Many people don’t consider fall to be the greatest time for flowers. It’s true that most flowers do blossom during the spring and summer when there’s a great number of pollinators to help them. But some spectacular flowers do bloom in the fall, and some even bloom in the winter. Here are five of the best flowers for fall:
1. Amaryllis
Also called the Belladonna Lily, this magnificent flower blossoms from a bulb. The flower is pale pink, shaped like a trumpet and comes in loose clusters on a two to two and half foot tall leafless stem. It’s best planted in a warm border against a wall and should be allowed to die down in the summer. The amaryllis is propagated by bulb division and from seed.
2. Autumn Flowering Crocus
Crocus flowers are thought of as a sign of earliest spring, but there are varietals that blossom in the autumn. Among them are C. zonatus, which has lilac flowers with spots of orange at the base of each of petal and a yellow throat. C. nudiflorus has purple flowers that appear without leaves. The petals are long, and the stigmas are a bright orange. It’s unusual among crocuses in that it spreads via stolons which then produce corms at their ends. This is a flower that does well in damp spots in the garden where other flowers might not thrive.
C. sativus has large, round flowers in many colors and markings, but it’s usually a lilac-rose-purple hue. It is known for its brilliant orange-red stigmas, which are used to make saffron. The saffron is certainly more expensive than the plant itself as the stigmas must be hand-picked. C. sativus should be planted in a warm, sunny position. C. speciosa has a pretty, pale blue-lavender flower with darker blue-violet veins. It’s prized in the garden because it spreads freely and easily.
3. Chamomile
Chamomile begins blossoming in summer and continues throughout the early fall if it’s regularly deadheaded. It’s a plant that grows from two and one half to three feet high and has masses of yellow or orange daisy-like flowers that are two to three inches across. The foliage is fragrant, shrubby and gray-green. Chamomile does best in full sun and is not fussy about soil as long as it’s well-drained. It may, indeed, thrive in soil that’s considered poor. Not only it is an excellent cut flower, but chamomile flowers make a wonderfully relaxing tea.
4. Sunflower
This famous flower can grow from three to seven feet tall depending on the variety. It bears bright yellow blossoms on erect stems. Some flowers have single rows while others have multiple, overlapping rows. These flowers are excellent for cutting and invariably brighten a room even on the gloomiest fall day. As its name implies, the sunflower thrives in full sun. It also likes evenly moist, well-drained, loamy soil. Another fall-blooming flower, false sunflower looks like the sunflower and grows well under the same conditions, but is a member of a different family.
5. Goldenrod
This flower’s pollen does not cause those fall allergies, for the pollen of the goldenrod is too heavy to be carried on the wind. But goldenrod is a beautiful plant that grows from one to six feet tall. It produces tiny, yellow to gold flowers in featherlike clusters at the tops of stems and is just the thing for a late year garden. The leaves are narrow and toothed. Goldenrod flowers are especially beautiful in floral arrangements, where they can be fresh or dried. They grow best in full sun to light shade and in well-drained loam.
