fell
Cushioh Chry
by Derek Fell
For many gardeners, fall can be a sad season when summer-flowering perennials exhaust themselves and floral color dwindles, but with the right choice of perennials the fall home garden landscape can be as brilliant as spring or summer. First consider chrysanthemums. Many local growers sell plants in bud or early bloom for instant color. At Cedaridge Farm we often clear away annuals in front of a gazebo and replant the entire space with an assortment of cushion chrysanthemums in rustic colors, including yellow, orange, red, bronze, brown, purple and white, all with yellow button centers. The petal shape can vary considerably; some classified as ‘spiders’ for their slender starburst petals, others called ‘spoons’ for broad scooped petals. With most modern varieties, such as the ‘Prophet’ series, the plants produce so many flowers they completely hide the foliage.
After chrysanthemums I like hardy perennial ornamental grasses for a fall show, not only because most have slender arching foliage that turns amber, but many varieties delay flowering until September and remain decorative until a hard frost. My first pick is the grass family known as maiden grass (Miscanthus sinensis) because the plants develop a fountain of tall grass stems topped by silver or red flower plumes depending on variety. Another good fall flowering variety is native muely grass (Muellenbergia) because the plant produces an explosion of deep pink wispy flowers that resemble clouds of pink mist from a distance. I also like varieties of fountain grass, especially black fountain grass (Pennisetum ‘Moudry’) because the cascading plants have broad, slender leaves and masses of black bristly flowers. There are times I have planted an entire border with ornamental grasses, and these have persisted into winter months, to produce a sparkling display when covered in ice.
A dazzling native wildflower known as swamp sunflower resembles a tall yellow cosmos and looks spectacular clumped in a border. Late-flowering hardy perennial sedums such as ‘Autumn Joy’ produce flat panicles of rusty red flower clusters that dry and darken in color with age, remaining decorative even after early snowfalls.
Many varieties of asters delay flowering until late in the season, notably the tall, blue Siberian aster (Aster tartaritca) which has long stems to make a long lasting cut flower. Another late flowering member of the aster family is the white Boltonia, with a galaxy of daisy-like flowers atop long stems, allowing the entire plant to be cut for an instant bouquet.
Varieties of Japanese anemone (Anemone japonica) grow tall and branch freely with large white or pink flowers. I always plant these generously in a sunny spot because I value them for cutting to make indoor arrangements. ‘Whirlwind’ is a semi-double white with a conspicuous powdery yellow dome at the center while ‘Serenade’ is a charming pink with flowers that resemble clematis.
When creating a late season flower border, be sure to mix in some compact specimens of small trees and shrubs for dramatic foliage color. In particular I like the coral stem Japanese maple because its orange leaves contrast harmoniously with the pink juvenile stems.
Some perennials for fall flowering I find disappointing. Notably toad lilies because the plants look weedy when not in flower, and when they do flower the flowers tend to be inconspicuous even though on close examination they resemble miniature orchids. To be sure, these close-up views can look sensational in a mail order catalog presentation, but because of the diminutive size of the flowers they do not give a sufficiently big bang for the buck in my opinion.
Derek Fell gardens at his home, historic Cedaridge Farm in Tinicum township. He has authored numerous garden books and is the editor of the on-line monthly gardening newsletter, the Avant Gardener (avantgardener.info).