A Late Season Garden for Sun

Though beautiful in their own right, Chrysanthemums and ornamental Kale need not be the extent of your end-of-the-season garden display. There are a surprising number of beautiful flowering perennials that are at their best in late summer and fall including Black-Eyed Susans, Purple Coneflowers, Boltonia, and Asters. But the most important secret of a breathtaking late season garden is the use of ornamental grasses, especially the warm-season varieties that begin to send up dramatic plumed seedheads around Labor Day. These usually begin as silky tassels, then expand into fluffy flags that last well into winter. After freezing temperatures turn the perennials brown, leave most of them standing along with the golden grasses. They will provide a striking winter display, especially when blanketed by snow. This design works well as either a free-standing border or as an element modified to fit into an existing garden. If you can, position this garden so that either the rising or setting sun illuminates the arching leaves and plumes of the ornamental grasses. Plant in groups of three except where indicated.

A		Anemone 'Honorine Jobert' Graceful plants with white flowers borne on wiry stems that move in the wind. Height 36" Durable to -20° F	I		Miscanthus 'Sarabande' Clump-forming grasses with exceptional silvery-green leaves which turn to a soft caramel color in winter. Height S-7' Durable to -20°F
B		Aster 'Purple Dome' A profusion of deep purple daisy-like flowers in handsome contrast with its rich green foliage. Height 18" Durable to -30°F	J		Pennisetum 'Morning Dew' Clumps of slender, graceful dark green leaves and outward arching spikes of foxtail-like flower heads. Height 24-36" Durable to -20°F
C		Aster 'Schone Von Dietlikon' Produces light blue-violet, daisy-like flowers with yellow centers. Height 24" Durable to -30°F	K		Perovskia atriplicifolia Delightful sprays of lavender-blue flowers atop silvery stems. Height 36-48" Durable to -20°F
D		Boltonia 'Nana' A dwarf variety with large 1" flowers in splendid profusion during late summer. Height 24" Durable to -30°F	L		Physostegia 'Crown of Snow' Provides a pristine show of white flowers, whether in the garden or cut for fresh indoor arrangements. Height 24-36" Durable to -40°F
E		Calamagrostis brachytricha A fall-blooming, clumping grass with smoky purple blooms appearing at the end of summer. Height 24-36" Durable to -20°F	M		Physostegia 'Rosea' Tubular, rosy-pink flowers on "hinged" stalks that hold a new position when moved. Height 24-36" Durable to -40°F
F		Caryopteris 'Longwood Blue' Silvery-green foliage provides a handsome contrast to its stunning blue flowers. Height 24-36" Durable to -20°F	N		Rudbeckia 'Goldsturm' Long-stemmed, large, orange-yellow flowers with black "eyes" tower over textured green leaves. Height 24-30" Durable to -40°F
G		Echinacea 'Magnus' Distinctive convex flowers with wine-red ray florets and a vaulted, gold-brown, prickly disc. Height 36" Durable to -40°F	O		Sedum 'Autumn Joy' Offers grayish-green leaves and large domes of bright pink flowers which soften to a coppery pale pink in winter. Height 24" Durable to -40°F
H		Liatris 'Floristan White' White flowers on dense spikes atop leafy, erect stems. A fine addition to the back of a mixed border. Height 36" Durable to -40°F	P