My Garden Isn’t Done Yet: What’s Blooming In Early Fall

So we're officially in fall here in my Zone 6b garden, but you'd never know it just from looking at my gardens. In fact, some of the plants I've been waiting on all season are totally exploding right now. Others are getting a second wind with the cooler temperatures, and a few have surprised me so much this year that I'm already making notes for next year in my planner. We just went through days of wet and windy weather from a nor'easter, and the garden still looks pretty incredible. I'm so thrilled. So today let's walk around the gardens and I'll show you what's blooming, what's looking especially good right now, and some of the things I'm noticing and thinking about as the garden moves farther into fall because there is still so much happening out there right now. In case you're new here, I'm Stacey with Bricks and Blooms and I've been growing and gardening here For about 30 years now, growing flowers is my jam as I care for several different types of gardens ranging from cottage, cutting, formal, and shade gardens to my pond garden. I also grow a kitchen garden filled with vegetables, herbs, and flowers. And one of my favorite things about gardening is watching how everything changes throughout the growing season. Fall is such a good example of that because the garden looks completely... Completely different now than it did even a month ago. So let's go take a look. Okay, so we have to start with the dahlias because wow, they have absolutely exploded with flowers. I feel like I waited forever for these this year and now suddenly they're everywhere. This is one of the things I love about growing dahlias because they really make you wait But once they get going, they can carry the cutting garden well into fall. And right now I'm cutting flowers constantly. I can almost not even keep up. There are still plenty of buds out here too. So as long as the weather cooperates and frost holds off, I should have lots more flowers coming. And this is one of the things that I love about the fall garden, because some plants may be slowing down, but others are still hitting their stride. And then there are the zinnias. And if you've been following along this summer, you know I've been dealing with a pretty frustrating leaf spot problem. You can definitely still see damage on some of the foliage, but look at the flowers! They are still going! Everything I've been doing to manage the problem seems to have helped slow it down enough to keep the plants flowering here at the end of September, early October. And at this point in the season, I'm not worried about making these plants look perfect. I just want them to keep flowering for as long as I can before frost eventually takes them out. But I have to show you another zinnia because this one has really caught my attention this year and it did not have a leaf spot problem. This is double sahara raspberry ripple. I planted it in the front garden this year and it has been doing incredible. I mean, look at this plant. It has been blooming like crazy. And even more interesting, I'm not seeing that same leaf spot problem that I've been seeing on my other zinnias. And that really has gotten my attention. I love the flower color. I love how much it blooms. And look at how good the plant still looks this late in the season. So this one is already going on my list for next year. I definitely need more of them. Now there's another kind of color becoming much more noticeable around the gardens now too. Berries. My beauty berry that I planted last year is putting on that incredible display of purple berries and my Proudberry plants are also looking gorgeous too. All of these were planted last year and they are Already producing those beautiful berries that they're known for and this is one of the reasons that I love having plants like these mixed into my gardens because we tend to think so much about flowers when we plant our beds, but flowers aren't the only thing that can give us color. As we move farther into fall, berries, foliage, and texture start becoming so much more noticeable and they keep the garden interesting even as some of the flowers begin fading. Speaking of plants having their moment, take a look at these asters. They have I have taken over Floral Lane. They're flowering like crazy, and the pollinators have been all over them. Bees, butterflies, you name it. There is so much activity happening here. Now, I already know I want to move some of these because they've spread a little more than I want them to in this particular spot, but I'm not touching them until they're done flowering. They are blooming so beautifully and providing a ton of food for pollinators right now, so I'm going to let them finish. flowering before I start moving anything around, then I'll come back in and make some serious changes because that's one of the garden jobs that can wait. And then we have the hydrangeas. This is probably one of my favorite things about hydrangeas at this time of the year, because they just keep going. The flowers aren't the same colors they were earlier in the season anymore. They're deepening and aging into these really beautiful muted fall tones. And I think I think they're just as pretty now as they were when they first opened. Maybe even prettier. But this is what gives hydrangeas such a long season of interest in the garden. We get those fresh flowers earlier in the season and then those blooms slowly change as they age and they're perfect for cutting and drying to bring indoors. So really, we're getting months out of these flowers. Now look at what the ornamental grasses are doing. This is the time of year when I really notice them because they're adding so much movement to the gardens. Especially when there's even a little breeze and seeing them now has me looking at some of my other beds that don't have this kind of movement. I've already got several grasses that are large enough to divide so rather than buying more plants I can divide some of what I already have and repeat them in other areas of my gardens and that's definitely one of my notes for fall It's also a great example of why I like walking around the gardens at this time of year and really looking at them. I'm not just looking at what's blooming, I'm noticing what's giving the beds movement, texture The sedums are really coming into their own now too, and I love them at this stage. They add these big blocks of color and texture at a point when some of the other perennials are starting to fade. I grow quite a bit of sedum autumn joy, and this is exactly why. It doesn't ask for much during the growing season, and then suddenly, right when the garden needs another boost of color, here it is. And these flowers will continue changing as we move farther into fall. Another perennial that's been looking amazing right now in my gardens is Japanese anemone. This one has fallen in love sweetly and it's been flowering so gorgeously. Is that even a word now that we're into fall? And this is exactly why I love having plants like this mixed into the borders. Earlier in the season, there are so many other flowers getting all the attention. But as some of those summer flowers begin fading, Japanese anemones step in and give me another round of perennial color. And that's something I'm really thinking about when I add more plants to my garden, because I'm not just asking whether I like the flower, I'm thinking about when it flowers and what else will be happening around it at the same point in the season. Because the more I can stagger the blooms, the longer I can keep that full colorful look going without relying Entirely on annuals. So let's head over to the welcome garden now because there's still so much happening over there that you have got to see. The annuals and perennials are still going strong. And can we talk about this coreopsis? This thing has basically been blooming since July and it just keeps going. Plants like this are exactly what I want more of in my gardens because they're doing a lot of work over a really long It's a long period of time. And then we've got the Rubecia flowering over here. I moved this out last year and it's done really well. Do I love where I left this one? Not really. The plant itself looks great. I just don't love what it's doing in this particular spot. So that's another change I'm planning to make. This plant is moving on. And that's gardening. Sometimes a plant can be completely happy and still not be in the right place. Now my coleus deserves some attention too, because look at all this color. At this point in the season, I'm really appreciating plants that give me more than flowers. Coleus adds so much color and texture to the beds, and it's been doing that all season long. Until frost takes it out it's going to keep contributing to the beds and that's pretty impressive for a plant that doesn't even need to bloom to make an impact, don't you think? Back in the cutting garden the dahlias aren't doing all the work. The gomphrena and straw flowers are still thriving too. These are such great flowers for this part of the season because they just keep producing. I'm still cutting them for arrangements and both are also wonderful flowers for drying. So I'm enjoying them outside right now, cutting them for bouquets and saving some to use later. And that's a lot of mileage out of one flower. And here's something else that I've noticed as our temperatures have started cooling down. Some plants that weren't loving the summer heat are starting to perk back up. My dahlia that I started with winter sowing is looking a lot better, and the snapdragons are starting to bounce back as well. Snapdragons really appreciate those cooler temperatures, so I'm hoping we're going to get another nice flush from them before frost. And I love seeing this because it really does feel like the garden gets a second wind. Some plants are winding down, some are peaking, and others are coming back for another round. And that's the fall garden. Walking around out here right now is such a good reminder that the garden doesn't just stop because summer is over. It changes. The dahlias are exploding. The asters are covered in pollinators. The sedums are full of color. Hydrangeas are getting richer and deeper and the grasses are moving through the beds. And some of my cool season flowers are even starting to come back around. There are definitely things out here I want to change, move and divide. But I'm not in a rush to make the garden look finished just yet. There's still too much happening and I want to enjoy it. I'd love to know what's especially looking good in your garden right now. Is there a plant that surprised you this year or that's still blooming like crazy? Let's chat more about it in the comments below. And if you enjoyed walking through the fall gardens here with me today, make sure you subscribe to my channel and give this video a thumbs up so you don't miss what's happening here as we move through the season. But before I go, I'd love to give you a little more help with your garden. I have a few books that can help you take what we talk about here and put into practice at home. If you're still figuring out how to create the kind of flower garden you really want, The Bricks and Blooms Guide to a Beautiful and Easy Care Flower Garden walks you through the whole process from planning and choosing plants to planting, caring for your garden and keeping it manageable. It's really about helping you grow a beautiful flower garden without making gardening harder than it needs to be. And if you're someone who loves the idea of planning your garden, but needs a place to actually work through all those little decisions, my beautiful and easy care flower garden planner goes hand in hand with the book. It gives you a place to map things out, keep track of what you're growing, make notes about what's working and what isn't, and plan ahead for the garden you want to create. But then there's my newest book, Filling Your Home With Life. This one is especially for my fellow outdoor gardeners who can grow just about anything outside, but bring a houseplant home and somehow it's a completely different story. If that sounds familiar, I got you. Because gardening doesn't have to end when we come inside. Filling your home with life will help you take the gardening skills and confidence you've developed outdoors and bring them inside. We'll get into understanding what your houseplants actually need. Choosing plants that will work well in your home, keeping them healthy and thriving, and then styling them throughout your spaces so they become part of how your home looks and feels. Because for me, gardening isn't just something I do outside during the growing season. It's a lifestyle and this book is really about helping you live that gardening life all year long surrounded by plants both outside your door and inside your home. Filling Your Home with Life comes out October 6th which is a week away and I will leave links to pre-order it along with my flower gardening book and planner in the description below. Thanks so much for hanging out with me in the gardens today. I will see you in the next video. I'm Stacey with Bricks and Blooms. Enjoy a beautiful day.