Helenium!

Lynda

Here is a link that might be useful: Helenium slide show

My aster is the last thing to bloom.
also
rud goldsturm- August
lobelia cardinalis- Aug
hardy hibiscus-Aug
Most of my plants bloomed several weeks earlier this year due to the heat. My lobelia cardinalis started blooming in mid July this year and is just gorgeous now.
This picture was August '09.
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Annuals are my stars in fall. If kept deadheaded and watered, they keep going until frost. My favorites are coleus, alyssum, petunias, geraniums (pelargonium), zinnias, Yvonne's salvia.

Karen

BTW - Those heleniums keep going even after the first couple of frosts. And they start blooming in July. And they are a long lived perennial, hardy to zone 3. How's that for a fall bloomer? :)

Lynda

The New England Aster I hate all summer (spreads too much, needs to be chopped a couple of times to get full, takes up too much space I wish I had for annuals) turns into the darling of my heart come September. Bright purple blooms for weeks and weeks. Also Helinathus Maximillion - same complaints in summer, same satisfaction in Fall.

The other plant that is really a late summer bloomer but keeps going into fall for me is Tithonia. Love em! Huge and makes a great cut flower too.

I love my Alma Potschke New England Aster. I don't, however, think that it blooms until frost. It puts out brilliant magenta blooms that even my husband notices, but it's bloom season ends before our frost. For it's time, though, it's lovely.

For color till frost I'm hoping the Rudbeckias step up to the plate. Will be my first year to see how they do. Also, anise hyssop is supposed to be a long bloomer. WE'll see if it goes till frost, too.

I should try helenium next year. Are there both annual and perennial types?

Karen

Montauk Daisy (I forget botanical name, sorry)

Fall bloomers:
- Ornamental Grass such as Miscanthus sinensis 'Morning Light', 'Yaku Jima'
- Aster as everyone said above. My latest bloomers are 'Blue Bird' & October Sky'
- Sedum 'Autumn Joy'
- Colchicum --awfully ugly leaves in spring - gorgeous blooms in fall
- Geranium 'Rozanne' that begins to bloom in late June then blooms on and on until heavy frost --the colder it gets, the deeper blue it becomes
- Oakleaf Hydrangea - the leaves are gorgeous
- Annual lobelia - it gets prettier in fall
- Dahlia ---I am getting tired of digging them and storing them for winter, though
- Sweet Autumn Clematis - mine is dyeing though. Too old and overgrown
- Clematis 'Bill Mackenzie' - just bought one last fall after seeing it at a friend's house - It's been blooming for weeks now.
- Clematis 'Betty Corning' that's been blooming since spring
- Buddleia - I just replaced the one that died several years ago with 3 this year
- Hydrangea 'Annabelle' - getting green as the blooms mature
- Viburnum opulus compactum berries - getting redder everyday now
- Caryopteris
-Honeysuckle that blooms off and on from spring until fall
-Snow on the mountain - Euphorbia marginata
- Verbena bonariensis - been blooming since June

August bloomers:
- Hosta plantaginea - most fragrant hosta ever
- Licorice squamigera
- Helenium
- Echinacea still going strong
- Lilium speciosum
- Rudbekia triloba
- Rudbeckia hirta

I love my green Brunera and Wild Ginger this time of year too. The leaves are gorgeous.
Epimedium is not doing well this summer. I hope the leaves will be prettier in fall.

I have 2 geraniums that are blooming again.

Thanks for mentioning helenium above. I looked it up and now I know what plant I have at the back that is flowering. It's helenium. :P

Mone gave me a plant whose flower looks like black eyed susan but petals aren't pointy, it's rounded. It's so beautiful. I have not seen any damaged on the petals.

I have petunia laura bush volunteers and started blooming early July. It's still blooming.

I'm waiting for chelone and aster.

Russian Sage is blooming too.

pot marigold - calendula

blooms from early summer until it snows. Cut it back when it gets leggy and it will rebloom.

Lynda--I don't know if I'm more blown away by your helenium or by your photo skills. Which helenium is the big orange? Kqcrna, your red lobelia is fantastic. Is it in a wet/moist spot? Pitimpinai--you are some grower! Is all that from seed? Brunera and wild ginger I'd love to grow from seed.

No, my lobelia's not in a very wet spot. It's roots are usually shaded by other stuff, and I do give it some extra water. I love it and so do the hummingbirds. They're on it all day.

Karen

Some of my favorite fall perennial bloomers

September

Agastache 'Firebird' and 'Cherry Profusion Zinnia'

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Heliopsis 'Summer Sun'
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MN Mum and 'Puff' Aster
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Aster and 'Autumn Joy' Sedum
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Clematis 'Nelly Moser': With over 30 clematis I have a variety blooming in the fall.

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Allium

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Helenium: Divided this into two this spring. It has started blooming with one plant red blooms and the other plant yellow and red blooms.

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October

Solidago Fireworks and Rudbeckia

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Merryrose - the helenium photos are from a photo group I administer on Flickr. Some of the photos are mine, but many were taken by others. If you see a particular variety that you like, click on the photo and you can navigate to that photographer's page and send them a Flickr mail with your questions.

The ones I grow are from the mix sold at Swallowtail seed. Link below. Lots of variety, all gorgeous.

Lynda

Here is a link that might be useful: Helenium mix

Ditto about asters...I have 'October Skies' and it looks lovely once it blooms, but until then it's almost more of a shrub. But the purple blooms look nice next to the yellow of the black-eyed susans and goldenrod in autumn.

I also like my Dendranthema 'Sheffield' mum a lot. It's unusual color-wise for autumn since the blooms are a very pretty soft pink. Last year I also added a few hardy mums in colors like pumpkin, wine, and lavender. The groundhogs have kept them nicely pinched-back for me, lol. We'll see if they actually bloom again this fall after the summer groundhog munching.

Upright sedum is a autumn-blooming mainstay in my garden because the groundhogs don't eat it...have tons of 'Autumn Joy' and recently got 'Vera Jameson' and 'Matrona'.

Right now my fav is succisa pratensis! late fall bloomer- cute basal foliage, and tall 4' scabiosa-ish (only way better) blooms that dance around in the wind and attract tons of pollinators.

Not my pictures, but you can see, before opening the flowers look like a little violet raspberry
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Okay, now I'm just wondering why I don't just plant only for fall, such great options. Love the helenium. Love it. I have cardinal flower ws from december, it's supposed to bloom the second year but it's getting flower stalk on now, I have my fingers crossed. Thanks everyone, wintersowers are the best!

Okay, now I'm just wondering why I don't just plant only for fall, such great options. Love the helenium. Love it. I have cardinal flower ws from december, it's supposed to bloom the second year but it's getting flower stalk on now, I have my fingers crossed. Thanks everyone, wintersowers are the best!

Okay, now I'm just wondering why I don't just plant only for fall, such great options. Love the helenium. Love it. I have cardinal flower ws from december, it's supposed to bloom the second year but it's getting flower stalk on now, I have my fingers crossed. Thanks everyone, wintersowers are the best!

I was just at my sister's and saw her Japanese anemone in full bud, ready to bloom with those gorgeous white flowers all through the fall. Gotta get some of them! I covet the red helenium, too. Were these winter sown? I've tried without success to wintersow them. Maybe I need fresh seed?

mnwsgal,

I love your Agastache 'Firebird' and Clematis 'Nelly Moser'. Can I have some seeds please? :) Your pictures are really gorgeous!!! Thanks for sharing.

I have helenium but just one stem and it's flowering right now. I am not sure if it's going to flower again. Looks like flowers are starting to become pale.

My pink dragonflower (aka obedient plant) is about to bloom. It's a real thug and I wind up digging out huge clumps of it, but at this time of year it's really pretty.

Caryl

Monk'shood, the blue-est varieties are great in September through November. Sort of fills the same niche in my garden that foxglives do in May and June.

I don't see that anyone has mentioned Chelone - late summer, early fall. Mine is just starting to bloom.

Mnwsgal - Love your color combinations. What is the blue plant with the heliopsis?

I saw 2 flowers from my Chelone yesterday! :)

I'll second solidago. My butterfly bushes also have sporadic bloom on through the fall. And the one I haven't seen listed here yet is bidens. It's an annual, but re-seeded for me from last year very well. NCSU says it prefers cool summers, but it does well here in the south for me.

Here is a link that might be useful: link to bidens info from ncsu

merryrose - about half of my plants were wintersown. Yeah, I like to stuff my garden with plants.

Bobby, I love your red Helennium.
Yes, Solidago. Love them too. I have Fireworks' and 'Wichita Mountain'.

smooey, that is one beautiful plant. I have never seen anything like it.

Thank you, Bev. The blue looking plant is actually silver artemesia. You can see it in the background of the aster and Autumn Joy sedum.

v1rtu0s1ty, sorry, I do not have seeds of either of those plants. Will try to collect seeds from the agastache later this fall. I cut it back earlier as moved it and it is just starting to bloom now. Clematis do not come true from seed and I do not have seed from this one as it is a young plant and I deadhead it to help extend bloom.

My helenium was ws by another wintersower several years ago. I have not had much success trying to winter sow other varieties. I will send seeds for a SABE from the red one to anyone who would like to try.

Today I see a pink Japanese anemone blooming and buds on others. Solidago 'Fireworks' is blooming in one part of the garden, while those in a more shaded area have not bloomed yet. Some early mums are starting to bloom as well.

I love my Autumn Fern. I also love Cinnamon and Royal Ferns because they look really pretty with the dead leaves falling all around them. The reason I love these ferns in my garden is because they turn red and orange at the end of summer early fall.

I love my cardinal flowers: red, blue and purple. The cool colors of the blue and purple look good with the hot colors of the red, and look great with helenium, which has become another favorite. Mine reseeded everywhere this year, and they bloomed on their first year, multiple different color blends of orange, red and yellow, with a few solid yellows and reds. Caryopteris has just began blooming, and its blue flowers look nice with the hot colors too, and the bees love it! I have an aster called Hella Lacy that I bought from Bluestone three years ago that has yet to bloom for me. I hope it blooms this year, but I still have yet to see buds. Should they be visible by now? The plant is lush and green and so healthy looking, but where are the flowers? Crossing fingers for blooms.

Karen

That red helenium is a beauty! You wrote that you divided the plant last Spring and one plant ended up this red color while the other half of the plant produced yellow flowers. How did that happen?

Perhaps there were two different helenium in the same pot? I only remember one plant in the pot when I got it. Maybe some other seed that germinated after it was planted. This plant has a history of odd bloom. One year part of the plant was yellow & red while part of it was red though the yellow & red color seemed to be on various stems of the same plant.
Last year it was all red.

The red one in a pot was transplanted a few weeks ago into my red bed and now has turned a soft burnt orange. Not at all what I want in my red bed. Wonder if it would turn red again if I replant it in the original area of my back garden.

Here is some info I have on helenium 'Chelsey'. I don't know the variety of my plant but it seems to fit this description of the blooms.
Flower coloursâ¨: Flowers in different stages on on the same plant show different color shades: very young flowers are red with yellow; more mature flowers are dark red and old flowers are red with orange and yellow. The less light exposure an individual flower has, the higher the proportion of yellow its petals will show. This means that flowers developing on stems lower down the plant are likely to have more yellow in them