Already the light is fading and the cold is setting in. Soon the garden will be covered by a thick blanket of snow. It’s only after many long months of this regime that it can be reborn in spring with its soft, comforting colors. Gardeners are well aware of this familiar cycle, and it’s during this dormant period that they invariably re-plan their gardens, bent over their drawing board or immersed in their horticultural reading. To help you restructure your flowerbeds, we offer you a humble selection of plants with high autumnal ornamental potential, which we hope will enrich your horticultural reflections throughout the winter. Autumn-blooming plants are very often the subject of horticultural articles, and for good reason: in addition to prolonging the garden season, these plants represent an invaluable treasure for our pollinators. In the course of our trials, we’ve selected a few specimens from this precious plant heritage, including the classics, the must-haves, the intriguing and the annuals.
The Classics
- Wolfsbane – Aconitum sp.
- Stonecrops – Sedum sp.
- Japanese anemone –Eriocapitella hupehensis syn. Anemone hupehensis
- Black cohosh – Actaea racemosa
- New England aster – Symphyotrichum novae-angliae syn. Aster novae-angliae
- Great masterwort –Astrantia major
- Corsican violet –Viola corsica
- Panicled hydrangea – Hydrangea paniculata
The Essentials
Grasses of all kinds! Autumn in the garden is also a festival of grasses. With their feathery, often colorful inflorescences, they add unique volumes and textures to the garden. In beds or on their own, they soften volumes and make the melody of flowerbeds more fluid.
The Contenders
- Rocky Mountain blazing star –Liatris ligulistylis
- Giant ironweed –Vernonia gigantea
- Pale Indian plantain – Arnoglossum atriplicifolium syn. Cacalia atriplicifolia
- Hairy mountain mint – Pycnanthemum verticillatum var. pilosum syn. Pycnanthemum pilosum
- Autumn crocus – Colchicum autumnale
- Purple beautyberry – Calicarpa dichotoma
The Power of Annuals
Finally, we can’t overlook the importance of certain annuals, which will last until the first frosts and sometimes even the first snows. Their last breath will also be that of a bee’s last feast before wintering, or a hummingbird’s last meal before its long journey.
- Brassica – Brassica sp.
- Florist’s daisy – Chrysanthemum × morifolium syn. C. x grandiflorum
- Purpletop vervain –Verbena bonariensis
- Common lantana – Lantana camara
- Amaranth – Amaranthus sp.
- Woolflowers – Celosia sp.
- and many others…
