Fall Color: Highlight with Pansies
It’s getting to be the cozy time of year, that is, if the thermometer isn’t reading in the high 80’s. September really delivers a roller coaster of temperatures: you can plan both a beach trip and a fall color tour. So whether I’m tailgating or making one last run to the shore, I really enjoy fall. For many it signals a switch to indoor activities. But I notice that as the summer annuals lose their brightness it is time to switch them out and add fall color. My recommendation to welcome color into the garden this fall is to refresh the annuals both in the ground and in containers with icicle pansies. Cool weather loving pansies are perfect for providing color when the rest of the garden looks as if it’s beginning to shut down for the season.
Often the go-to plant this time of year is chrysanthemum, a traditional fall staple. But for me pansies offer a better alternative. First, they last longer than mums. Mums are more sensitive to changes in temperature and moisture than pansies, and the bloom may last only a few weeks. Mums can withstand a light frost, but aptly named icicle pansies will bloom until a hard frost, survive the harshest winters, and in most cases bloom again in spring.
Get creative with pansies.
Pansies are available in many rich colors that complement the hues of changing autumn leaves and offer brightness to the landscape unlike the more subtle colors of mums. If you decorate for fall with pumpkins and gourds and mums, try the icicle pansies available in many shades: bold oranges, yellows, purples, blues and even colors like ‘fire’ and ‘pumpkin’. Plant them in your existing containers or in a hollowed out pumpkin, or accent them with straw bales for autumn decoration.
Whether planted in the ground or in containers, pansies are a bright spot in the garden and a great transition plant for autumn. Why not call your designer today for a customized fall maintenance visit and ask her to re-design your containers for the season?
Glen Goldberg, Founder and President
