The air is crisper and you need a jacket when you walk out the door. Your summer annuals are looking “leggy” and tired after a hot, dry summer.

Fall is the season to freshen up your residential landscape with pops of color.

COOL TEMPERATURES ADD DRAMA TO YOUR FLOWERBEDS

Pull out those wave petunias and other annuals. It’s time to add some drama back into your flowerbeds this fall.

Here are seven flowers and other colorful ideas to add to your autumn landscape:

1.    Pansies and violas are in: A lot of people know that pansies are one of the earliest spring flowers to plant after a white winter. And yet, pansies and their cousins, violas, add those magical colors and cute kitten-like faces to your planters, borders and beds in the fall as well. Deep purples, almost black as well as hints of yellows and whites in the center offer fall beauty.

2.    From vegetable to ornamental: If you think kale is only for dinnertime or smoothies, you probably never heard of flowering kale. Flowering kale is an ornamental plant that has deep hues that brighten the cooler it gets outside.

Indeed, flowering kale, cabbage and cauliflower add deep hues, as well as the rosettes and leaves, add interest and texture into any flowerbed. These flowers deepen in color as temperatures continue to drop throughout the fall months.

Flowering kale, ornamental kale and cabbages can be planted in flowerbeds, containers and used in bouquets.

3.    Chrysanthemums come in bold hues: The lovely, traditional mum comes in a host of colors including golden yellow, white, burgundy and orange. Plus, you have choices between button, daisy, football and hardy garden varieties. Mums look great paired with pumpkins in a whiskey barrel or as standalone in the garden.  

4.    Asters get honorable mention: Sometimes, the purple aster gets forgotten in the midst of the traditional mum. But asters come in mostly deep purple and blue varieties. Their yellow centers provide contrast with the purple or periwinkle petals. Plus, asters are perennials making a yearly appearance when your summer perennials start looking worn out.

Learn more: Why your OK lawn needs fall aeration and overseeding services.

5.    Don’t forget the pumpkins: While pumpkin patches grow in fields, you can add pumpkins in your flowerbeds to make an orange or white statement. Pair them with other fall flowers to create interest. Pumpkins come in so many varieties that you can arrange your outdoor décor with pumpkins and other flowers.

6.    Use containers to make a statement: Don’t forget to decorate your front porch and steps with containers. Asters, pansies, flowering kale and ornamental cabbage, as well as mums, work well in containers. You can mix and match colors, add cornstalks or solar lights to add interest. Again, pumpkins work well in container gardening too. 

7.    Other fall decorations that add a punch of color and an element of style: If you’re creative, you can transform your front porch into a warm fall welcome to all who visit you this autumn. Here are some ideas to get you started:

·         Straw bales

·         Corn husks

·         Lighting

·         Lanterns

·         Painted pumpkins

·         Wooden welcome signs.

Of course, Pinterest has many boards dedicated to outdoor fall décor.

More landscaping tips: 6 reasons why pruning your shrubs and hedges beautify your OK landscape.

HOW APPLE VALLEY ECO-LANDSCAPES HELPS TRANSFORM YOUR YARD THIS FALL

At Apple Valley Eco-Landscapes, we can clean out your flowerbeds and install fall flowers for you. Plus, we’ll give your flowerbeds and other landscaped areas a fresh application of mulch to protect plant roots over the winter as well as spruce up your beds.

Our organic and hybrid lawn care and landscaping services provide health, nutrition and sustainability to work on your property.

If your lawn needs mowing, fertilizing or any other treatment before winter, or you want a professional to transform your tired-looking flowerbeds into fiery colors, then call us today at 405.531.9105 or fill out our contact form.

Source:

HGTV.com, “Mum’s the Word.”