Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Fall plant picks – perennials & trees 2022
As we work our way into Fall there are some plants that we all associate with that time of year. I talked about some Fall picks last week, in particular, mums – the annual kind and the hardy mums! But what about native perennials and trees too?
Sky Blue Aster is a true native plant with a sturdy growth habit of around 3 feet tall.
For 2022, there are buds but no flowers yet! What a strange year indeed.
There’s also Smooth Blue Aster, another similar native.
Of course, Blackeyed Susans are beauties into October, they’re listed at growing to 3 ft. tall, mine are well over 5 ft.
Blueberry bushes are thought of mainly for their fabulous blueberries but they offer stunning red Fall foliage. There are many newer cultivars for cold zone gardens. They do require an acidic soil, which means testing your soil and amending as recommended. Do this before planting.
Another late blooming beauty is ‘New England Aster’. While this guy can grow to 7 ft. tall, 2022 has been tough in my area with it growing only about 3 ft. tall and there is a lack of flowers just yet. Normally, it would be loaded with small purplish pink flowers from August to October. The flowers are a magnet for butterflies.
And there’s Goldenrod. This year it IS thriving! This is a native that does NOT cause allergies to flare, although it often gets blamed. There are some garden cultivars of this pretty yellow plant that also has multiple medicinal purposes. It’s actually an herb with the Latin name Solidago, which means “to make whole or heal”.
And as mentioned last week, now’s a great time to plant trees, think Maples, Black gum aka Black tupelo, Shagbark hickory and more!
