Autumn is something like a hangover: exhausted from the stormy summer, the garden enters a period of rest and looks neglected. Leaves turn brown and fall, things start to rot, and spiders cover everything in cobwebs. To brighten the atmosphere, nothing matches the season's copper tones better than yellow fall flowers.
Yellow autumn flowers – sun bride (Helenium)
Sunbride (Helenium), one of the cheeriest late bloomers, has bright yellow, daisy-like flowers. As long as the soil is slightly moist, it is very easy to care for.
Caring for autumn plants: Sunflower needs full sun and moist, well-drained soil. Add compost and fertilizer (such as blood, fish and bone) to the soil when planting and mulch with compost in spring. It tends to lean, so support it with hazel sticks or bamboo canes.
Plant them together with: The browning seed heads of spent perennials, such as Eryngium “Miss Willmott's Ghost”, and grasses, such as Stipa calamagrostis and Molinia caerulea subsp. caerulea “permanent beam”.
Height and spread: 90 cm x 40 cm.
Torch lilies (Kniphofia) are lemon yellow in color
Orange fireflies are reminiscent of the 1980s, but this yellow Kniphofia variety is refreshingly modern. Its torch flowers are a bright lemon hue and tipped with lime green.
Care: Kniphofias like moist but well-drained soil in full sun. If you don't have sandy soil, dig the area deeply and then mix in plenty of compost and grit. Protect the young plants with straw in winter.
Combine with: Other vigorous perennials like Penstemon “Raven” (with purple flowers), Sedum “Matrona” (with burgundy foliage), and chrysanthemums like the lime green “Shamrock” and the magenta “Regal Mist Purple.” Or combine them with the golden tones of grasses for a softer look.
Height and width: 80 cm x 50 cm.
Yellow autumn flowers – Golden clematis (Clematis tangutica)
Yellow autumn flowers - The climbing plant Clematis tangutica, whose lantern-shaped flowers are reminiscent of strips of lemon peel, should not be missing in any autumn garden. The varieties “Bill MacKenzie” and “Lambton Park” are beautiful but vigorous. If you have a small garden, choose “Helios,” which is compact enough to grow in a pot. All produce silvery seed heads that look magical in frost.
Caring for autumn plants: Place the plant in full sun or partial shade, in neutral soil. Add compost and fertilizer when planting. Cut the plant back in early spring and spread a layer of compost mulch around the plant (without touching the stems).
Plant through...a large shrub or small tree that doesn't do anything interesting in the fall: a laburnum, for example. Or let C. tangutica cover up a boring fence or shed.
Height and width: 4 m x 3 m.
Which hardy autumn flowers are suitable for hanging baskets? You can do thatfind out here!
Golden hair aster (Galatella linosyris) is a rare native perennial
The Aster linosyris is a rare native perennial with delicate flowers that fits well into a bed and has something of a cottage garden feel. The flower heads are more like fluffy pom-poms than the daisy-like blooms of most other asters, and it has fine, needle-like leaves.
Care: Since it is a native plant, you can just put it in the ground and leave it to fend for itself. But it needs full sun and well-drained soil. If you have clayey soil, consider incorporating compost and grit when planting.
Plant with…the cream-colored Achillea “Moon Pagoda,” which blooms into October, and Helenium “Wyndley,” which produces rust-yellow flowers.
Height and width: 70 cm x 30 cm.
Yellow autumn flowers – Tricyrtis toad lilies
Yellow Fall Flowers – Tricyrtis toad lilies produce blooms in late summer and fall that look far too exotic: buttery yellow, speckled, star-shaped, reminiscent of orchids.
Caring for autumn plants: Toad lilies love moist partial shade and acidic to neutral soil that drains well. Add leaves or compost when planting, and if you have clayey soil, include plenty of grit. They thrive in pots if they are watered regularly.
Plant under...Deciduous trees because the yellow flowers contrast beautifully with the copper-colored leaves when they fall. Or plant them among the browning fronds of ferns and Bergenia “Bressingham Ruby,” whose leaves turn burgundy in fall.
Height and width: 40 cm x 25 cm.
Which autumn flowers for the balcony tolerate shade well? Thefind out here!
Slit-leaved coneflower (Rudbeckia laciniata) forms shaggy frills
Instead of the large, daisy-like flowers of most rudbeckias, this Laciniata variety produces shaggy ruffles.
Care: Plant in rich, well-drained soil. Add organic matter and fertilizer when planting, and if the soil is clayey, add some grit. Provide support for the plant to grow through by erecting a framework of sticks over it in late spring.
Plant with…the burning orange Tithonia rotundifolia “Torch” and dahlias, some of which have a similar flower shape: the dahlia “Summer Night” has burgundy flowers and “Bishop of Auckland” is crimson. Goldquelle also goes well with grasses such as Miscanthus sinensis “Gracillimus” and Molinia caerulea subsp. “Heather Bride”.
Height and width: 1,2 m x 50 cm.
