By BJ Jarvis
Pasco Extension Director and Horticulture Agent
Does your landscape look a little tired? Maybe summer’s heat and humidity has caused annuals and perennials to fade leaving unsightly gaps in the garden.
Late summer is the perfect time to rejuvenate landscape beds. Cut back or pull plants that have taken a beating this summer. Then fill the holes with vibrant new plants that will perform well with fall’s warm days and cooler nights.
For the impatient gardener, high-impact transplants provide quicker results. In addition to the iconic chrysanthemum, garden centers usually carry colorful geranium, torenia and nicotiana, which will also attract migrating hummingbirds in October. Gerbera daisies will limp along through the summer, but really shine with coral, salmon and yellow in the fall. Keep spent flower heads pinched off for more reliable fall flowering.
Consider starting seeds of quick-sprouting annuals such as cosmos, marigold, cleome and nasturtium. Because it is warm, seeds can go right into the garden or started in a bright window sill.
There are also a few perennials that will perform well with next to no care. The new euphorbia (consider the ‘hip hop’ or ‘diamond’ series) are good performers and come in either white or purple flowering types. Pentas, in white, pink or deep red flowering types, also tolerate poorer soils and are drought tolerant once established. Mexican sage can serve as another workhorse for the fall-flowering garden. Their fuzzy lavender flower spikes will tolerate dappled shade, but it prefers a bit more sun to produce spectacular blooms.
To make color last into cold weather months, include a few that will continue to produce despite being nipped by frost. Viola, pansies, petunia and snapdragon keep on performing through the winter.
Don’t forget to tuck in a few culinary herbs that relish fall’s cooler temperatures too. Chamomile, dill, thyme and garlic plants can go right from the garden to the dinner table, serving double duty.
As temperatures start to cool in September, start assessing where your landscape needs a little face lift. Then either start seeds or find your favorites at garden centers to really perk up the garden with colorful annuals and perennials.
For more gardening information, visit Pasco Extension’s gardening website at gardening.Pasco.Ifas.Ufl.edu.
BJ Jarvis is the director and horticulture agent for Pasco Cooperative Extension, a partnership between the University of Florida and county government. She can be reached at .
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