Late August might feel like the garden season is winding down, but it’s actually the perfect time to set your garden up for a burst of autumn color. The soil is still warm, which encourages strong root growth, and cooler nights help plants settle in without the stress of summer heat. By planting now, you’ll enjoy fresh color this fall and give your garden a head start for spring.
Here are some beautiful, easy-care choices from Bloomin’ Easy® that will keep your garden glowing well into fall:
1. Hardy Hydrangeas
Varieties like Dragon Baby™ and Bouncy™ are stars of the late-season garden. Their big blooms emerge in summer and often deepen to warm pink or red shades as fall arrives, giving you that rich autumn color shift. These hardy hydrangeas are also incredibly reliable, lasting through the cold of winter and coming back year after year. A must for four-season landscapes.
2. Ninebarks
If you want bold fall foliage, ninebarks like Panther® or Savannah Sunset™ are unbeatable. With leaves that span from black to orange to yellow, intensifying as temperatures cool, and giving your garden a dramatic contrast against autumn skies. Plus, ninebarks are tough, adaptable shrubs that add structure year-round.
3. Weigela
Some weigelas make for great fall foliage. Strobe® Weigela for example is a compact showstopper for fall. Its leaves shift between green, bronze, and red tones throughout the season. That ever-changing color means your garden has movement and interest right into autumn. And when the frost is over, the weigela will pop out little pink blooms in spring!
4. Hardy Perennials for Lasting Blooms
- Vanilla Drip™ Coneflower: Creamy white blooms that last late into the season.
- Solar Sisters™ Black-eyed Susan: Bright orange flowers from summer into early fall.
Tips for Maintaining a Fall Garden
Planting now means your garden will look fresh this season, but a little care will help your new plants thrive:
- Water deeply and consistently: Especially in the first few weeks after planting, to establish strong roots.
- Mulch generously: A 2–3 inch layer helps keep soil moisture steady and roots protected as nights cool.
- Deadhead spent flowers: On rebloomers like coneflower, this encourages fresh blooms into fall and reduces risk of disease for next year.
- Mix in structure: Shrubs with colorful foliage (like ninebarks and weigela) keep your garden looking alive even after flowers fade.
- Choose hardy plants: Pick varieties that are known to survive your winter zone. This is why we suggested our Hardy Hydrangeas in this blog as they can sustain temperatures down to -40 degrees Celsius/Farenheit.
- Fall clean-up before winter: Remove leaves or debris with signs of disease to prevent problems next year. Early fall is also a great time to do some extensive weeding.
Planting at the end of August is one of the best-kept gardening secrets. With Bloomin’ Easy’s compact, low-maintenance plants, you can enjoy a splash of fall color now and give your garden a jump-start for next spring.
