How Awesome Is Your Irrigation Contractor?How Awesome Is Your Irrigation Contractor?

Chrysanthemums have long been the go-to plant for fall garden color, and garden centers are usually overflowing with pots full of their orange, red, yellow, purple and white blooms. As easy and showy as mums are, if you want something different in your garden, there are other plants whose flowers put on quite a show in the fall.

Russian Sage

This Central Asian native sends up voluminous 3- to 5-foot spikes of airy purple-blue flowers on stand-out  grayish-green stems and foliage. A member of the mint family, this is a tough, trouble-free plant that grows well in full sun in well-drained to dry soils. It is hardy to USDA zones 5-9.

 Goldenrod

A North American native, goldenrod has a bad, but undeserved, reputation for causing hay fever. In actuality, it is dog fennel and ragweed, which bloom at the same time, that are the culprits. Goldenrods come in many varieties that vary in height from 2- to 4-feet. Their gorgeous plumes of golden-yellow flowers look best when planted in masses. They are drought tolerant and care-free when grown in full sun and well-drained soil. Goldenrod is hardy to zones 4-9.

 Red Spider Lily

These striking red spidery flowers emerge from the soil in a burst of color every fall. These sun-loving bulbs grow to 2 feet tall and make excellent cut flowers. When the blooms die back, the leaves emerge. Hardy only in zones 8-10, red spider lilies are a southern pass-along favorite.

Helenium 

Helenium's yellow, rust and mahogany blooms top 2- to 8- foot tall plants in a long-lasting blaze of fall color. These sun-loving plants are deer resistant, attract birds, and are hardy to zone 3-8. 

Jerusalem Artichoke

This member of the sunflower family not only gives you beautiful flowers, but food as well. Bright yellow blooms grow on stalks up to 8 feet tall. When the plants die back in late fall, it is time to harvest the tubers, which can be eaten like potatoes or pickled raw whole or in chow-chows and relishes.

Toad Lily

Toad lily's spotted, orchid-like flowers add interest to the garden from late summer to mid-fall. These easy-to-grow plants are perfect for a shady spot in the garden, growing to 3 feet tall and 2 feet wide. Toad lilies are hardy to zones 4-9.

You don't have to be stuck covering your yard with chrysanthemums for fall color. With a little planning, your fall landscape can be bursting with amazing shows of color from an assortment of easy-to-grow flowering plants. To find out more, speak with a business like Wild Geese Gardens.