Creating Your Colorful Fall Garden

Creating a colorful fall garden is fun and easy. The range of plants available to liven up your yard is inspiring to any avid gardener. In order to gain the best show of fall colors, it is necessary to plant them in the spring and summer. This will allow them to gain a good root base and to be strong and brilliantly colorful for the fall and early winter season. Perennials are the best when well nourished and well mulched. There are many different flowers and plants that work for the fall gardens. As well as flowers, I like to add some fall vegetables in my garden for the fresh food as well as interesting color. Broccoli, Collards, Turnips, Potatoes and others are cooler weather plants and can be planted in the summer and harvested in late fall and early winter. They add and interesting touch to any garden. Check with your local greenhouse for plants and care instructions or check google.com for the care and planting of these. My favorite fall flowers as well as some interesting colorful bushes are listed below.

My first choice for fall color is Chrysanthemums or "Mums" as most folks know them. The colors range from white to orange and yellow and a beautiful purple. Planted in early summer, these are at their best in early fall. They are not usually widely sold until late summer. I would check with the local non-chain greenhouses to see about getting smaller ones, earlier. This could save you money. Buying in the late summer means having to buy larger plants in order to produce the bigger flowers sooner.

It is very important when planting these to get a deep enough hole and to provide adequate nourishment to the original planting. I try to use natural fertilizers or additions to the soil vs harsh fertilizers easily gotten anywhere. Thinking green is necessary from any living standpoint.

The second choice I enjoy each year throughout the summer, well into the fall and early winter is marigolds. I love these flowers. You talk about resilient, marigolds are the most perfect flower. Each year you can cover any garden with the marigold seeds from the previous year or store bought if you haven't tried these yet. They will grow under the most outrageous conditions. If you give them tender loving care and regular nourishment, along with a healthy water supply, they will reward you with the most beautiful display of fall colors. The beauty of these are they deliver that color all summer as well. Easy to care for and beautiful.

My third pick for a colorful fall garden is Goldenrod. Once given a bad reputation of being a weed, this colorful addition to your garden will bring many compliments. It also is a great butterfly attractor. Check with your local greenhouse for more information and choices for brilliant fall color.

Besides flowers, there are several bushes that are nice additions to colorful fall landscapes. One of the prettiest is called a Sweet Pepper Bush or Clethra Bush.

It's foliage turns a gorgeous yellow fluffy color in fall combined with bright green leaves. Easy to care for and worth the planting.

Another "bush" that brings colorful fall foliage the garden and my personal favorite in my garden is the Pyracantha or Firethorn bush. This is an evergreen bush that has either orange or red(mine) berries, green foliage and white flowers. The fall show is spectacular mixed with the other colors of the garden and the birds love the berries. A mixture of Christmas flavor early. These will stay looking the same way throughout the fall, deep into the winter. This is also a nice decoration item.

Fall gardens are easy to make beautiful and colorful. As with everything, it takes a little planning and some work. When you drive by your house or walk out the door into your gorgeous fall yard, it will all have been worth the effort. Happy Fall Gardening!