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Add Fall Color to Your Garden in August

By August your Smithville, Missouri flower beds may begin to look bedraggled. This is a wonderful time to add some late summer color with chrysanthemums. Amazingly chrysanthemums are available in an almost unlimited number of colors, flower forms, and shapes. In addition, since chrysanthemums are sold in bud or in bloom the color addition is immediate. They can be added to pots, flower beds, or planters with limited muss. Chrysanthemums have nectar-rich flowers which attract migrating Monarch butterflies, a fan favorite of early fall in Northwest Missouri.

One mistake that’s easy to make is buying the wrong kind of chrysanthemums. Florist mums are very pretty and make a great gift, but they are not hardy and will easily die if planted outside. Look, instead, for garden mums instead as they are tough enough to tolerate outdoor conditions.

What other perennials are good to plant in the fall

There are other late-blooming perennials that can carry off the garden’s color display through the fall. Some good choices include back-eyed Susans, Hyssop, Russian sage, and Butterfly busese (also known as buddleia). Or add some structure to your beds by adding an ornamental grass. Fountain grass, Maiden grass, Muhly grass or Switch grass are airy beauties that are at their best in the fall as they’ll send up flower spikes that can be left in the garden all winter long, hence low-maintenance.

If you have a hard to plant section of your yard think about filling the space with a groundcover. Hens-and-chicks, creeping phlox, creeping sedum or mondo grass are short, but charming plants that are simple to grow and will spread and beautify barren areas of your yard.

Finally, you need to water them every few days and mulch around the base of the new additions to help retention. If you aren’t sure where to plant them, the landscape professionals at R & S Lawn Service will be happy to help you place them! Give them a call today for planting help.