How to Plant a showy, fall flower display

Some people think that gardening ends in the fall, but that’s not the case. You can create a showy, fall flower display in your garden to brighten your home.

When planting fall flowers, think about what looks pretty to you, adds color, and helps pollinators.

Here are some flowers and plants for central Ohio that are terrific for adding color during autumn.

Mums

We can’t stay mum about this! (Sorry, but we had to.)

Mums are great fall flowers for any Ohio garden. Mums are chrysanthemums, and they are hardy perennials. They also come in a variety of colors including white, yellow, purple, orange, red, and bicolor.

Mums can provide great ground cover, and they bloom from September to the first frost.

They are susceptible to leaf spot, powdery mildew, mosaic disease, and stunt disease. However, they are deer and rabbit resistant because mums have fuzzy textures and fragrant leaves, which repel such animals.

Make sure to plant them away from your dogs, cats, and horses as mums can be toxic to our furry friends.

How to Plant Mums

Mums prefer full sun and rich, but well-drained, soil. They have shallow roots, so they need frequent watering during the heat and mulch to keep the soil cool and moist.

Mums do not like overcrowding, and they need good air circulation to thrive.

If you plan to overwinter your mums, then leave the plants’ top growth and add mulch or straw around the plants to protect them. Wait until spring to cut back mums.

Rudbeckia

Rudbeckias are blooming perennials that are better known as black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia hirta). We love them because they are great pollinator plants and are easy to grow.

Rudbeckias bloom from June to August.

How to plant Rudbeckias

Plant rudbeckias in well-drained soil with full sun or partial shade.

To avoid powdery mildew, water them in the early morning or late afternoon.

You can learn more about rudbeckias and how to plant and care for them by reading our blog post, “Best of Fall Flowers: We’re Rooting for Rudbeckias!”

Celosia

Celosia, otherwise known as a “woolflower,” is part of the amaranth family. They are annuals for Ohio gardens, and celosias bloom from the late spring into the fall until frost comes.

Celosia is a great pollinator plant and adds vibrant pops of color to a showy autumn display in your garden. They also make for beautiful cut flowers and dried flowers.

There are three types of celosias: wheat, cockscomb, and plumed.

Although celosias are not easily susceptible to disease and most pests, deer love to snack on them.

how to Plant Celosias

Celosias need full sun or light shade. Their favorite soil is well drained and humus rich. Celosias can tolerate dry soils and drought conditions once they are established.

Plant them eight to twelve inches apart.

Fertilize celosias monthly with a high phosphorus fertilizer to encourage new and continual blooms.

Flowering Kale and Ornamental Cabbage

Flowering kale and ornamental cabbage? Seriously? Yes.

They’re big, they’re bold, they’re beautiful, and they add pops of color to fall gardens.  Flowering kale and ornamental cabbage have ruffly foliage that unfolds as large rosettes. The plants come in whites, pinks, purples, and reds. These colors only appear in cool weather though, thereby making them perfect for a showy fall garden display.

In Ohio, flowering kale and ornamental cabbage can last until temperatures are in the mid-twenties. This means that these plants can provide your winter garden with beautiful pops of color even during moderately cold weather.

Plus, you can eat flowering kale and ornamental cabbage if you don’t mind a little bitterness. Or you can use them as colorful garnishes.

These plants are susceptible to cutworms, aphis, slugs, and cabbage worms. However, if you plant them in the fall, then you will likely avoid many of these garden pests.

How to Plant Flowering Kale and Ornamental Cabbage

Flowering kale and ornamental cabbage thrive in full sun or partial shade. The plants also do well in rich, moderately-moist soil.

Flowering kale and ornamental cabbage tend to bolt with warm weather, so plant them mid-summer if you’re starting from seed, or plant transplants instead.

Pansies

Pansies may be little, but they are mighty! Pansies are hardy annuals that provide color during cool seasons. In fact, pansies are the perfect fall flower because they are not very heat tolerant.

There are over a thousand varieties of pansies, so you can choose whatever color you want with pansies. The hardiest pansy varieties are yellow, blue, and white.

Pansies are great ground cover and work well for home gardens or commercial landscape beds.

They are cold tolerant and frost resistant, and they can tolerate temperatures down to fifteen degrees Fahrenheit. So, your pansies may greet you again next spring if the winter is mild enough.

Pansies are susceptible to powdery mildew, mosaic viruses, and crown rot.

How to Plant Pansies

Pansies thrive in full or partial sun with well-drained soil that is moist and humus rich. Avoid using a nitrogen-heavy fertilizer as that can produce more leaves than flowers.

To prolong your blooms, cut off any dead flowers just under the bud.

Pansies can thrive in the ground or in containers. Plant pansies in the fall or early spring.

Aster

If you’re a daisy lover, then you’re going to love asters. Asters look like daisies, but they bloom during the late summer and early fall. They are easy to grow and are flowers that attract pollinators.

Asters have numerous color options including white, blue, pink, red, and purple.

They can get powdery mildew or foliar rust, and lace bugs are asters’ arch enemies. Asters are deer resistant, but they are tasty snacks to rabbits.

How to Plant Asters

Asters prefer full sun, but they will tolerate light shade. Plant them during cooler summer temperatures or in the early fall to give them a chance to grow their roots.

They will accept all soil types, but they thrive in well-drained, rich soil.

Asters have shallow roots, so they need extra water during the heat of summer. Keep the soil moist, but not saturated, and consider adding mulch to protect the plant.

Let Us Help

At Timbuk Farms, we love the fall and we’d love to help you with your fall garden. We have decades of knowledge, and we can make sure that you find the perfect plants. Our garden center sells a variety of plants, and we are open until October 1st. So, feel free to visit us!

We’re a family-owned business and we grow everything locally. We know Ohio gardening. So, let us help you turn your Ohio garden into a beautiful and colorful fall display.