While the traditional asters, annual mums and sedum are stalwarts of the Fall garden, I delight in seeking out other perennials and annuals to go along with them. Although I do think that the "leftovers from summer " like Blackeyed Susan, Coreopsis , Coneflowers and Sunflowers and Zinnias fit into my favorite Fall color scheme.
Above : Fall colors in my Chicago garden .
I've read that the early blooming Mums we favor in Chicago are not as desirable here and might not survive the heat . I tend to favor the daisy-like mums for their natural appearance and I absolutely love the "matchstick" mums which come in yellow, red and bi-colors. It is difficult to find specialty perennial mums at even the largest garden centers so those searching will probably have to resort to online nurseries .
I've always been fascinated by the Japanese spider mums and must do further research to see if they can be grown in North Carolina .
In the chapter on Fall in My Southern Garden Miz Elizabeth mentions a flower that is popular in almost every garden in the South in September but one I was not familiar with . Lycoris radiata , a bulb, springs up from the bare ground and its brilliant red graces the garden for two weeks.
The great thing about North Carolina is that one can garden year round here and I look forward to doing that. In the meantime I am plotting and planning each season to include a lot of bloom and color.
