How to choose late blooming flowers and grasses that shine in fall

Autumn signals the start of the garden's slow saunter toward winter. Plants and gardeners alike welcome the return of cooler weather and lower humidity. It's a time when some flowering plants finally get exactly what they've been waiting for: the short days and cool temperatures that trigger asters, chrysanthemums, and goldenrods to cover themselves with blossoms. Here are some tips on adding late-blooming flowers and grasses so your garden is still colourful in the fall.

• Active bloomers are few in the fall, though some spring-blooming perennials like candytuft and veronica will rebloom in autumn if they've enjoyed a stress-free summer.
• Some annuals including marigold and impatiens, often push out a strong showing of blossoms at season's end.
• Where autumns are long and warm, reblooming roses get in on the act, too. In colder areas, roses will set brilliant red or orange fruits, called hips, which are a winter taste treat for birds.
• Maple trees and parrotias change colour nicely against a background of bright blue October skies.

Several types of turf grasses dazzle the eye in the autumn landscape.

• If your lawn features species such as bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, or any type of fescue, it should awaken from its summer dormancy and green up beautifully in the moderate temperatures of fall.
• In many areas autumn is a dry season, so supplemental water may be needed to help your lawn during its late-season growth spurt.
• Early fall is also an excellent time to fertilize any lawn. In addition to promoting vibrant green colour, a fall feeding with a controlled-release lawn fertilizer helps the grass store nourishment for the cold weather ahead.
• Any type of lawn grass benefits from the removal of fallen leaves. Leaves allowed to settle atop your grass, block sunlight and fresh air, which are essential to its health.

Ornamental grasses laden with showy seeds bend and sway, dramatizing the brisk winds of autumn. And they persist far beyond the first few freezes.

• Even after the leaves of ornamental grasses fade from green to buff, don't trim them back.
• Besides being pretty, the long grass leaves help insulate the base of the plants from extreme cold and shelter the shallow roots as well.
• In many areas it is best to delay pruning until late winter, or just before new growth begins to emerge from the plants' crowns.

Ornamental grasses vary so much in hardiness, size, and shape that the best way to get to know which is best for your garden is to visit area public gardens to study local favourites. Note the species and cultivar names, and while they're fresh in your mind's eye, decide where you will plant them next spring, and mark the spot.