Blooms, Berries, and Beauty in the Fall Garden

Fall is my favorite time of the year. I just love the cool, crisp air which makes walking in the garden so much more enjoyable. I enjoy blooming tea balls Fall gardening for the same reason-it’s cooler. I am a sucker for a fall-blooming plant. I’m always on the lookout for something new, and I thought I’d share with you some of my findings.

Pink Muhly Grass is hard to find, but when you see it, you’ll love the pink fluffy plumes that arise from the foliage in late September. This plant is beautiful when planted in mass, but also makes a great specimen. Muhlenbergia capillaris is it’s botanical name, and this plant looks great with fall blooming asters.

Perennial Ageratum is another eye-catcher with its bright lavender blooms that return each year in September.

Berries tickle me as well, because I know they’ll bring birds into the garden. One of my favorites is American Beautyberry with its deep magenta berries that are in clusters wrapped around the stem. The berries hang onto the stems even after the leaves have dropped, providing interest on into the winter. If purple isn’t your thing, a rare white form and a pink form can be found in specialty nurseries.

Tea Olive is a large evergreen shrub that blooms later in the fall with tiny but very fragrant blooms that smell like fresh apricots. A single plant can fragrance a whole garden!

Well, I know it doesn’t yet feel like fall here in Georgia, but cool weather is coming! So make your plans now for the best gardening season of all-Fall!