Remembering the spectacular success of our spring and summer flower gardens is a popular fall pastime. We look forward to next year's blossoms with great anticipation. While some plants decline, others perform at their best of the year in the fall. Are you interested in easy-care potted plants?
Fallen leaves crackle in the dry air and it seems cool. All you need is a roaring fire, a cozy wool blanket and a steaming cup of a wonderful drink and it would be ideal. These 5 patio perennials will improve your mood and transform your outdoor space into an oasis!
Easy-care potted plants – large-flowered girl’s eye (Coreopsis grandiflora)
Large-flowered girl's eyes are daisy-like, sun-loving perennials that require little care. These plants, native to North America, thrive even when water is scarce, bloom over a long period of time, place little demands on soil quality and are very hardy. The plant's daisy-like flowers are bright yellow or gold. The leaves of Coreopsis grandiflora are deeply lobed and lanceolate. In summer, the large-flowered girl's eye is visited by bees and butterflies and in autumn and winter birds like to eat the plant's seed heads.
Early July is the perennial's peak blooming time, but blooms may persist intermittently until frost. After the first bloom, cut the plant back heavily or remove the dead flower heads to encourage reblooming. The large-flowered maiden's eye reproduces by rhizomes and can produce its own seeds. The perennialPerennial may need tobe divided or replaced every three to five years.
Beautiful perennials for the terrace – frost-hardy catnip (Nepeta)
Catnip (Nepeta) is a beautiful, long-lasting, and easy-to-grow flowering perennial known for its fragrant foliage, which is said to attract cats. Small, two-lipped, mauve or blue flowers cover the stems from summer to fall and complement the fragrant, green or gray-green leaves. Cats can safely consume the leaves, stems, and flowers of catnip, and the dried leaves are sometimes used to stuff cat toys. Some cats even love to roll and sleep on the plant.
Catnip is a common name for several different Nepeta species and cultivars, all native to the Northern Hemisphere. Bees and other beneficial pollinator insects are attracted to catnip in large numbers. Catnip prefers full sun and well-drained soil and grows very well in containers. Cut spent summer stems to encourage new blooms to grow, and do the same in fall when growth stalls.
Wintergreen purple bells (Heuchera)
These small, easy-care plants, which thrive in partial shade, are used for their...magnificent leavesprized in a range of vibrant colors, from deep purple to tangy lime green. Purple bells are low-growing, winter to evergreen perennials that spread extensively. Hundreds of varieties have been selected for purple bells, which have a wide range of leaf colors, from light green to silver, bronze, orange-red, purple to extremely dark purple-black. While most of these varieties were not bred for their flowers, a few bloom a sea of tiny, coral-colored flowers throughout the spring and summer.
Smaller purple bell plants in pots are the most common purchase. These perennials only last a few years at most. As they age, they develop longer, woody crowns and eventually die. This makes the plant more susceptible to drying out and hollowing out. Every few years you can revive your plants by digging them up and dividing them. Due to their evergreen character, the perennials can keep their leaves above the ground even in mild winters. Heuchera plants are resistant to herbivores such as deer and rabbits, which is why they are often used as an alternative to hostas.
Easy-care potted plants – autumn asters for outdoor use
The daisy-like flowers of perennial asters bloom profusely in late summer and remain on the plant until frost. The aster family (Asteraceae), which also includes chrysanthemums, daisies and sunflowers, is home to a wide variety of wild and cultivated asters.
In this article you will learn more abouthardy autumn asters!
Hardy perennials for the terrace in autumn – Christmas rose (Helleborus niger)
The Christmas rose (Helleborus niger) has large, white flowers with flat faces that rise above low-growing mounds of leathery, dark green leaves. It thrives in partial shade and looks beautiful as a cut flower if you let the flowers float in a pool of water.
Christmas rose grows well in partial shade and in moist, well-drained soil.Cut old onesLeave back as new flowers and leaves grow, and mulch annually with well-rotted compost or manure. Once established, Helleborus niger, like other hellebore species, does not like to be transplanted and should not be divided. In a favorable environment, it produces a sufficient number of offspring to ensure its survival.
