Flowers For Fall

Wednesday, September 3rd, 2014

FallFlowers

---

Fall is almost upon us. Our lovely bouquet of summer color is going to be losing its brilliance and now we are stuck with a bunch of mums, right? I think not! One of my all-time favorite fall flowers is Lespedeza, AKA Bush Clover. I just love this shrub. Lespedeza Gibraltar are easy to grow and like full sun. They get 4-5 feet tall and spread 5-10 feet and are covered blue-green leaflets. In fall they bloom with rosy, purple, pea-like flowers which are grouped in loose, pendulous flowers up to 2 feet long. This creates a arching fountain-like habit. With these in the yard everyone will be asking what they are.

Another of my personal favorites is Solidago or Golden Rod, but these are different from the golden rod that causes so many people to sneeze. These bloom from September through October and range in size from 15” “Little Lemon” variety up to the “Fireworks” iteration at 48” tall. Beautiful, golden blooms provide brilliant fall color especially contrasting with some purple Love Grass. Pow! Solidago have medium green foliage through the summer while the seed heads start showing themselves in late summer in shades of light to bright purple giving the plant an allover purple haze. This is a stunning addition to any landscape. Now, you can still have your mums but they don’t have to be the only show horse in your stable.

---

---