Autumn is a great season for annuals, low-maintenance perennials and evergreen shrubs to shine. In fact, some of the most popular flowers, like colorful mums, roses, dahlias, purple pansies and yes, even bright yellow sunflowers, all bloom around September and October.
Mid- to late-August is often an excellent time to plant fall flowers, as long as the weather isn't still so hot that the plants will suffer heat stress. But don't wait too late to plant, or you'll have a very short window to enjoy your flowers. Check the growing requirements for each plant.
Although each plant's needs may vary and some will be more winter-hardy than others, in general about a month before the last fall frost is sufficient in giving the plant enough time to establish itself and take root.
Winter pansies are cold weather all-stars. These cheery winter blooming flowers can freeze solid and emerge from that state ready to grow and flower. Other bedding plant flowers that grow in winter include nemesia, snapdragon, sweet alyssum and flowering stock.
Decorate With Leafy Greens
Leafy greens aren't just hardy—some of them actually taste better when exposed to frost. So when it starts to get cold out, fill your planters with kale, collards, and spinach. And for an extra-pretty garden, plant ornamental cabbage, too.
October is the season to plant spring-blooming bulbs, wildflowers, and many standard gardening favorites. The flowers that don't blossom this winter can spend the cold season in the ground, strengthening their root systems in preparation for a springtime bloom.
Gardening in the fall provides a longer period with more 'good' days, as compared to the often tumultuous spring season. Plus, if you plant in fall you'll end up ahead of the game and won't have to rush to get everything done after winter. In fact, a good strategy is to plant perennials when you plant your fall bulbs.
Fiberglass, lead, iron, heavy plastic, and stone are the best weather-resistant containers to use; terra-cotta will eventually expand and crack with repeated freezing and thawing.
It will also freeze sooner and thaw more easily than the ground, and it may freeze and thaw several times during the winter, putting stress on the plant. So a potted perennial must be bone-hardy in your area and colder to survive in a container with no special treatment.
As a general rule of thumb, a perennial plant should be rated for two cold hardiness zones colder than your climate to be dependably hardy in a container through winter. For example, a gardener in USDA cold hardiness zone 5 can expect perennials rated for zone 3 or colder to survive the winter in containers.
Christmas Rose
This evergreen perennial blooms from winter to early spring depending on the selection and where you live (mostly early winter in warmer regions, and as late as February or March where it's very cold).
Japanese yew (Taxus cuspidata) is a good choice for an outdoor winter plant because it's an evergreen that keeps its leaves on its branches all winter long. It's drought-tolerant and thrives in both full and partial sun. Hardy to Zone 4, Japanese yews can survive harsh winters.
There's no need to winterize them, since they won't go dormant and should continue to bloom throughout the year. But there are a couple of beneficial chores to complete so your petunias will thrive from November to March.
"Fall is an excellent time to plant almost any perennial, with the exception of many ornamental grasses, which are better planted in spring," says Erin Schanen, Troy-Bilt's gardening partner, a master gardener volunteer and creator of The Impatient Gardener blog and YouTube channel.
From early fall through most of November is one of the best times of year to plant spring-blooming bulbs, cool-season annuals and vegetables, as well as many trees, shrubs, and perennials.
Mid-August to mid-October is an ideal time of year to plant new trees, though, that time frame can be stretched into November and December. To be 100% sure, measure soil temperature early in the morning for a few, consecutive days. If your soil is consistently 50° F or higher, you're good to plant.