It's not the end of the season - in autumn the garden shows off its most beautiful side. The next perennial plants can easily withstand sub-zero temperatures and are a real eye-catcher all year round with their delicate flowers and bright green leaves. These are the best autumn perennials for the garden: our top 5!
The best autumn perennials for the garden: These are our favorites
For now: Autumn perennials is a collective term that hobby gardeners use to describe perennial plants that bloom in autumn. This is not a botanical family or a technical term. Autumn perennials therefore refer to some ornamental grasses as well as flowers and foliage plants that bloom between August and November.
But don't let the term fool you: The term “autumn perennials” only refers to the flowering period and does not refer to the time of planting. Nevertheless, autumn and spring are considered suitable periods to create a perennial bed. Especially if the winter is mild in your region.
1. Snow loosestrife for the herbaceous border in autumn
With its white, delicate flowers and curved flower buds, this plant is a real eye-catcher. In addition, the perennial also impresses with its wonderful autumn color. The flowering period begins in July and extends into October. The plant is considered a real butterfly magnet and is ideal for insect pasture. The maximum growth height is 80 cm, although the plants need a distance of at least 40 cm from each other. Otherwise, the perennial subshrub is hardy and very easy to care for. It needs a location in partial shade, but can also tolerate shady locations well.
2. The best autumn perennials: Indian nettle is a permanent bloomer
Indian nettles are one of the most popular perennials in the garden. The plant produces large, delicate pink flowers in late summer and early autumn. Even after the end of the flowering period, it fascinates with its fragrant foliage. At the same time, most varieties have a compact, upright habit and reach a maximum height of 40 cm and a width of 30 cm. As a true sun worshiper, the Indian nettle prefers a sunny location. A humus-rich, permeable soil offers the best conditions for a long flowering period. The Indian nettles are drought-resistant, hardy perennials that can be grouped or displayed solitarily.
3. Spanish daisy for the rock garden
The Spanish daisy is a hardy perennial with an extremely long flowering period. The plant bears its first flowers as early as June and gradually produces new flowers until October. The leaves of the daisy are dark green. The plant has slightly overhanging shoots and will spread throughout the garden if well cared for. It prefers sunny locations and is a very disease-resistant plant. With a maximum growth height of 30 cm. The daisy is a beautiful ground cover and is ideal as a gap filler in the pot.
4. Autumn Anemones: This is our favorite variety!
There is a large selection of autumn anemones in garden centers. But the “Whirlwind” variety won our hearts. Its delicate white flowers make the hybrid the perfect cut plant. Not only is it hardy, but it is also extremely robust, disease-resistant and insensitive to snails. The flowering period lasts from August to early November. This variety prefers a partially shaded location and nutrient-rich soil. It is ideal for keeping in containers and can also be planted as a bed border or lawn edge. The autumn anemone reaches a maximum height of 100 cm. It is slightly poisonous.
5. Flowering ground cover for the garden: Cockade flower
With its two-tone, yellow-red flowers, the cockade flower is the perfect addition to the autumn perennial border. It is also perfect as a cut flower and pleases the eye from July to October. The plant has an upright, compact habit and reaches a height of almost 25 cm. It is therefore often used for planting in pots and flower boxes. But it also feels very comfortable in the rock garden as long as the soil is nutrient-rich and permeable. The flower has low to moderate water requirements.
6. Hardy fall perennials: Girl's Eye
The needle-leaved maiden's eye is onehardy plantwith bushy growth, bright yellow flowers and green leaves. The perennial prefers well-drained, fresh soil and needs lots of nutrients to produce countless flowers from June to November. The maiden's eye prefers a sunny spot in the flower bed where its unfilled flowers can provide nectar for bees and other insects. When it comes to care, the autumn perennial is fairly undemanding.
From August you canAutumn perennials in the gardenplant. Late summer is suitable because it rains more often and the perennials can grow quickly. In hot weather, the young plants need additional watering. Otherwise, most autumn-flowering plants are fairly undemanding and can survive without fertilizer. However, you can add some compost to the soil before planting. The perennials don’t need frost protection either – they can easily withstand freezing temperatures.
