Why is it that I find fall such a special time to be in the garden? 
Four answers come to mind immediately, at least for this New England gardener:
- The fall foliage to enjoy
- The more moderate temperatures
- The paucity/absence of mosquitoes
- The harvest!
But there's more to it than that. I feel a certain sense of urgency when I step into the garden in fall. It's as if I know the floral color in my garden is living on borrowed time, so my appreciation of it is heightened. Nothing like being told you have x amount of time to live to send you into carpe diem! mode, right?
One way to enjoy the fall garden to the fullest is to plan your perennial garden (ahead of time) so as to be able to enjoy fall-blooming perennials. "The trick to designing your garden with perennial flowers is making sure you have something wonderful in bloom all the time," observes Marie Iannotti. That includes fall-blooming perennials, such as black-eyed Susan (photo). Have a look at these photos of fall-blooming perennials, and perhaps you'll decide to include them in next year's garden.
Photo ©2005 David Beaulieu (licensed to About, Inc.)
Comments
You’re right! The Black Eyed Susan is great for fall. Orange coneflower is a perennial Black-eyed Susan that prefers average to moist soil and, like other black-eyed susans, it is a magnet for butterflies. It can be grown in a container for the water garden or naturalized in a moist meadow.