September and October are also ideal months to dedicate yourself to gardening and have a garden full of colorful flowers, making it more welcoming and evocative.
Autumn flower gardens, in fact, can be spectacular and with the most varied combinations of colors ranging from shades of yellow to purple, red and orange. However, to have an abundance of flowers in the fall, it is advisable to plant them in spring or early summer, so that they have time to establish themselves, or otherwise purchase a few plants.
Here are the 10 most beautiful autumn flowers to color your garden again.
Autumnal Colchicus (Colchicum autumnale)
The autumn colchicum (Colchicum autumnale), also called false saffron, is a small herbaceous bulbous plant with pink-violet flowers, belonging to the family of Colchicaceae. It grows mainly in humid and shaded areas and, sometimes, its flowers can bloom already at the end of summer, but its greatest flowering occurs in autumn.
For healthy growth, one piece of advice is to reduce watering in midsummerwhen its leaves begin to die and yellow, and then resume watering at the end of summer and keep the soil moderately moist when the leaves turn green again.
However, it is good to remember that every part of the plant is toxicand if ingested colchicum can cause vomiting, nausea, burning in the mouth, diarrhea, tachycardia, convulsions or asphyxia. As a result, it is best to avoid planting it around children and pets.
In this regard, here we told you about the risks and how to distinguish colchicum from saffron: Autumnal colchicum, how to recognize the false toxic ‘saffron’.
Campanula grandiflora (Platycodon grandiflorus)
Campanula grandiflora (Platycodon grandiflorus), is an ornamental plant grown in the garden and in pots for its abundant and prolonged summer-autumn flowering, belonging to the family of Campanulaceae.
In fact, although it mostly blooms during the summer season, it can also bloom in autumn. Nonetheless, the campanula grandiflora prefers moist, well-drained soil and bright, sunny places, but it also handles very cold winter temperatures well.
Initially the plant produces numerous rounded buds, which open as soon as they are ready to flower. Its flowers are star-shaped, with 4 or 5 lobes, blue, lilac, white or pink. Finally, other than cutting the plants in spring or autumn, no other maintenance is required.
Goldenrod (Solidago)
The goldenrod (Solidago), is a herbaceous plant belonging to the family Asteraceae, characterized by intense yellow flowers. Furthermore, it is also a plant widely used in herbal medicine for its astringent and anti-inflammatory properties.
Its flowering period generally extends from August to October, but it is one of the last flowers to bloom in autumn. There are more than 100 species in the goldenrod family, the plants typically reaching about 1 meter tall and displaying clusters of small yellow flowers at the tops of their stems.
Placed in full sun, the goldenrod produces beautiful blooms from which fruits and consequently seeds develop, which attract sparrows and great tits to the garden (read also: with these plants you can attract birds to the garden and feed them with their seeds).
Japanese anemone (Anemone x hybrida)
The Japanese anemone (Anemone x hybrida), is a perennial plant belonging to the family Ranuncolaceae. It begins to flower at the end of summer and is characterized by its beautiful white and pink flowers.
It is a very easy plant to grow and in fact requires little maintenance once established. Furthermore, the Japanese anemone prefers partially shaded and wind-sheltered places and does not like intense heat. In the southern regions it should be grown in places protected from direct sunlight, in order to avoid the leaves drying out following sunburn.
Weed Joe Pye (Eutrochium purpureum)
THE’Eupatorium purpureum it is a caespitose perennial herbaceous plant, belonging to the family Asteraceae, which develops pink or creamy white flower heads that bloom from mid-summer to early autumn.
Each plant has about five to seven of these flowers, which also give off a light vanilla scent. Furthermore, perennial herbaceous plants live all year round and tolerate even the coldest temperatures, they go into vegetative rest during the winter season and resume the vegetation phase when temperatures increase.
Chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum)
Chrysanthemum is a plant belonging to the chrysanthemum family Asteraceae or Compositaenative to Europe, Asia and Africa, can be grown in pots or in the garden to have balconies and flower beds.
In fact, the chrysanthemum gives beautiful and abundant blooms even in the cold months, when the rest of the vegetation is at rest. Although they can already be purchased in autumn, if you intend to grow chrysanthemum it is better to plant it in spring, so that it becomes established before the cold weather arrives.
The flowering of the chrysanthemum varies according to the species, in fact, although it generally blooms starting from the month of September and until the first frosts, some species produce flowers during the summer. Chrysanthemum flowers are flower heads and can vary in shape, size and color depending on the variety of the plant, with colors ranging from white to red.
You might also be interested in: The legend of chrysanthemums and their symbolic meaning
Asters (Astereae)
These delicate daisy-like flowers begin to open in late August and continue until frost. The Aster (Astereae) is a perennial and herbaceous plant belonging to the family of Asteraceaevery widespread and of which there are several hundred species.
Each species has very different characteristics and over the years many hybrids have been added, given their extreme ability to adapt to the environment and give beautiful blooms. In fact, it is a very decorative plant in autumn, with flowers in colors ranging from white to shades of cream, pink, red and purple, up to light blue, violet and blue.
Elenio (Helenium)
THE’Heleniumcommonly called Elenio, is a herbaceous flowering plant ideal for beautifying garden beds and easy to grow even in pots. To flower profusely, they prefer places that are sunny for many hours a day and sheltered from the wind, but they tolerate both high summer temperatures and harsh winters well.
Helenium is characterized by daisy-like flowers in bright red and gold hues and petals that point outward or droop downward. They generally flower from late summer to early autumn.
Sunflower (Helianthus)
The sunflower (Helianthus) is a plant belonging to the family Asteraceaewith cheerful and colorful flowers. The perennial plant, compared to annual sunflowers which can grow up to 4 meters high and generate flowers the size of a plate, blooms towards the end of the summer season and produces smaller flowers.
Furthermore, they can be very simple to grow and do not require great gardening knowledge to be sown, but only the right amount of commitment and perseverance (read also: when to plant sunflower seeds to have “fiery” blooms in summer).
Coreoxide (Coreopsis)
The genre Coreopsis It includes around 30 species of perennial or annual herbaceous plants and is home to many popular garden plants, most of which flower periodically during the summer season. However, if pruned after flowering, the plant will put on a glorious autumn floral display.
Coreopsis flowers are large, generally yellow or orange in color. Some varieties, such as Coreosside tinctoria, have shades of other colors in the center of the corolla. They are also simple to grow, require well-drained soil and should be placed in full sun.
In addition to flowers, autumn is also the perfect time to plant some perennial aromatic herbs, such as rosemary, sage and thyme, which can survive well during the winter months and enrich the vegetable patch and garden with fragrances and flavours. These plants not only add an aromatic note to the green space, but also attract pollinators and improve biodiversity. Additionally, many of them act as natural repellents for unwanted insects.
Protect plants with mulch
Another fundamental autumn gardening activity is mulching, which consists of covering the soil with a layer of organic materials (such as bark, dry leaves or straw). This helps retain moisture, protect the roots from frost and prevent weed growth. Furthermore, mulch gradually decomposes its nutrients in the soil, improving the quality of the soil and better preparing the garden for the vegetative growth in spring.
How to prepare the garden for spring
Autumn is also an ideal time to plant spring bulbs such as tulips, daffodils and hyacinths. Burying the bulbs in this period allows them to take root before the winter cold and ensures lush blooms with the arrival of the summer. Thinking of autumn gardening as an investment for spring transforms every action, from choosing the plants to preparing the soil, into a gesture that will give colorful and vital results in the following months.
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