Melinda Myers offers advice for the care of fall annuals.
End the season with a blaze of color. Plant mums, kale and ornamental peppers in containers and the garden. Combine these three in a container for an outstanding fall display. Or pop individual plants or small groupings in vacant garden spaces for added color and texture.
Let’s start with mums. Sometimes referred to as the “last smile of the departing season”, these fall beauties come in a wide range of colors and provide weeks of floral beauty. Mums are great in containers, the garden and cut flower bouquets. Fall just wouldn’t be the same without them.
Edible and ornamental kale are both popular plants that are perfect for fall containers and gardens. The color and texture of kale blends nicely with mums, asters, ornamental grasses, peppers and other fall favorites. Although all are edible, select those grown for their flavor if you plan on including them in your fall meals.
Use kale as a vertical accent in containers, as part of a fall garden display or as a filler in the garden. This plant flourishes in the cooler temperatures of fall and will tolerate frost. Established plants can even tolerate temperatures down in the single digits.
Ornamental peppers come in a variety of foliage and fruit colors. These combine nicely with mums, kale, ornamental grasses, pansies and more. Use them as a filler in a container or fill voids in the garden with these decorative vegetables. The peppers are edible but usually very hot and not very tasty, so enjoy their beauty and stick with your favorite edible varieties for dining.
Just like edible peppers, the ornamental varieties are frost sensitive. Move planters indoors or cover when frost is in the forecast.
Not sure how to combine these three to create a beautiful fall planter? Pasquesi has ready to go fall planters featuring this trio and the professional staff ready to help you design your own.
Mums, Kale and Ornamental Peppers At a Glance
Name: Mum (Chrusanthemum morifolium or Dendranthemum x grandiflorum)
Kale (Brassica oleracea cultivars)
Ornamental (Capsicum annuum)
Size: 1 to 3 feet tall and wide, size varies with variety and grooming
Light: Full sun
Water: Thoroughly whenever top few inches of soil are crumbly and slightly moist, check container plants daily and water thoroughly as needed
Soil: Moist well-drained soil
Written by, gardening expert, Melinda Myers. Each month Melinda will feature a low maintenance plant perfect for beginning and experienced gardeners looking for attractive easy care plants. Melinda Myers is a nationally recognized gardening expert with more than 30 years of horticulture experience. She is a wealth of knowledge and we are pleased to share Melinda’s Low Maintenance Plant of the Month with you!
