100s of Colorful Fall Bloomers for a Cheerful Autumn Garden!
As people develop an interest in gardening, one of the most fun challenges is learning how to keep your gardens blooming for as long as possible—and through as many seasons as possible. And now that fall is approaching, it’s a good time take a look at what could be blooming in your garden, this year or next!
Keep Your Chicago Garden Blooming Beautifully Through Fall
When choosing plants that will give you delightful blooms into the cooler months, consider this:
- if you are landscaping in Chicago, choose from Zone 5 plants
- the height you’ll want your plants to be
- the amount of sun and shade in the spots you are interested in planting
- the soil requirements of the plants you might want to incorporate
There are Hundreds of Fall-blooming Choices to Explore
There are literally gobs of zone 5 fall-blooming plants from which to choose, and one place to start learning about plants that you might like to see as a part of your Chicago landscaping design (either in the garden or in plant containers) is the Bluestone Perrennials Plant Finder. You’ll find nearly 400 fall-blooming plants for our zone there alone. You can also do some research at My Garden Guide, using their plant encyclopedia to input your requirements and then see what species and varieties pop up.
From there and over time, your interest may blossom into learning about heirloom plants—like the beautiful fall-blooming Hyacinth Bean from Jefferson’s Monticello garden. The seeds for these vines (descendants of Jefferson’s plants) are available at the museum shop and grow 6 to 20 feet. They offer bounteous purple blossoms that flower well into the late fall. They’re great for along fences or in sculptured trellises.
What follows are just a few of the fall-blooming beauties that we recommend that you begin choosing from:
Anemone
Zones 4-8
Height: 0-5′
Type: Perennial
Additional: Long-lasting flowers that bloom late summer to mid-fall. This plant takes part shade to full sun and enjoys normal to moist soil.
Asters (nearly 100 varieties)
Zones 4-8
Height: 2-5′
Type: Perennial
Additional: Low-maintenance perennials that bloom late summer to mid-fall. This plant takes part sun to full sun and enjoys normal to moist soil.
Buddleia – Butterfly Bush
Zones 5-9
Height: 10-12′ at mature height
Type: Perennial
Additional: Low-maintenance perennials that bloom early summer to mid-fall. This plant takes sun to full sun and enjoys semi-arid to moist soil. Produces fragrant flowers that attract butterflies.
Chrysanthemums
Zones 5-9
Height: 0-3′
Type: Generally annual and biennial (some species are perennial)
Additional: Low-maintenance perennials that bloom mid summer to mid-fall. This plant takes full sun and enjoys dry to moist soil.
Roses
Zones 5-9
Height: 0-5+’
Type: Shrub
Additional: Many varieties bloom mid summer to mid-fall. This plant generally takes sun to full sun and enjoys normal to moist soil.
Veronica— Loddon Blue Speedwell
Zones 5-8
Height: 0 – .67′
Type: Perennial
Additional: Many varieties bloom mid summer to mid-fall. This plant generally takes sun to full sun and enjoys normal to moist soil.
We at Anne Roberts Gardens can help plan and plant your first garden design. Feel free to contact us for a consultation.
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