September 23 is the official start of fall.  The time that the leaves change color and a time of coming home from vacation and starting work and school once again. At this time of the year, thoughts turn from vivid spring and summer planting to planning for the end of the gardening year. However, fall can be a beautiful time in the garden. These simple ideas will help bring your garden to life this fall.

1. Add Striking Annuals

Fall can be a time of gorgeous flowers as well as leaves. Add colorful, fall-loving chrysanthemums, autumn sage, and aster to your garden.

2. Plant Perennials With Colorful Foliage

While fall is the time that the trees change color, you can look to shrubs for the same effect. Shrubs like smokebush, witch hazel, and small ornamental maples all have lovely leaves that are a little less prolific than larger trees.

3. Add a Touch of Spring

Pansies and crocuses in the fall? Yes, you certainly can grow these spring beauties in the fall season. Add fall crocus bulbs to your garden for a visual treat every year, and plant annual pansies as a complement.

4. Colourblock Your Fall Garden

Do you want to have particularly striking color in your garden? Choose to colorblock, creating areas with plants that are a similar color and contrasting them with other colors next door. A wave of red, orange, or yellow cascading across your garden beds definitely says fall.

5. Enjoy Beautiful Fall and Winter Vegetables

If you love vegetable gardening, add a fall planting of greens such as Red Russian Kale and Rainbow Chard to your planters. You’ll not only enjoy their colors, they’ll be delicious for dinner.

6. Create With Corn

This one takes some advance planning, but adding some corn to your landscape gives it a definite fall feeling, and it’s good to eat as well. Situate a scarecrow or pumpkins near your corn planting.

7. Make a Cozy Porch

Make your front porch more comfortable with seasonally-inspired cushions and warm blankets. Add a place to serve warm tea and a heat lamp so that you can read outdoors in the cool, slightly darker evenings.

8. Enjoy Fall Squash

Create a harvest display with colorful fall squash. Use pumpkins to decorate a walkway or turn them into lanterns or a seat for a scarecrow. Add tough, colorful seasonal gourds in a decorative basket. Remember that squashes come in many different colors such as white, grey, and green as well.

9. Add Fall Leaves to Your Wreaths and Doorway

Instead of sending away all of your fall leaves, use some of them to adorn your doorway, add them to a wreath, or take a small branch and use it in a vase near your entryway.

10. Love the Water

If you have a wet spot in your garden, fall and spring are the times to embrace it. Add perennials such as sedges, rushes, and willows to wetter places in your garden to create a seasonal rain garden.

When you’re trying to create a beautiful garden space, contact Harry Helmet. Not only will our gutter systems reduce your need to maintain your gutters and downspouts, they will help ensure the water flows where you want it to. Harry Helmet gutter systems help your gutters stay tidy and help free up your time to focus on more pleasant gardening projects.

Written by Del Thebaud