Plant Chrysanthemums, Asters and Pansies Now
Potted chrysanthemums and asers are available in stores now. They are in bud and bloom and will give almost instant color for several weeks in the fall. Mums and asters are perennial flowers that will overwinter and bloom again next fall.
If you would like color through fall, most of the winter, and early next spring, nothing does the job like pansies and flowering kale. The sooner you plant, the better plants will establish themselves before winter. Try planting a bed near your entry or where you can look at them from the back deck. Tubs and planter boxes are good locations for pansies too. You can even plant them between summer flowering annuals, so they will be established when the summer annuals are through blooming.
Allen Wilson
Allen has been writing about gardening for over 30 years. He is a retired professor of Horticulture.