Anne Roberts Gardens premier-lanscaping-tip_fall-flowers

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.

Anne Roberts Gardens hyacinth-bean-seeds-dolichos-lablab-202-300x300
Heirloom Hyacinth Beans from Monticello

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.

As you open your eyes to the possibilities, you might find yourself experimenting a little with different species and varieties, colors, shapes and sizes, but that process can be half of the fun.
Plotting out your landscaping projects for  next season during our long, cold Chicago winters can be a great hobby as well.

 

 


What follows are just a few of the fall-blooming beauties that we recommend that you begin choosing from:

 

Anne Roberts Gardens premier-landscaping-tips-300x200 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.


Anne Roberts Gardens Premier-landscaping-tip_-asters-199x300 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.


Anne Roberts Gardens Premier-landscaping-tips_butterfly-bush-202x300 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.


Anne Roberts Gardens premier-landscaping-tips_chrysanthemums-300x200 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.


Anne Roberts Gardens premier-landscaping-tips_roses-199x300 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.

 

 

 


Anne Roberts Gardens Premier-landscaping-tips_veronica-200x300 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.

About The Author

Anne Roberts
Anne Roberts
Chicago Landscaper, Master Gardener, Green Roof Specialist & Degreed Horticulturist at Anne Roberts Gardens

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