Fall Container Garden Favorites

JFadmin25 — Tue, 08 Sep 2020 20:42:53 +0000

Fall container gardens are a symbol of everything we feel as autumn sets in. The warm colors of seasonal plants take the chill out of the air and are the perfect complement to the changes in nature happening around us. As you begin to settle in for the winter to come, we share our fall garden favorites for creating stunning porch planters and cozy home accents.

1. Chrysanthemum

This iconic fall favorite naturally makes the top of our list. Loved for their versatility, these traditional autumn bloomers are a sure signal of the transition from summer to fall in the garden. Think about the overall color palette for your container and choose a mum color that will serve as your thriller and anchor the design. Look for plants with lots of buds and ideally, not yet bloomed. The fall season is short, so we recommend always going for the biggest container of mums to fill at least 1/3, if not 1/2 of the container. Ask our pros about the variety you purchase, most are sold as annuals here in the Northeast and will not winter over.

2. Ornamental Kale & Cabbage

A relative of edible cabbage and kale, these plants look a lot like the ones we eat, but are grown purely as ornamental in the garden. A cool weather loving plant, their colors get richer as temps drop, making them a perfect choice for a spiller in outdoor containers this time of year. With crinkled leaves, ruffled edges, and rosettes saturated in blue-greens, purples, pinks and whites, the only problem we have with these plants is choosing a favorite! You’ll find them in a variety of colors and textures here in our garden center. As a frost tolerant annual, they have been known to survive right into November or December here.

3. Coral Bells

Coral Bells are a great option as a foliage filler for your recipe, and they’re available in a number of varieties here. With choices like Cinnabar Silver, Forever Red, Lemon Supreme, Silver Scrolls, Palace Purple, you’re sure to find the perfect complement to your recipe. As perennials, Coral Bells can be planted in the ground while soil is still warm, usually right up until it October. They prefer partial shade, but will take more sun in the cooler weather, so they work great in late season planters.

4. Sedum

Sedum is another perennial that will do double duty as a cold tolerant option that can later be planted in the
ground. Upright varieties like Autumn Joy or Neon Stonecrop are best planted near the center of your pot as a thriller. Ground cover sedum like Dragon’s Blood or Little Miss Sunshine are better spillers to be placed near the outside edge of containers.

5. Grasses

We like to incorporate some annual grasses for height, textural interest and movement. The leaves of Purple Fountain Grass are a rich plum color, and become a darker red in the fall, with fluffy red and tan plumes that wave above the foliage. Another go to is Red Rooster Sedge for it’s earthy copper-bronze leaf color with showy red variegation.

If you’re short on time or don’t want to venture out, you can order a pre-made Fall Container Garden or Bushel Basket Mums online for local delivery to your door or pick-up here at the Garden Center. For more fall plant ideas, visit our Plant Finder and search by season.

My Pro Tip:

This is the last big garden show, so I always go big to stretch out the season. Create multiple containers and place them around the property to maintain bright color and interest as garden beds begin to die back for winter. I like the tried and true favorites, but have been known to get creative with uncommon or unexpected container plants like Rudbeckia and Ornamental Peppers. For larger containers, try Dwarf Alberta Spruce and then later transition it to a holiday container. Add pumpkins and gourds to make your seasonal theme complete and try a solar lantern or fairy lights to cast your work in a flattering evening glow.

Most of all, have fun and savor the rest of the season.

See you at Studley’s!

The post Fall Container Garden Favorites appeared first on Studley Flower Gardens.

Fall Garden Care

JFadmin25 — Thu, 14 Sep 2017 15:29:45 +0000

Fall garden care in New England is all about protecting your plants for winter, preparing for the next season and extending your color display with cool weather-loving ornamental plants.

As sad as we may be to see summer end, the weather is right for working outdoors. Studley’s has all your tips for investments that will pay off in spades next spring!

Garden Care

To reduce disease and pest infestation risk, pull spent annuals at the root, and remove weed and leaf debris. Harvest the remains of any fruits or vegetables and toss anything rotting in the compost pile. Trim back perennials that have passed their bloom period. With the exception of woody plants and perennial vines, a good rule of thumb is, “If it’s brown – cut it down.” When trimming, leave a couple of inches above the soil so returning growth will be easy to spot next year.

When it comes to trees and shrubs, we do not recommend pruning in the fall. These plants are preparing to go dormant now and pruning will stimulate new growth that could be damaged when the temperature drops.

Once your beds are clean, this is a good time to mix fertilizer or organic compost into the soil to refresh nutrients that will make it ripe for rich spring growth. Be sure to also clear out containers and bring tender plants inside for the winter.

Divide Plants

With any extraneous material removed from your garden beds, this is a great time to take stock of opportunities for improvement in your landscape. Do you have perennials that are becoming too large for their space or overcrowding other plants? Are there areas that appear bare or are ideal for a new garden?

You can divide large perennials to control growth and re-purpose them in another location. Most bulbs can also be easily dug up and pulled apart. For perennials or large bulbous plants, pop the entire root ball out of the ground, divide at the roots with a sharp spade and replant in sparse areas or share them with a friend!

What To Plant Now

Fall is the right time to prepare your garden for a gorgeous spring show of color! Now is the time to plant spring blooming bulbs such as Alliums, Crocus, Daffodils, Hyacynth, and Tulips. This is also the time to plant Garlic bulbs. Garlic is not only delicious, but highly nutritious, low in calories and full of medicinal and health purposes. Plant some now to have a fresh supply on hand next summer, your diet will thank you for it!

While you can technically plant until you can no longer dig in the ground, your bulbs will do best if planted about 6 weeks before the ground freezes – long enough to take hold before going dormant, but not enough time to risk premature sprouting. Get more details in our blog article, Savvy Gardeners Are Planting Fall Bulbs Now For Big Spring Bloom Rewards.

Fall is also an ideal time to plant new deciduous and/or coniferous trees and shrubs. There is still plenty of time to allow roots systems to establish before the frost really sets in. We recommend you apply a layer of mulch around newly planted trees to protect through the winter, starting a few inches from the trunk and extend out to at least the drip line.

Visit our online Plant Finder to search our current inventory and find plants to add to your garden this fall!

Fall Ornamentals

Just because annual and perennial plants have passed their peak, doesn’t mean your landscape can’t boast vivid color. Use cool weather loving fall ornamental plants like chrysanthemums, asters, ornamental kale, and grasses to extend your garden display. While mums do well in pots, you can also plant them directly in the ground to dress up your garden beds. When selecting mums, look for plants with the most unopened buds and deadhead spent flowers for the optimum bloom show. Ornamental kale, a relative of cabbage, will pair well with your fall mums and is available in a variety of colors and texture.

Pro Services

A well-designed and maintained garden enhances the look and functionality of your home. If you don’t have the time or the gumption to tackle your fall garden care, let the Landscaping pros at Studley’s do it for you. Visit our Garden Center for all the supplies and helpful expert advice you need – we stock premium bulbs for all the spring blooming flowers mentioned here. We also grow all our own mums to bring you only the freshest plants in a wide variety of brilliant colors.

Our Bushel Basket Mums are also available for purchase online for local delivery to your home or business!

My Pro Tip

Get creative with your fall containers. Choose unusual items as your container and to use as accents. The natural hues found in all things old are an excellent complement to autumn colors. A shiny or aged patina copper bin, galvanized or rusty tub, an old wooden trunk, or plants stacked on the rungs of an old ladder make for a fun an unexpected display. Use a combination of mums and kale as foundation plants, add tall grasses or corn stalks to gain height. Accent with other organic elements such as pumpkins, gourds, Indian corn, bright leaves, tree branches, and pine cones for added interest. Weave in some dried vines as an accent, but avoid Bittersweet as it is highly invasive. Punch up the color by painting pumpkins, branches and pine cones to complement your design. Finally – add a solar lantern or fairy lights to highlight the mystique of the season and showcase your display day or night!

Use houseplants for the same effects indoors. Check out our selection of Mail Order Plants online or visit our Greenhouse in store.