Do you like the ease of adding low-maintenance perennials to your garden? If so, purple coneflower might be the perfect plant for you. There are so many pluses to this native plant that effortlessly combines vivid color, hassle-free care, and value for wildlife.

It is tough, can survive in almost any soil, and is drought-tolerant once established. You get two months-plus of colorful, beautiful blooms that attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds, followed by architectural seed heads that feed birds through winter. That is a lot of ticks in many different boxes.

If you grow coneflowers already, you’ll understand how these plants, also known as echinacea, are usually as reliable as they come. But here we want to wax lyrical about the purple coneflower, so let’s take a look at what this wonderful plant brings to a yard and how easy it is to grow.

All About Purple Coneflower

Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) is an herbaceous perennial plant native to the eastern and central US. It commonly grows in prairies or meadows, but has become a popular backyard plant for color, form, texture, and its innate ability to attract wildlife.

Purple coneflower is hardy in US zones 3-8 and grows between 24 and 60 inches tall, depending on the variety.

The plants have rough-textured leaves and upright stems topped with daisy-like flowers in shades of pink and purple (as the name suggests). The drooping petals surround a prominent, darker center.

Why Grow Purple Coneflower

There are many reasons to love purple coneflower, not least because they are very versatile and bloom from summer into early fall. Coneflower varieties tend to burst into flower in midsummer, and can bring color and wildlife to flower beds and containers for around two months.

You can plant them individually or in groups in herbaceous borders, or add them to wildflower meadows or prairie planting schemes. The erect stems and dazzling flowerheads make excellent cut flowers, too.

Once established, the plants are very low-maintenance and make excellent drought-tolerant perennials. Purple coneflower plants can cope with heat and short periods of dry weather, making them suitable for hotter climates, drier gardens, and xeriscaping.

It is commonly accepted that purple coneflower plants make excellent additions to any wildlife garden. They are superb plants for pollinators, with bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds attracted to the nectar-rich blooms.

Plus, if you leave the dried seed heads come the end of the season, the seeds become a vital food source for birds, including cardinals, goldfinches, and blue jays.

How to Grow Purple Coneflower

You can commonly find purple coneflower plants for sale in garden centers, nurseries, or online, if you want to add one to your backyard.

There are over 100 cultivars, but the most popular variety is ‘Magnus’, adored for its deep-colored flowers on stems that stay upright through the season. You can get a ‘Magnus’ purple coneflower at Nature Hills. When planting purple coneflower, be careful not to bury the crown, as this can cause rot.

An alternative, budget-friendly way to grow purple coneflower is to sow seeds. Planting purple coneflower seeds in spring requires a period of cold stratification in the fridge, or you can sow them outdoors in the fall to experience a natural winter chill.

You can get packets of purple coneflower seeds at Amazon to sow at home, but it will take two years for the plants to start flowering.

Care Tips

• Soil - Purple coneflowers are adaptable plants, and can tolerate poorer soil types in which many other perennial plants will struggle. They prefer rich, fertile soil but can survive in clay, sandy, or rocky ground. What is important is that it is well-draining, as they don’t like sitting in wet soil for long periods. Adding compost (such as this bag of premium compost at Walmart) to the bed beforehand can enrich the soil and improve drainage.
• Light - The plants will perform best when planted in full sun, ideally where they can get six to eight hours of daily sunlight. Purple coneflowers can tolerate light shade, but the flowering will be reduced. In the hottest US hardiness zones, plants benefit from some afternoon shade for respite from the scorching sun.
• Water - Purple coneflower needs regular watering during the first season after planting. After this, it is a drought-tolerant plant that only needs deep watering occasionally during prolonged dry periods. The plants will perform better with regular watering, ideally around an inch per week.
• Pruning - Deadheading coneflowers throughout the summer will encourage new flowers, extending the display. You can reward yourself with long-flowering plants by cutting back to the next set of leaves with a pair of sharp garden snips or pruning shears (I am a fan of these Felco pruning snips at Amazon for precise trimming tasks). At the end of the blooming season, leave the plants standing to feed birds throughout the winter. Cut back coneflowers in spring, pruning the stems to ground level so new ones come through unimpeded. Coneflowers are self-seeding flowers, so beware of new plants appearing if you do leave the seedheads for the birds.

What to Shop

Over the years, purple coneflower plants will develop into larger clumps. While this may sound good, it does bring issues. Congested clips can lose vigor due to competition, and the flowering reduces as a result.

For the best performance year after year, it is recommended to divide plants every three or four years. Digging up and dividing rejuvenates clumps and gives you more wildlife-friendly plants to add elsewhere in the yard.

If you love inspiring garden ideas, outdoor advice, and the latest news, why not sign up for our newsletter and get the latest features delivered straight to your inbox?

Who remembers making daisy chains as a child? I certainly do – and it feels like a different lifetime now. I can still picture the clump of Shasta daisy my mom grew in the border, always a little too enthusiastic, leaning over the lavender in front like it had plans of its own. And honestly, it probably did.

There’s something about growing Shasta daisies – a childhood favorite perennial – that is incredibly pleasing. That simple, open face feels oddly familiar – almost human. It’s why so many of us are still drawn to them in the garden without really thinking about it. And when people ask me about the best Shasta daisies, I always end up coming back to the same answer: the classic, reliable forms that just get on with it, year after year, without fuss.

So if you’re wondering what to do with Shasta daisies in May, this is really the moment where everything starts to matter – but in a quiet, unshowy way.

1. Tidy Up

The first thing I usually do in May is tidy up my Shasta daisy plants – and the surrounding area. I’ll either reach for my tried-and-tested Fiskars Pruning Shears or the Ultra Sharp Japanese Steel Pruning Shears, both from Amazon, both of which make the job quick and easy.

When it comes to cutting back Shasta Daisies, I always recommend removing anything that looks damaged, tired, or left over from winter. It’s a pretty simple task and shouldn’t take long at all, depending on the size of your garden.

In just a few weeks, you’ll start to see fresh shoots pushing through, with new growth taking over and everything opening up properly instead of being hidden under last year’s mess.

2. Keep An Eye On Older Clumps

If you’ve had Shasta daisy growing in the same spot for a while, you’ll probably notice what I mean when I say they start to lose their shape a bit. They get crowded, the centre weakens, and flowering just isn’t quite as generous as it used to be.

May is usually when I make the call – leave them be for another year, or lift and divide them. And yes, it can feel like a bit of a disruption, but it really does bring them back to life. I take the healthiest outer sections, replant them, and within a season or two they’re back to being full, upright, and far more reliable again.

3. Feed, But Don’t Push

I’ve learned over the years that Shasta daisies are much happier with less than more when it comes to feeding. When I fertilize Shasta daisy plants in May, I stick to a light, balanced feed and leave it at that.

I often to use the Miracle-Gro Water Soluble Bloom Booster Flower Food Fertilizer from Amazon for the majority of my garden plants.

At this stage, you’re just helping the plant grow steadily and stay strong, not trying to push it into overdrive. Too much feed usually leads to lots of soft leafy growth that looks impressive for a while, but then flops around once the flowers start appearing.

4. Give Them Room To Flourish

One thing I’ve noticed over the years is that Shasta daisy will tell you pretty quickly when it’s running out of space. The stems start leaning towards the light, plants flop into each other, and the whole clump can end up looking a bit chaotic by midsummer.

If yours are getting crowded, it’s worth thinning them out or adding support early while the growth is still manageable. I’ve learned it’s much easier to guide them now than try to rescue a collapsed border later in the season.

Shop Shasta Daisy Care for May

A lot of what you do for Shasta daisy in May is fairly quiet work. Nothing dramatic, nothing especially complicated – just small jobs that make a real difference later on. A bit of tidying, a bit of restraint with feeding, and making sure plants have enough space to grow properly.

Then summer arrives and, almost without you noticing, they start doing what they do best. Suddenly, there are those bright white blooms everywhere, spilling slightly into pathways and softening the edges of borders.

For me personally, they always bring back that feeling of childhood summers and wild 'messy' gardens in the best possible way.

You want your borders to catch the eye for all the right reasons. They should grab attention for beautiful displays of flowers, not because of messy, flopping plants. One of the best ways to garner lots of compliments is to use natural supports for tall perennials.

Supports are essential to avoid drooping or flopping, especially after rainfall or when plants are laden with weighty blooms. The best natural supports for tall perennials can be made of twigs, bamboo, hazel, or willow. Whether supporting individual plants or clumps of perennials, they offer an artistic visual to borders and blend in when the plants are in full pomp.

Over my years working in historic gardens in the UK, I built natural plant supports in varying shapes and sizes. From large teepees to small domes, the following sustainable plant support ideas are perfect for bringing a cottage garden-inspired feel to your borders and beautifully displaying your taller perennial plants.

1. Branchy Prunings

Twigs and sticks from pruning shrubs offer a traditional, sustainable gardening technique for supporting perennials. Also sometimes called pea sticks, this technique is often seen in cottage garden borders and was something I used in cut flower borders to keep plants upright. It creates a natural support frame to stop perennial plants from flopping.

‘Brushy prunings work well because they disappear into the growth and look more natural than metal cages in a mixed border,’ claims Jessica Mercer, Horticulturist at Plant Addicts. This is a good point to consider when planning your borders, as the best plant supports keep perennials upright but blend in and get hidden by foliage as the plants develop.

You can use this technique to support larger varieties of sedum, shasta daisies, salvia, asters, phlox, or yarrow.

Knowing when to support perennials is important, so get the prunings in place in early spring. Place the pruning into the ground around the plants in a circle, bend the tops towards each other, and gently twist some of the tips together.

2. Bamboo Canes

Bamboo stakes are a common item that gardeners often accumulate in sheds. Thankfully, there are lots of uses for these canes, including different potential methods for supporting perennials, as well as classic uses such as stakes for growing tomatoes.

Firstly, you can use bamboo canes as an individual plant support. ‘Bamboo stakes are both functional and visually appealing,’ says Halina Shamshur, resident botany expert at Plantum. ‘Bamboo is lightweight yet strong and works well for individual plants.’

The tall stems or flower spikes of delphiniums, foxgloves, perennial sunflowers, and verbascum can be kept upright by being secured to a single bamboo cane. Use twine or soft ties (such as these velcro soft plant ties at Amazon) to attach the plant to the stake.

An alternative is to use more than one bamboo cane. As Jessica Mercer explains: ‘For plants that need broader support, a simple ring of bamboo stakes and twine is great for phlox, asters, and other clump-forming perennials that tend to open or lean after rain.’

You can get a six-pack of 48-inch bamboo plant stakes at Lowe’s to create a circle around perennials in your borders.

3. Hazel Poles

Hazel makes a great material for natural supports for tall perennials, as it is strong and flexible. It can be used to build arches, domes, teepees, or obelisks. When I worked in historic gardens in the UK, we used coppiced hazel to build plant supports in flower borders each year.

To build hazel plant supports, you can be creative. A few straighter, longer rods can be pushed into the ground and tied together to create teepees, with a few whippier stems woven in to turn this into an obelisk.

To create a domed cage, flexible stems can be arched over the top of perennials and thinner pieces woven in and out for horizontal support.

These beautiful, natural structures bring elegance and sophistication to flower beds, and will seamlessly blend in with the perennials as they grow.

You can make hazel supports for herbaceous perennials like delphiniums, peonies, asters, and salvias. But hazel is also ideal for climbing plants like sweet peas and clematis, or climbing vegetables such as beans.

4. Willow Rods

If you have willow on your property, it is another tree you can coppice to take advantage of the fast-growing stems they produce. Just like with hazel, you can do many different creative things with willow rods.

‘Willow rods work well and are easy to install,’ claims Halina Shamshur. ‘They’re flexible, can be shaped as needed, and are strong and durable.’

Willow rods can be lashed together to make a wigwam for tall perennials, or converted into an artistic obelisk for the border by weaving smaller, flexible stems around the structure for horizontal support and strength.

You can also use willow to create a DIY cage for growing peonies (you can get metal peony cages at Amazon). The flexibility of young willow stems allows them to be woven together into a circle. With some canes added through the center and three or four more for legs, it can be an attractive, natural support to prevent delicate peony stems from flopping.

Freshly cut willow stems are likely to root when inserted in the soil. You can dry out the stems to prevent this, or use willow only as temporary structures and remove them at the end of every season.

If you don’t have access to willow, you can buy rods to use. Such as these three-foot willow branches for weaving at Amazon

Shop Plant Supports:

When it comes to climbing plants, Halina Shamshur from Plantum recommends natural wooden lattice panels as ‘the best choice’ for a wall trellis.

She adds: ‘They’re typically made from pine or spruce and are the most common and affordable option. Larch panels are more durable but also more expensive.’

Whether you choose a square, rectangular, or triangle-shaped trellis, using them for vertical gardening opens up many possibilities for growing flowers, fruit, or vegetables up your walls.

If you love inspiring garden ideas, outdoor advice, and the latest news, why not sign up for our newsletter and get the latest features delivered straight to your inbox?

Herbaceous perennials fill borders with flowers, form, and textures, and can do so for many years. To keep them performing at their best season after season, you should divide them every few years – and May offers a final chance to divide summer-flowering perennials.

Dividing perennials is a quick, simple task for spring. The conditions are ideal, with the soil warm and moist, and the plants are full of energy at the start of the growing season. Splitting perennials early in May gives them time to establish before the summer temperatures arrive. Dividing plants not only keeps clumps vigorous, but is a sustainable task that gives you new plants for free, rather than spending money on new ones to fill your borders with blooms.

I helped to maintain large flower beds and borders for many years while working in historic gardens as a professional gardener. Each spring, we lifted and divided some of our best perennials to fill spaces in beds and keep each plant healthy. There are many plants you can divide this month, but here is a selection of perennials to divide in May to add to your spring gardening checklist.

1. Hostas

Hostas are really easy to grow and make stunning ornamental additions to any flower bed, with their dramatic foliage coming in a range of colors and sizes.

As clumps get congested over time, the plant’s performance can suffer. And if you want to grow hostas that are strong enough to hold out against slug attacks, your clumps need to be as healthy and vigorous as possible.

Thankfully, hostas are easy perennials to divide, and they respond well to this operation. Divide hostas every four or five years, either in the spring or early fall – though I do prefer it as a springtime task.

Once they are starting to grow and you can see buds appearing, lift the clump, remove lots of the soil, and divide it with a spade or sharp knife (like this garden knife from Amazon).

Plant the hostas into your borders as quickly as possible, and water them in well.

2. Yarrow

Yarrow (Achillea) is a long-flowering perennial with flat-topped blooms made up of lots of little flower heads. The flowers come in a range colors and are nectar-rich, which makes them great plants for pollinators.

When you grow yarrow in your flower beds, clumps do spread. This can mean they end up with dead centers, get congested, or spread further than you want. The best way to prevent this issue is to divide clumps every 3-5 years.

Do this in spring, just as new growth is appearing. Use a sharp spade to dig around the clump and lift it from the soil. Shake off the excess soil, and cut the root ball into sections. Depending on the size of the clump, you can get up to 4-6 different sections – just ensure that any division has a decent amount of roots and shoots.

Plant the new sections into gaps in your borders, or into containers if they are smaller divisions. Water the new plants deeply to help them establish in their new home.

3. Daylilies

Daylilies (Hemerocallis) are showy perennial plants. Despite their name, which comes from the fact that individual flowers last just a single day, clumps can continually produce lots of vivid blooms for around a month or more.

You can grow daylilies of many colors or patterns, and the plants will form large clumps over time. As the clumps enlarge, it causes congestion, leading to weaker growth and fewer blooms. For healthy clumps and the best flowers, it is advisable to divide daylilies every four or five years.

Springtime is an opportune moment to divide the clumps, and then you can plant daylilies into your borders for future displays. However, it is worth remembering that any new clumps may take one or two years to start blooming.

Daylilies do produce fibrous roots. This means you may need to deal with a mass of these roots if you haven’t divided them for a few years.

A sharp knife will be your best friend here; use it to slice through the clumps. Cut them into sections with established stems and roots, and replant with the crown an inch below the soil surface.

4. Asters

Asters come to the fore later in the season, blooming in late summer and fall. As fall-blooming plants, the ideal window to split these perennials is in spring, when new growth is appearing for the season ahead.

Over time, clumps of asters can get leggy, and they are another perennial that suffers from dieback in the center of the plant as it spreads outwards. As this central portion of the plant is exhausted, the best plan of action is to divide your asters every 3-4 years and replant divisions of the vigorous outer sections of the clump.

To divide any aster varieties, carefully lift the clump and use a spade, sharp knife, or two garden forks placed back-to-back in the center to split it into new sections.

Remove any older, unproductive sections. Keep hold of new pieces that have several healthy shoots and roots, and replant them immediately into gaps in your borders.

Keep a close eye on when to water plants, as you need to keep the soil consistently moist to stop your asters from suffering from transplant shock and help them bed in.

5. Phlox

Phlox includes a huge range of different plant species and forms. In this scenario, the focus is on perennial border phlox, such as those tall varieties of Phlox paniculata that stand out in borders with their domed flower heads atop sturdy stems.

These stalwarts of cottage garden ideas do become less vigorous over the years. Congestion and competition mean fewer flowers, and the clump can get bare in the center. It is advisable to divide phlox every 3-4 years to keep your plants healthy and productive for the best blooms come summer.

It is beneficial to water plants ahead of dividing to keep the roots hydrated. Lift the clump and divide it into sections that have a good selection of roots and at least three shoots. These can be replanted into borders.

There is a good chance that the new clumps will flower that season. To give them the best chance, feed them with a vitamin solution such as Superthrive, available on Amazon. It can help the plants develop roots and recover from dividing.

6. Black-eyed Susan

Black-eyed Susans bring warming colors to borders in summer and early fall, with their daisy-like flowers in shades of orange and red standing out against the dark center that gives them their name.

When you grow black-eyed Susan, the plants do spread and self-seed around a border. It can lead to large clumps and congestions, with fewer or smaller flowers as a result.

Divide plants every 3-4 years in the spring to reinvigorate clumps and stop the spread, and get new plants to fill in spaces in your flower beds.

Like others on this list, dig up the clump once it starts growing and concentrate on splitting the younger, outer, more productive part of the plant into new, smaller sections.

Plant the black-eyed Susans right away elsewhere in your borders, at the same depth they were planted.

7. Ornamental Grasses

When you grow ornamental grasses among your flowering perennials, they add height, texture, and movement to borders.

Just like other plants, a substantial clump can lose vigor over the years as it spreads. Grasses can also end up with bare centers. To avoid this happening to your grasses, aim to divide them every few years.

The grasses want to be actively growing when divided. Cool-climate grasses start growing in early spring, while warm-season grasses start later but should be waking up in time for dividing in May. This month can be an ideal time for warm-season types, like miscanthus, pennisetum, and panicum.

Smaller ornamental grasses may be pulled apart by hand, but, at the other end of the scale, expect larger specimens to have tough roots to cut through.

A sharp knife or hori-hori may be needed in those cases, and you can get a Japanese hori-hori knife at Amazon.

Shop Tools for Dividing Perennials

Another simple way to fill any gaps in your borders is to sow speedy annual flowers this month. This guide to fast-growing flowers to sow in May includes seven fantastic annuals that can fill your beds with vibrant color come summer.

Love inspiring garden ideas, outdoor advice, and the latest news? Sign up for our newsletter and get the latest features delivered straight to your inbox.

If you want reliable color and impact without the upkeep, and as a time-poor gardener I know I do, these low-maintenance perennials are some of the easiest plants you can grow. Chosen for their resilience and ability to thrive with little to no attention, they are ideal for busy homeowners or anyone who prefers a gentler approach, delivering year-after-year color and beauty.

Not all gardens need constant deadheading, staking, and pruning. Some of the most effective planting schemes rely on tough, adaptable species that quietly get on with the job, whether in formal borders or more relaxed, drought-prone settings. These dependable perennials often go overlooked, yet they are among the most useful plants you can grow.

If you are looking for fuss-free options that can handle a bit of neglect and still perform, the following picks are hard to beat. These are five of the most reliable, easy-care perennials for effortless color and structure.

1. Persicaria

Persicaria (knotweed) are among the longest-flowering perennials, often providing colour from mid-spring until the first frost.

Reliable and unfussy, most species are hardy in zones 4–8 and will grow in sun or shade, tolerating a wide range of soil conditions.

One standout example is Persicaria virginiana, a North American species. It draws attention for its distinctive lime-green foliage marked with dark chevrons, followed by airy pink flower spikes from midsummer onwards.

These delicate, upright blooms work well in both borders and containers, adding movement and texture without demanding much care. Persicaria is widely regarded as one of the most reliable perennials that thrive on neglect.

You can find Persicaria tinctoria seeds at Amazon, with a distinctive magenta flower that is often used in natural dyes.

However, many species can self-seed freely and, outside their native range, may become overly vigorous and invasive. While this has not been a major issue in managed gardens, occasional thinning and deadheading is recommended to keep growth in check.

2. Sedums

Sedums (or stonecrops) are drought-tolerant, succulent perennials that provide reliable structure and late-season colour with very little maintenance. Upright forms produce tall pink-red flower heads in summer and early autumn, adding height and interest to sunny, free-draining borders.

This is a plant with proven resilience, thanks to its fleshy leaves that store water and help it withstand long, dry spells in mid-summer.

Hardy down to zone 4, stonecrops perform best in full sun and are particularly well suited to south-facing sites with sharp drainage. They should be avoided in heavy or waterlogged soils, where root rot can become an issue.

You can find the most striking 'Back in Black' sedum from Burpee.

For maintenance, a light cutback in early spring is usually sufficient and encourages compact, bushy growth through April and May. Beyond that, sedums are among the most dependable, low-effort perennials for time-poor gardeners.

3. Aster

If you are looking for fall-blooming native plants that are low-maintenance but high-impact, then learning how to grow and care for asters is a good idea.

It varies between different aster varieties, but many are cold hardy down to zone 3, requiring little care even in chilly northern regions.

Most asters do best in part-shade, with a few hours of sunshine each day, although some can tolerate full-shade, too. For example, the white wood aster, Eurybia divaricata, is one species that can handle darker settings.

For a purple-flowering option, try the 'Grape Crush' New England aster, with live plants available from Nature Hills. These native plants are a great option if you enjoy colorful, vibrant pots and borders.

4. Yarrow

Yarrow is a hardy, frost-hardy perennial grown in zones 3–9, valued for its finely cut, feathery foliage and flat-topped flower clusters in shades of white, yellow, pink, and red.

It performs reliably in both formal borders and naturalistic planting, and is notably low-maintenance once established. In most cases, it thrives without supplemental water or feeding. Provided it has a sunny position, yarrow will grow well in sandy, loamy, or even clay soils.

It is also a strong pollinator plant, attracting bees and butterflies throughout its long flowering season, making it a useful addition to wildlife-friendly gardens.

Maintenance is minimal, with the main task being deadheading in summer to encourage repeat flowering later in the season.

One standout variety is Achillea ‘Credo’, a soft pale lemon form that combines well with white, yellow, and purple planting schemes. In Italy, it proved particularly attractive to butterflies when in bloom.

For a more vivid option, try this 'Strawberry Seduction' yarrow, available from Nature Hills.

5. Sisyrinchium

Sisyrinchium striatum, commonly known as the yellow Mexican satin flower, is another self-seeding flower that thrives with little input needed.

With attractive spiked foliage that looks similar to that of an iris, this tall perennial is perfect for adding height to cottage garden borders.

These low-maintenance plants grow best in zone 5 plus, with a preference for a sunny spot and free-draining soil.

Delicate yellow flowers will bloom in late spring and should self-seed freely across your borders. Regular deadheading will help to limit its spread and can help to encourage a few late-season flower spikes, too.

There are other species of Sisyrinchium to try, such as the blue-flowering Sisyrinchium angustifolium, available to order online at Walmart, which would work well in cool-colored yards.

What to Shop

Some of the toughest perennials that thrive on neglect are native to North America. For an unusual option, one of my favorites from North America is Sanguisorba canadensis, also known as white burnet.

Hardy down to zone 4, this clump-forming perennial can be grown in a range of soil and light conditions, and will produce masses of lofty blooms that move in the breeze.

For more low-effort and high-impact native plant inspiration, see our guide on the best shrubs that thrive on neglect, and populate your borders with even more easy-to-grow species this year.

If you love inspiring garden ideas, outdoor advice, and the latest news, sign up for our newsletter and get the latest features delivered straight to your inbox.

Whether you have a sprawling garden or a snug city balcony, there’s nothing quite like covering walls, fences, or trellises with climbing plants to instantly lift a space. From evergreen ivy to fragrant climbing roses, a living backdrop adds structure, privacy, and a welcoming sense of enclosure – and it feels like a little bit of magic for any yard or patio.

The great news is that you don’t need a green thumb or hours of weekly maintenance to make it happen. Plenty of climbing plants thrive on minimal attention, making them perfect for gardeners like me (and maybe you) who want lush, vertical greenery without the fuss.

So, if you’re on the hunt for the best fast-growing climbing plants that deliver maximum impact with minimal effort, these five should be at the top of your list. From vibrant plumbago to hardy honeysuckle, they’re low-maintenance yet striking – ideal whether you’re just starting out or you’re a seasoned gardener looking for fuss-free, vertical planting this year.

Climbing Plants That Thrive on Neglect

The following five options are some of the easiest climbers to grow. Whether you’re after annual pot plants for a splash of seasonal color or hardy evergreens to cover a large wall for years to come, these foolproof vines will do the job with minimal fuss. Just remember to give them a thorough watering after planting – it’s the simple step that makes all the difference in helping them settle in and thrive.

1. Honeysuckle

Perhaps one of the most beloved flowering climbers, honeysuckle is surprisingly versatile and can thrive in almost any garden. Fragrant, fast-growing, and endlessly charming, it can ramble and twine with very little maintenance – perfect for anyone like me who loves lush greenery but doesn’t always have hours to fuss over it.

'When choosing the best honeysuckles for your yard, it’s important to avoid introducing invasive climbers,' says Reese Robbins, Garden Expert and Creator of Just Pure Gardening. 'While they smell amazing, Japanese honeysuckle – Lonicera japonica – can grow like crazy, choking out other plants and climbing over everything.'

Instead, whether you’re planting in pots or borders, go for a native variety like Lonicera sempervirens, also known as coral or trumpet honeysuckle. Fully hardy and able to grow as far north as US hardiness zone 4, it thrives in full sun or part shade and adapts well to a range of soils, even poorer ones.

Live coral honeysuckle starter plants are available from Walmart, and they’re sure to delight hummingbirds while adding a burst of color and fragrance to your garden this year.

2. Plumbago

'Native to South Africa, plumbago thrives in sunny, warm regions, including US hardiness zone 9 to 11,' says Tricia Hunt, plant expert and owner of Millstone Nursery. While it can be grown in cooler zones, this easy-to-grow climber is best treated as an annual, as it won’t survive winter outdoors unless protected.

'In warmer areas, the blue-flowered plumbago can be grown either as a vine or as a shrub in garden borders,' adds Tricia, 'and it doesn’t need much attention, aside from a little tying in with twine.' My trusted jute garden twine is available from Amazon.

'Just make sure it gets plenty of sunshine,' she continues. 'While plumbago can tolerate light shade, it tends not to bloom as well in darker corners – though its attractive foliage will still add a touch of greenery.'

Live plumbago starter plants are available to order from Walmart, making it an easy and colorful addition to patios, balconies, or garden edging and borders.

3. Virginia Creeper

Native to North America, Virginia creeper is one of the easiest vines you can grow, making it a favourite for gardeners who want fast, fuss-free coverage. 'Be warned, though,' says Bert Bast, Garden Expert and Owner of Bast Brothers Garden Center, 'once you have it, Virginia creeper can be tricky to get rid of.'

'In terms of how to grow Virginia creeper, it’s one of the easiest perennials around,' Bert continues. 'It’s incredibly hardy, thriving across US hardiness zones 3 to 10, and can grow in almost any soil. There’s very little that can harm it, and once it’s established, it barely needs any extra watering or care.'

For anyone looking to add this vigorous climber to their garden, live Virginia creeper vine seeds are available from Amazon – a perfect choice if you want a low-maintenance vine that quickly creates lush, leafy coverage.

4. Morning Glory

'Morning glories are fast-growing vines that can make a big impact in a single season, often reaching four to ten feet in just a few months.' The Mexican morning glory, or Ipomoea tricolor, produces brilliant blue flowers that never fail to brighten a garden. Like most varieties, they thrive in full sun but can also do well in part shade, especially if planted in fertile, well-draining soil.

'If you want to grow morning glory from seed, you can start them indoors about four weeks before your last frost, or wait until April or May to sow directly outdoors.' While they rarely become invasive, morning glories can self-seed – and in the right conditions, you may find dozens of seedlings popping up. These, however, usually won’t survive the winter in cooler regions.

Morning glory seeds are available on Amazon, making it easy to add these cheerful climbers to your vertical garden or balcony.

5. Nasturtium

'If you’re a beginner gardener, learning how to grow nasturtium is a smart place to start.' This easy-to-grow annual vine is one of the simplest – and most rewarding – plants to add to pots or borders, and it even comes with edible flowers.

'While you can buy nasturtium plants in spring, they’re so easy to grow from seed that it’s far better to sow them directly in the garden in April or May.' For a striking crimson option, try Nasturtium 'Troika Red', with fast-growing seeds available from Burpee.

Wait until the risk of frost has passed and the soil is above 55° (12°C), then plant your seeds in a sunny spot. Nasturtiums aren’t fussy – they’ll thrive in free-draining, even poor soil, and don’t require any fertilizer. Give them a little support to climb, such as a trellis or bamboo canes, and by summer, you’ll have a cascade of vibrant flowers.

Best of all, you can snip a few blooms to add a hint of color – and a peppery bite – to salads, impressing friends and family with your garden-to-table flair.

Climbing plants don’t just look stunning in your garden – they also create welcome shade and shelter for insects and small animals during the warmer months.

Flowering vines, in particular, provide a rich source of nectar for birds, bees, and butterflies, bringing your outdoor space to life with color and movement. Who wouldn’t want to encourage a little wildlife into their plot for the growing season?

For even more inspiration, check out our guide to the best perennials for attracting hummingbirds, including low-maintenance varieties that are perfect for underplanting beneath your climbing plants that thrive on neglect.

Shop Climbing Plant Accessories

Perennial salvias bring vibrant pops of color to flower beds from midsummer into fall. With aromatic foliage, square stems, and dense spikes of blooms that attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds, there is much to adore about salvias.

Over several seasons, though, the display can wane, which is why it is advisable to divide salvias every 3-4 years. Lifting and dividing the perennial is a relatively simple job for early spring, and the reward is 4-6 new plants to add to your garden, at no cost.

If you grow salvias and notice the center of the plant becoming tired or bare, it may be time to divide the plants. It is a task I did in the cottage garden borders in one historic garden I worked in, and I also sought expert insights from a propagation master about when and how to divide salvias successfully.

When to Divide Salvias

To keep perennial types of salvias performing at their best and filling flower beds with color, they should be divided every three to four years. Dividing plants helps to rejuvenate the original clump and also get new plants to add to your backyard ideas.

A tell-tale sign that a salvia needs dividing is when the center of the plant starts underperforming or shows signs of becoming woody and drying out. You can end up with a plant that is bare in the middle and only flowers on the edges, which doesn’t look good, whether you have plants in a border or are growing salvia in pots.

Mike J. McGroarty, an experienced propagator and owner at Mike's Backyard Nursery, says that dividing salvias reinvigorates the plant, and the reward is a better display.

‘It will flower in abundance for several years after being divided,’ says Mike. ‘Any kind of root pruning stimulates new root growth, and small fibrous roots pick up nutrition from the soil with a greater efficiency than old, hardened, established roots.’

The best time to divide salvias is when the plant is dormant, in either fall or spring, when the temperatures are cool, and the soil is moist. If you do intend to divide salvias in the fall, do it well before the first frosts to give the plant time to bed down roots before the temperatures drop.

Mike claims that plants will start to flower in the first year after dividing, if the timing is right, and highlights early spring as a prime time to divide salvias.

‘If you complete the dividing process before the plant breaks dormancy in the spring, the new divisions will thrive, putting on lots of new growth followed by a beautiful display of flowers,’ he says.

It is not advisable to divide salvias in winter or summer. They will be under huge stress if divided when flowering during a hot summer, and may never recover.

On the other hand, if you divide salvias in winter, the plant doesn’t have time to bed down roots before frosts, and low temperatures can kill them.

How to Divide Salvias

Let's take a close look at how to divide perennial salvias and the best tools for the job. It may surprise you to know that the secrets to quality division start with watering plants.

If you water salvia a few days before you plan to divide, it ensures the roots are hydrated, and the plant can cope better with the stress of being lifted and transplanted.

On the day you divide salvias, take a garden spade and carefully dig around the clump. Dig in a wide circle to avoid damaging the roots, then gently lever the plant out of the soil.

‘What I do is lift the entire plant out of the ground and shake off as much soil as possible,’ says Mike.

‘It helps to turn a spade on its edge and gently bang the root ball against the edge of the spade as you turn the root ball,’ adds the propagation expert. ‘This helps to remove soil. The more soil you remove, the easier it is to separate the root clumps.’

Loose roots can be pulled apart by hand, but in reality, it is more likely you will need a sharp spade, knife, or hori-hori knife (you can get a sharp hori-hori knife at Amazon) to cut through a dense root ball and separate the salvia into new pieces.

Depending on the size of the plant, you may get up to six new small pieces to plant. When you divide salvias, each new section must have both good shoots and a portion of healthy roots attached.

Plant the new sections as quickly as possible, whether into new spots in your beds and borders, or into containers to grow on. Dig a hole large enough to accommodate the roots and backfill it with soil.

Mike recommends: ‘Because you have shaken most of the soil away, it's important to use loose soil when re-planting because you don't want any air pockets around the bare roots.’

Gently press down the soil around the roots, then water the plant deeply to remove any air pockets and ensure the plant settles well into its new home.

FAQs

Do Salvias Come Back Every Year?

Salvia is a large genus with over 900 species, including shrubs, perennials, and annuals. Perennial salvias can grow in US hardiness zones 3-9 and will die back in late fall before bursting back into growth come spring. Annual salvias are not frost-hardy, but may grow as perennials in US hardiness zones 9-11.

For the longest display from any salvias, deadheading is a must to promote strong blooming. Regular deadheading of salvia prevents the plant from developing seeds; instead, it directs all its energy toward producing new flowers.

During the flowering season, snip faded flowers above a set of leaves or a side shoot with sharp pruning shears or garden snips, such as these straight-bladed Felco pruning snips at Amazon.

If you have seen the tell-tale signs of perennial plants starting to lose their vigor, you want to take action. An ideal way to do this is to divide plants, and February offers an opportunity to do so in warm and milder zones.

Division in late winter or early spring is suitable for a wide range of summer-flowering perennials and perennial herbs. If the soil is workable, not frozen or waterlogged, and your plants are just starting to stir from dormancy, the window to divide plants is open. In warm or milder US hardiness zones, this can be the case in February, but gardeners in colder climates are better holding off until at least next month.

Dividing plants not only rejuvenates plants, but you get more clumps to add around the garden, and you get them for free. It is a win-win-win situation. If that sounds good to you, this guide features seven perennial plants to divide in February, along with clever tips to divide them and the best tools for the job.

1. Hosta

While the glorious ornamental foliage of hostas, which comes in a range of colors and sizes, makes them popular ground cover plants, loved by gardeners and slugs alike, the plants do need to be divided.

Hosta clumps can get congested over time, and dividing them rejuvenates the plants. So, when you grow hostas, split the clumps every four or five years. It is best to divide hostas in late winter or early spring.

Lift a large clump, then use a sharp spade or knife to split it into sections, making sure each piece has healthy buds and roots. The new divisions need to be planted quickly, whether into the ground or into containers to grow on and plant later in the year.

If you opt to plant the hosta in pots, top the potting mix with slate (you can get chippings of natural slate stone at Amazon) to prevent it from drying out. This sharp texture will also help combat slugs or snails from nibbling the new plants.

2. Daylily

Daylilies are bright, tough perennials that stun with their large trumpet or star-shaped summer flowers. Each flower may be short-lived, but daylilies can flower for weeks on end.

But the older the clump gets, the more the blooming display will decline. Therefore, to ensure the best display when growing daylilies, they need to be divided every four to five years.

To divide daylilies, dig up the clump with a garden spade or fork and shake the excess soil off. Be aware that, if you haven’t divided daylilies for many years, the clump can become a mass of fibrous roots that may be difficult to split.

A clump can be divided with a sharp spade, two forks (get a strong garden fork at Lowe’s) put back-to-back in the center, or even a pruning saw, depending on the size of the root network.

Each new section must have healthy shoots and roots. Plant the daylily as soon as possible, planting the crown a few inches deep in the soil, and cut back the foliage to around 6-8 inches to reduce moisture loss.

3. Shasta Daisy

The shasta daisy is named after Mount Shasta in California, and this reliable perennial blooms from early summer to early fall. Known predominantly for its bright white petals, there are some with yellow blooms, and there are many types of shasta daisies in different sizes and with single or double flowers.

Yes, it is a prolific bloomer, but it can’t just be neglected and expected to perform. A clump can get less vigorous over the years, and the center can get sparse. This leads to an unattractive plant with a bare center. To avoid this, dividing shasta daisies every 3-5 years keeps them attractive and healthy.

Cut back shasta daisies to around six inches from the ground to make the division easier. Dig up the plant, separate it into sections, and, if the center is dead, you can get rid of it. Plant the pieces into a sunny spot, at the same depth as they were originally planted.

Mulching around plants with organic matter is advisable to retain moisture, smother weeds, and also fertilize shasta daisies as it breaks down.

4. Phlox

Phloxes vary widely, from tall border varieties to compact ground covers. Here, we focus on border phlox, which are popular in cottage gardens and loved for their clouds of fragrant flowers that attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.

Over time, phlox can become less productive. If you grow phlox and notice fewer blooms each year or see a bare patch in the center of the clump, that's a sign it's time to divide the plants. Ideally, you should divide phlox every 2-4 years to ensure the best display season after season.

Divide plants just as the new shoots for the year are showing. Separate the clump into pieces that have a few shoots and a healthy section of roots. Plant these somewhere in a sunny spot with the crown an inch below the soil level.

An advantage of dividing phlox at this time of year is that each of your new sections should flower this coming summer. Keep the new clumps well-watered and give them a dose of essential nutrients and vitamins, using a product such as SUPERthrive from Amazon, which helps to reduce transplant shock.

5. Yarrow

Yarrow makes a great plant for pollinators; the flat umbels of flowers will attract lots of bees, butterflies, and hoverflies into any flower bed.

While blooms add height and drama, the finely cut foliage brings texture and grace. In addition, it is an easy-to-care-for perennial. Once established, it is somewhat drought-tolerant and doesn't need frequent feeding.

If yarrow starts to get a woody center or outgrows its space, an older clump can be easily rejuvenated via division. Dividing every few years keeps clumps vigorous, stops them from developing bare centers, and rewards you with new sections to plant elsewhere.

6. Chives

When you grow chives, there are many reasons to divide them. Not only do you get more chives to harvest for all your culinary needs, but it keeps clumps as productive as possible, and you get new pieces to use for companion planting.

As chives can repel many pests in a vegetable garden due to their strong aroma, planting clumps around the space can keep many unwanted visitors at bay.

Clumps of chives do spread and get congested over time. Not only can it lead to reduced vigor, but also lead to more diseases due to a lack of air circulation. It is worth dividing chives every few years for the healthiest clumps.

And, if you want more chives for your yard, dividing existing sections is quicker than growing new plants from seed.

Lift clumps of chives in late winter or early spring. It can usually be split into sections by hand or cut with a sharp hori-hori knife (get a hori-hori knife at Amazon). Plant the new pieces around the garden and water well to get them established.

7. Mint

Mint has a reputation as a vigorous grower, and for good reason. That is why the common advice is to grow mint in pots to prevent it from spreading and taking over a border.

As mint grows horizontally, putting out new stems, it can leave behind a dead center. So dividing this aromatic herb keeps the clump as vigorous as possible, so you can continue harvesting mint as much as you’d like.

If you want to propagate mint, either to expand your own collection or gift an unusual mint variety to a friend, division is a simple way to do this. The sheer simplicity of dividing mint makes it one of the plants to divide in February.

Empty the container and cut the plant into smaller sections with a pair of pruning shears, with each piece having both foliage and healthy roots. Pot each section into a container filled with potting soil, and it’ll bed down new roots quickly.

Adding more blooms to your yard stretches beyond knowing which plants to divide in February. There is also the opportunity to start both annual and perennial blooms from seed this month. To get you started, this guide to flowers to sow in February reveals seven plants you can start this month to get earlier blooms come spring and summer.

Tools for Dividing Plants

The darker days of winter are slowly making their departure and lighter evenings remind us that spring is nearly here. That's why I'm not waiting any longer to curate my list of perennial bulbs to plant in spring, to make the most of the second bulb planting window that is fast approaching.

While bulb planting is largely done in fall, there are numerous bulbs to get in the ground in the spring months, too. In fact, early spring provides an opportunity to plant some perennial bulbs you didn't quite get around to in fall. Ticking this off your spring gardening checklist will leave you with a burst of late season color in summer and fall that then returns every year.

But, where to get started? Here, I run through seven of the best perennial bulbs to plant in spring, alongside expert growing tips.

7 Perennial Bulbs to Plant in Spring

There are quite a few perennial bulbs to plant in spring, with many fall-flowering bulbs making the cut and those on the list of unusual bulbs to plant in spring.

Before choosing any of the below for your yard, familiarize yourself with your US hardiness zone and the conditions in your outdoor space (like soil type and lighting) to make sure your chosen perennials will thrive for years to come.

1. Crocosmia

• US hardiness zones: 6-9

Although technically growing from corms, crocosmia falls on the list of perennial bulbs to plant in spring, especially if you want a fiery display towards the end of summer and into early fall.

It's a beautiful clump-forming perennial with crocosmia varieties coming in a range of red, orange, and yellow hues.

With arching stems of funnel-shaped flowers, they make excellent additions to cut flower gardens and sunny borders.

When planting in spring, ensure crocosmia corms are planted at around three times their depth and 4-8 inches apart, with the pointed end facing upwards.

See the selection of crocosmia bulbs at Burpee.

2. Freesia

• US hardiness zone: 9-10

Freesia is one of the most delicate blooms, adored for its sweet fragrance and bright colors.

In cooler climates, it's quite common to plant freesia bulbs (or corms) undercover in fall, often in a greenhouse, to achieve early blooms while protecting this tender perennial from harsh winter conditions.

But, once spring comes around and the risk of frost has passed you can plant freesia bulbs directly outdoors. In this case, you can typically expect freesia blooms from mid-summer.

These plants prefer well-draining soil and a full-sun position, and the bulbs should be planted at a depth of 2 inches and 2-4 inches apart. A bulb planting tool with a depth marker (like this Miracle-Gro one from Walmart) can help you with these measurements.

They come in a wide range of colors, including white, red, yellow, pink, and purple. You can purchase a mix of freesia bulbs on Amazon for a vibrant display.

3. Nerine

• US hardiness zones: 7-10

Nerine, or Guernsey lily, is a beautiful perennial with tall stems topped with clusters of elegant blooms. It flowers in fall, making spring the optimal time for planting.

In fact, it's often best to wait to plant nerine bulbs until late spring so they can make use of the warm ground to establish roots.

It should be noted that nerines do not always bloom in the first year, as they focus on establishing, but thereafter are considered reliable bloomers and even make the list of underrated November flowers.

When planting nerine bulbs, good drainage is essential. They're also a good choice for a container garden as they enjoy being packed tightly together.

Plant nerine bulbs shallowly, with the pointed tip sitting just above surface level.

4. Bearded Iris

• US hardiness zones: 3-9

The optimal time to plant iris bulbs (technically rhizomes) is in fall, but you can often get away with planting bearded iris varieties in early spring if you didn't get a chance in fall.

When planting bearded irises in early spring (as soon as the ground becomes workable after frost), flowers may appear from late spring into early summer. Though, just like other bulbs that prefer fall planting, there is a risk of fewer blooms in the first year as they focus on establishing.

Nonetheless, iris rhizomes quickly spread, forming dense mats of abundant blooms as the years go on. That's why it's important to divide irises after flowering to avoid overcrowding.

'The key for irises is to not plant the rhizomes too deeply,' says gardening expert Laura Janney, CEO of The Inspired Garden Masterclass. 'Lay them flat and just barely cover them with soil,' she adds.

They come in a wide range of colors, from the bright red 'Bernice's Legacy' iris (rhizomes on Amazon) to the unique faded pink and purple of 'Blowing Kisses' (rhizomes on Amazon).

Explore more in Burpee's iris selection.

5. Pineapple Lily

• US hardiness zones: 7-10

Despite its name, pineapple lily (or Eucomis) is not a true lily, and its name is rather explained by its striking appearance, with tufted leaves reminiscent of a pineapple.

Eucomis blooms from late-summer to mid-fall, coming in a range of colors from green and white, to pink and deep purple, making it one of the best summer bulbs.

The white-green varieties are particularly eye-catching and unusual, like Eucomis 'Autumnalis' (which you can by bulbs of on Amazon), If you're looking for a mix of hues, this Eucomis bulb mix from Amazon is a good starter pack.

Pineapple lily bulbs benefit from being planted as soon as late frost has passed and the soil is warming up in early spring.

They do well in well-draining, fertile soil, and enjoy sun but tolerate partial shade.

You should plant bulbs at a depth of 4-6 inches and 6-8 inches apart.

6. Gladioli

• US hardiness zones: 7-10

Gladioli technically comes from a corm, rather than a bulb, but these perennials are best planted in spring (around April) for a summer display that lasts into fall.

There are so many different types of gladioli to choose for your yard, each with tall flower spikes, funnel-shaped blooms, and sword-shaped foliage.

From 'Charming Lady' (which you can find bulbs of at Burpee) with pink blooms, to 'Fiesta Orange' (bulbs from Amazon) with a yellow-orange bicolor flowers, these plants come in every color.

When planting gladioli corms, you should aim for a 4-6 inches in depth and apart.

Once gladioli finish flowering, it can be a good idea to lift and store corms because they are tender perennials and may not survive freezing winter temperatures.

7. Oriental Lily

• US hardiness zones: 5-9

While it's often preferred to plant oriental lily bulbs in fall, early spring planting is possible once frost has passed.

The one caveat is that planting lily bulbs in spring will bring a later season for these showy blooms, which have large fragrant flowers. Flowering may also be less vigorous as a result.

'I recommend to plant in clumps so you can make an impact,' says Laura Janney.

'They need full sun but don't like to get overly hot and may experience heat stress in the form of leaf scorch, so you may want to pick a spot that gets afternoon shade or have other taller plants providing some coverage,' she adds.

There are so many different varieties of oriental lilies to choose from, many with two-tone flowers and striped patterns. For example, 'Dizzy' lily (bulbs available at Burpee) has pink speckled petals and 'Garden Party' lily (bulbs available at Burpee) has yellow-striped petals.

You can also purchase a mix of oriental lily bulbs from Burpee for an impressive display.

You should plant oriental lily bulbs 6-8 inches deep, as they're larger bulbs.

FAQs

Why Haven't My Spring-Planted Bulbs Bloomed?

A lack of blooms is one of the risk that comes with spring bulb planting, especially for bulbs that prefer to be planted in fall. It could be that the bulbs didn't have sufficient cold exposure to trigger blooming or that you made a bulb planting mistake, like planting at the wrong depth. If they're perennial bulbs, they're likely to bloom in the second year, using the first to focus on establishing.

Perennials are great investment plants to add to the yard, offering returning displays and often becoming low-maintenance as they establish. When fall comes around, don't forget about the best perennials to plant in fall for spring color.

Shop Bulb Planting Essentials

Weeding is a constant chore in most yards – but the most effective way to suppress weeds isn’t chemical sprays or hours of hand-pulling. It’s growing dense, vigorous plants that naturally prevent unwanted species from taking hold. Fortunately, many native North American plants excel at exactly this, forming living mulches that outcompete weeds while supporting local ecosystems.

As a professional gardener, I’ve spent years battling nettles, dandelions and docks. Time and again, I’ve found that spreading ground covers, shrubs and perennials that fill borders are the best long-term solution, reducing bare soil and leaving little room for unwelcome plants to establish.

Here, garden experts reveal five of the best native plants to stop weeds, from low-maintenance evergreen ground covers to larger flowering shrubs. Add one or more of these to your yard this year, and you may find that weeding becomes a much quicker, and far less painful, task.

5 of the Best Native Plants to Stop Weeds

Native planting is perfectly adapted to the region where it originates. Whatever soil, climate or US hardiness zone, native plants are tough, resilient and low-maintenance options that can be relied upon.

When it comes to weed suppression, native species have an advantage, in that they are typically quick to establish and spread, and in doing so, outcompete invasive weeds.

Here are five species to consider growing this year.

1. Creeping Phlox

'Creeping phlox, or Phlox subulata, is native to the Northern Midwest regions of the US and throughout the Appalachian mountains,' says plant expert, Katie Sunderlage, who is based in Wisconsin.

In terms of how to grow phlox, Phlox subulata is remarkably versatile and can do well as far north as zone 3 and as far south as zone 9.

Creeping phlox live plants are available from Amazon.

'This is one of the best low-growing native ground cover plants to stop weeds. It has a dense, thick branching habit, perfect for keeping weeds at bay,' Katie says. 'It does very well in full sun locations. Just remember – the more sun the plant enjoys, the more flowers it will produce.

'Water weekly if rainfall is scarce to maintain evenly moist soil,' Katie says. 'Fertilizing is recommended in early spring to help promote prolific blooms. I tend to use a slow-release fertilizer that is formulated for flowering plants.

'It will grow to about 12 inches tall,' Katie says, 'so is perfect for filling borders or covering the earth under shrubs and trees. Once temperatures start to go up in summer, creeping phlox will brown and die back, only to reshoot in late summer or early fall as the mercury dips.'

2. Yarrow

'Yarrow, or Achillea millefolium, is one of the best perennials to suppress weeds,' Katie says. 'It is native to much of the US and Canada and is hardy in zones 3 to 9. In mild regions, the crown of the plant will remain evergreen even through the winter months.

'When planted en masse, yarrow offers dense foliage and roots that help combat weeds,' Katie says. 'It grows to about three feet tall and comes in a wide variety of colors, including white, yellow and pink.'

'Millie Rose Rock' and 'Cerise Queen' are two pink varieties that always help to add impact to borders. There are many different varieties to try, and live achillea plants are available from Amazon.

'In terms of how to grow this full sun ground cover plant, yarrow does best in bright, open borders and prefers well-drained soil,' Katie adds. 'To keep yarrow blooming throughout the season, deadheading and pruning is recommended.'

Shop Weeding Tools

3. Shrub Roses

Native shrub roses are a surprisingly effective way to suppress weeds, thanks to their dense, spreading growth habit and ability to quickly cover bare soil. Once established, they act as a living mulch, shading out weed seedlings before they can gain a foothold.

‘Shrub roses tend to have a dense-growing habit, which makes them excellent for suppressing weeds in garden beds,’ says Katie. ‘We have many native roses that are among the easiest to grow, including California rose, Rosa californica, which can grow down to US hardiness zone 6 in sunny, open borders.’

Some wild rose varieties can spread up to 15 feet wide, making them particularly useful as ground cover in larger spaces. Most thrive in full sun for the best flowering, though many will tolerate partial shade.

For best results, plant native shrub roses in spring or fall, avoiding the heat of summer when young plants can struggle to establish. Deep watering during the first year will encourage strong root development and help plants settle in quickly.

Mulching newly planted roses is also key while they fill out. Apply an organic mulch such as pine bark, available from Amazon, in spring or fall to further suppress weeds and retain moisture in the soil – especially helpful in the early stages of growth.

4. Golden Groundsel

Golden groundsel (Packera aurea) is a native perennial wildflower from eastern North America that works exceptionally well as a ground cover plants to stop weeds.

Ideal for naturalistic planting schemes, it spreads steadily to form a dense carpet of foliage, shading out weeds while adding seasonal color to borders and underplanting.

‘Packera aurea is one of the best native evergreen ground cover plants,’ says Carolyn Walker, plant expert and owner of Carolyn’s Shade Garden Nursery.

‘It has lush foliage and bright yellow, daisy-like blooms that flower atop three-foot stems for much of the growing season.’ Remarkably adaptable, golden groundsel thrives ‘anywhere down to zone 3 – sun or shade, rich or poor soil, wet or dry.’

Over time, its vigorous basal growth allows it to naturalize and creep outward, forming a thick green mat that suppresses unwanted plants.

Beyond its weed-blocking abilities, golden groundsel is also a standout choice for wildlife-friendly gardens. ‘The real reason to grow golden groundsel is that it is the ultimate plant for pollinators,’ Carolyn says. ‘It supports many different species of insects, bees, butterflies and birds with its nectar. Adding this to your yard is a no-brainer.’

5. California Fescue

California fescue, Festuca californica, is a fast-growing perennial grass that is native to California and Oregon. 'This ornamental silver-blue grass grows in clumps that can often reach four feet tall,' says Maya Argaman, native plant expert and Horticulture Senior Program Coordinator at the California Native Plant Society.

'Festuca californica, like many grasses, is both tolerant and resilient,' Maya says. 'It can be grown from zones 7 to 11, with a preference for loamy or clay soils.'

For the best results, grow in full sun to part shade, and water two to three times per month while it establishes. Over time, the clumps will form dense coverings in your borders and become fairly drought-tolerant.

'Whether planted as ground covers, understory plants or as statement perennials, native grasses will help to suppress weeds from growing,' Maya says. 'What's more, there are many species to consider, so you are sure to be one to suit your yard.'

Why not consider also growing Bouteloua gracilis, or blue grama grass? Seeds are available from Amazon. With wonderful seedheads in fall, blue grama is a practical and impactful option to plant this year.

If you’re dealing with an infestation of nettles or brambles, it can be tempting to reach for weed-suppressing fabric or chemical sprays. However, neither is a long-term solution – and both come with drawbacks for soil health and wildlife.

Instead, consider a natural, plant-led approach. By choosing vigorous native plants that fill borders and shade out bare soil, you can reduce weeds without plastic or chemicals. While this method requires patience and a little determination, the results are well worth the wait.

In time, your borders will look fuller and more colorful – and they’ll also become a haven for birds, mammals, bees and other pollinators drawn to your eco-friendly planting.

For more weed-suppressing ideas, see our guide on how to grow ground cover roses to help keep weeds at bay this year.

Russian sage is a statuesque perennial with violet-blue flowers. Gardeners can enjoy the fragrant foliage, and pollinators will relish the nectar-rich blooms in late summer. It is often seen in Mediterranean or drier gardens, but if you only have a small growing space, can Russian sage grow happily in pots?

The answer is yes. You can grow Russian sage in containers on a deck, patio, porch, or balcony. The plant is suitable for US hardiness zones 5-9, but will need protection during winter in colder, northern container gardens when growing in a pot.

If you aspire to grow Russian sage in containers, there are a few finer points you will need to get right to satisfy the finicky perennial. These center around Russian sage’s need for sun and dislike of wet soil, so let’s look at six factors that can make the difference between success and failure when cultivating this wonderful perennial in a pot.

Growing Russian Sage in Pots? Start With Picking the Right Plant for the Job

The best types of Russian Sage for containers are compact varieties, such as ‘Denim ‘n Lace’, which is a compact type that reaches a maximum of three feet. An even smaller option is ‘Little Spire’, which is a dwarf cultivar that grows 18 to 24 inches tall.

You can get a live ‘Denim ‘n Lace’ Russian Sage plant at Nature Hills

You can get a live ‘Little Spire’ Russian Sage plant at Nature Hills

6 Important Factors for Growing Russian Sage in Containers

Grow happy and healthy Russian sage in pots by getting these components right:

1. Choose the Right Container

Russian sage plants have sizeable roots, and that reflects the size of the container you need for them to grow happily. It is advisable to choose a large container at least 16 inches wide and deep, as this size allows the must-have perennial enough space to develop substantial roots.

However, while compact varieties can tolerate that size, you’ll need an even bigger container for larger varieties. Cultivars can grow up to six feet tall and risk toppling over when pots are too small. It may mean that pots may need to be 18-24 inches wide and deep for larger types of Russian sage.

The container can be any material, including terracotta, ceramic, plastic, metal, or wood. There are advantages to ceramic or terracotta pots, in that they are permeable and dry out quickly.

This suits Russian sage, which doesn’t tolerate soggy or waterlogged conditions. To prevent the plant from sitting in excess water, any container must have a drainage hole in the bottom to allow excess moisture to escape.

2. Use the Correct Soil

Russian sage has quite specific soil needs to consider when growing it in a container. As it dislikes sitting with wet roots for extended periods, it is highly likely to rot when planted in poorly draining soil. It means using a well-draining potting mix is vital when growing Russian sage in containers.

A good potting mix for growing Russian Sage in pots is to combine a quality soil for container gardening (like this natural premium potting mix at Burpee) with up to 30% coarse sand or perlite (get Miracle-Gro perlite at Amazon) to boost the drainage.

You should never use garden soil in pots, as it holds lots of moisture and sits far too wet for the liking of Russian Sage. This is a common container gardening mistake made by inexperienced gardeners, and something to always avoid.

3. Give Plants Enough Sun

Russian sage plants want sun and warmth to perform at their best. Place containers in a sunny spot where plants can revel in at least 6 to 8 hours of sunlight a day. It will mean the pots will need regular watering, but if you get the sunlight requirements right, the Russian sage will reward you with strong stems and lots of glorious flowers.

One caveat to consider is if your garden is in a very hot hardiness zone. In this circumstance, Russian sage may benefit from being located in a spot with afternoon shade to give it some reprieve from scorching rays.

However, in all other growing zones, full sun is critical. If you place a pot with Russian sage in a part-shade or shady spot, the stems can start to flop, and they won’t produce anywhere near as many blooms.

4. Be Careful With Watering

You do need to be careful with watering Russian sage in containers; it can be a fine line to tread. When growing in the ground, Russian sage is a drought-tolerant perennial that needs minimal watering.

While they can cope with dry conditions better than some other plants, they will need regular watering when growing in pots.

Keep a close eye on the soil and water Russian sage in pots regularly during periods of dry and hot weather.

A soil moisture meter, such as this soil moisture meter at Amazon, can be a helpful tool in judging when to water plants. A simple alternative is to use your fingers when watering plants in containers, and the sign is to water when the top two to three inches of soil feel dry.

When requiring it, give Russian sage a deep watering until it starts to run out of the drainage holes at the bottom. Do not water again until the plant needs it. Overwatering plants will cause root rot and can potentially kill Russian sage.

5. Get the Fertilizing Right

Russian sage doesn’t require lots of nutrients to put on a great display. Indeed, too much fertilizer and an excess of nutrients won’t improve the blooms. Instead, you are likely to get leggy stems and fewer blooms when you overfertilize plants.

A handful of slow-release fertilizer when planting Russian sage into a container can help the plant through its first year in the container.

You can repeat this by adding balanced and slow-release fertiliser each spring going forward, using a product like this organic all-purpose granular plant food at Burpee.

If your Russian sage looks like it needs a pick-me-up in summer, a feed with a diluted balanced liquid fertilizer (such as this Miracle-Gro organic plant food, available at Amazon) can provide a quick dose of nutrients. But don’t continue to fertilize throughout the season in the hope of better flowering – less is more for Russian sage.

6. Remember to Overwinter Plants Properly

As previously mentioned, Russian sage is hardy in zones 5-9. If you live towards the colder end of that range, there are two options available. You can grow Russian sage as an annual plant or take steps to overwinter the plant to enjoy it again the following year. The former is a bit wasteful, so I recommend caring for it over winter, especially as it is easy to do.

The simplest way to protect plants from frost is to move the containers to a sheltered, frost-free place in the garden, or bring the plants indoors and keep them in a frost-free garage or shed over winter.

Pots left outdoors for winter can be covered with mulch to protect the roots or wrapped in frost cloth for a protective layer of insulation.

You can also get protective covers for plant pots to shield the roots from cold, like these winter frost protection covers at Amazon, though you may also need to wrap the plant itself when temperatures plummet.

The containers will need to be regularly checked. The soil does not want to dry out completely, so it may need some light watering. But you don’t want to overwater them in winter, as Russian sage dislikes sitting in wet soil over cold winters.

Wherever you grow Russian sage, the plants need to be cut back at the end of each growing season. Some gardeners will do this in the fall, but I recommend holding off and cutting back Russian sage in early spring.

This is because the dried stems provide texture in a winter garden, and the seed heads are a valuable food source for birds during the winter. In late winter or early spring, take your pruning tools and cut the stems back to 6-12 inches above the ground.

The start of the year is a perfect time for garden planning. When the conditions outside may be far from desirable (which is common for many of us in January) grasp the opportunity to come up with new ideas for tweaking border or pot displays for the season ahead.

Possibly one of the best amendments you can do is to make any space more wildlife-friendly, so your garden becomes a haven for essential pollinators and beneficial insects. It needn’t be an expensive transformation, as some of the best perennials you can choose to do this with are available as bare-root plants at this time of year.

Adding a diverse range of plants for pollinators can make any garden a beacon for essential bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and moths. These pollinators will, in turn, reward you with more flowers, vegetables, and fruits throughout the growing season. If you are wondering what to plant in January, you can’t go wrong with bare-root and pollinator-friendly, easy perennials. Here we reveal seven perfect choices you can make for perennials to plant in January.

Perennials to Plant in January: What Makes Bare-Root so Great?

Bare-root perennials offer gardeners a more budget-friendly solution to buying container-grown plants from garden centers, nurseries, or online retailers.

While they won’t look like much, arriving dormant as a set of roots with just a little bit of green top growth, they are cheaper as a result, and are also a more environmentally friendly choice without a plastic pot.

Any bare-root perennials will have been grown in a field and dug up ahead of being sent out, and the roots wrapped in a protective material. They establish quickly once planted, and can last for many years in your garden.

1. Yarrow

Yarrow (also known as Achillea) is a beautiful, versatile, low-maintenance, and long-flowering perennial, available in bare-root forms, which can be planted early in the year. It is so simple to grow that it can be classed as a perennial that thrives on neglect, making it ideal even for inexperienced gardeners.

Yarrow has fern-like foliage and large, flat umbels of blooms. The shape of the flowers makes them ideal landing spots for many pollinators and beneficial insects, including bees, butterflies, and hoverflies, to visit and enjoy the pollen on offer.

The perennial comes in many colors. You can grow common yarrow (Achillea millefolium) in shades of white, cream, or yellow, while other species and cultivars offer gardeners a kaleidoscope of bright colors to pick from.

For a subtle yet beautiful addition, I like this Yarrow Crème de la Crème with cream petals and yellow centers. You can get bare-root Crème de la Crème plants at Dutch Grown to add to your flower beds.

2. Coneflower

Coneflower (also known as Echinacea) is a fantastic summer-flowering perennial with distinctive petals that are backswept from the flower’s central cone.

If you're interested in growing coneflowers, there are many different coneflower varieties available now. They come in a rainbow of colors and varying sizes, and many can be purchased bare-root in January. Plant coneflowers somewhere sunny and in fertile, well-draining soil, and they’ll thrive for years to come.

It is an excellent plant for pollinators, attracting lots of bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Plus, if you refrain from deadheading coneflowers at the end of the season, the dried seed heads make it a great native plant to feed birds during the winter months.

Smaller varieties of coneflower can make great container plants for pollinators, and this Echinacea Blueberry Cheesecake, available bare-root from Dutch Grown, is a stunning double-flowering maroon and magenta variety that grows just 20 inches tall.

3. Astrantia

Astrantia is a late summer-flowering perennial with gorgeous small flowers that have a pincushion-like center surrounded by an outer ring of longer petals. It comes in shades of white, pink, and dark red, and these long-blooming plants can flower all the way through to October with regular deadheading.

Astrantia often takes a supporting role in flower beds, but it deserves more attention as the star-shaped flowers will boost biodiversity and attract huge numbers of pollinators and beneficial insects over their long flowering season. The delicate blooms also make excellent cut flowers, which is something many growers don’t take advantage of.

This perennial is ideal for sunny and part-shade spots in the yard. I like a darker Astrantia, such as this 'Sparkling Stars Pink' Astrantia that you can get bare-root at Dutch Grown. This variety has pink outer petals surrounding a darker center.

4. Red Hot Poker

Red hot pokers, or Kniphofia, are dramatic plants with tall flower spikes made up of hundreds of individual blooms that demand attention from late spring into summer.

Different red hot poker varieties can be fiery shades of red, orange, or yellow. These blooms are rich in nectar and irresistible to bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds, who can easily find the flowers thanks to their bright color. Indeed, if you are after a show-stopping perennial to attract hummingbirds, put a red hot poker at the top of your shopping list.

Red Hot Pokers are suitable for US hardiness zones 5 to 9 and will thrive in a full sun position in the garden. If you cannot make up your mind on what color you want to grow, why not try a mix? This ‘Breeders Mix’ of bare-root kniphofia plants at Dutch Grown offers a mix of red, yellow, and orange blooms.

5. Sedum

Sedum is a wide and varied genus of perennial plants, and different varieties can be suitable for distinct uses, ranging from flower beds to rock gardens to being underrated ground cover plants.

Sedums are drought-tolerant perennial plants, and larger border types offer late summer and fall color. Sedum’s flat-topped flowers also make a convenient spot for bees, butterflies, hoverflies, moths, and other beneficial insects to land and enjoy the plant’s rich nectar. Dried sedum seed heads are also a great food source for birds in winter, so hold off cutting back sedum until the spring wherever possible.

A rarer and more unusual sedum is ‘Orange Xenox’, a hybrid of two types that transforms in color from yellow through orange and finally pink over the seasons. It also has darker foliage that stands out against the unique blooms. You can get bare-root ‘Orange Xenox’ sedum at Dutch Grown to grow in borders or container gardens.

6. Eupatorium

Eupatorium maculatum, also known as Joe Pye Weed, makes a great fall-blooming native plant to add to your wildlife garden. The large nectar-rich blooms it produces are adored by bees, butterflies, and moths, plus the seed heads make great food for birds during the colder months.

This perennial is suitable for hardiness zones 3 to 8 and likes to grow in full sun or partial shade. As a moisture-loving perennial, it is suitable for growing in rain gardens, bog gardens, or along the edges of a garden pond or stream.

Some varieties of eupatorium are giant plants that can reach up to six feet tall, but there are more compact versions so you can enjoy Joe Pye Weed in smaller yards.

This includes Eupotarium ‘Snowball’, which will grow 40-50 inches and produce clusters of white flowers that will attract pollinators and beneficial wildlife. You can get bare-root Eupotarium ‘Snowball’ plants at Dutch Grown.

7. Delphinium

The tall spikes of flowers that you get when growing delphiniums act as a beacon for bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds as they are rich in nectar and pollen, plus come in vibrant shades of blue, purple, pink, and white that insect visitors easily see.

If you want to maximize the impact the flowers can have on local wildlife, opt for single-flowered varieties of delphiniums that are easier for bees and other pollinators to access for nectar. Double-flowered types are also likely to contain less pollen and nectar than single flowers.

These classic cottage garden plants start blooming in spring, and, if you cut back delphiniums after the first flush of flowers, you’ll likely get a second set of blooms late in the summer.

You can get a bare-root purple delphinium plant at Amazon to add to your garden this month.

Do you want some more monthly gardening inspiration to go with these perennials to plant in January? Luckily, we’ve got you covered, as our in-house experts have put together in-depth guides to flowers to sow in January and vegetables to plant in January. If you wish to up your sowing and growing game this year, you’ll find expert planting advice to help you have a bountiful season of flowers and crops.

There is no disguising the fact that coleus are astounding plants for adding bright foliage and interest in often trickier, shadier spots in the garden. With leaves in vivid shades of yellow, green, red, and purple, they are sure-fire dramatic plants.

However, many gardeners are unfortunately wasteful when growing coleus. As frost-sensitive tropical plants, they are often treated as annuals and disposed of once killed by cold winter temperatures. It needn't be this way, though, as there are ways of overwintering coleus so they can be enjoyed year after year.

If you live in US hardiness zones 10+, you can enjoy coleus as a perennial plant. It is a different case for growers in cooler climates, but it is not tricky to overwinter coleus plants. They can be moved inside and grown as indoor plants for winter, or you can overwinter cuttings to go on and give a dazzling display next year. Here we reveal the best reasons to overwinter coleus and how easy it can be done.

An expert guide to overwintering coleus – which way works for you?

Yes, there is nothing wrong with treating coleus as an annual plant, enjoying the foliage and then letting it succumb to frost. But there are simple ways of overwintering coleus that save you from spending money on new plants. It is a great tactic if you have discovered a variety of underrated bedding plants that you adore, or grow a unique variety not commonly available to buy from garden centers, nurseries, or online. Let's look at the two popular methods of overwintering coleus, so you can choose the one that suits you best.

1. Overwintering coleus as a houseplant

The first option is overwintering coleus as houseplants, allowing you to enjoy their stunning foliage year-round. You may not immediately think of coleus as an indoor plant, but they do have a history of being grown as a houseplant.

On this subject, Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp, garden writer, coach, and speaker known as the Hoosier Gardener, claims: 'Coleus used to be a houseplant and is still considered a houseplant. It's a houseplant that escaped to our summer gardens years ago.'

Proper timing is important when overwintering coleus indoors. Coleus start suffering once temperatures drop below 50°F, so keep a close eye on your forecasts to move plants indoors once night-time temperatures look set to go below that mark.

It is advisable to acclimatize plants to their new indoor life. This can be achieved similarly to hardening off plants in spring, only in reverse, by moving plants from outdoors to a milder spot for a week before their final warm, protected location for winter.

Plants in containers are easy to move, but coleus in flower beds or mixed planters will need to be dug up and potted. Give all plants a good once-over to check for pests and diseases. If there are small pests such as aphids and spider mites, spray plants with insecticidal soap (such as this organic insect soap at Burpee) or a homemade bug spray of liquid soap and water to eliminate them.

A perfect location for overwintering coleus plants is warm, bright, and away from cold drafts. Lydia Beaumont, gardening expert at Gardeners' Yards, says: 'I find a sunny windowsill works best to keep them thriving. If light is an issue, then you can always use a grow light.'

As for caring for coleus indoors, Lydia adds: 'As it's winter, you don't need to water them too much, just enough to keep the soil slightly moist. In winter, most plants' growth slows down, so don't worry too much.'

Keep a close eye on watering plants in containers, and only water when the top two inches of soil feel moist. You can judge when to water plants by using your fingers or getting a soil moisture meter, such as this soil moisture meter at Amazon, which gives immediate results. There will be no need to fertilize plants indoors during the winter.

Lydia also advises cutting back coleus during winter, saying: 'Make sure that leggy stems are kept trimmed, so that the coleus stays compact and healthy. Come springtime, your coleus will be ready to return outdoors happy and healthy.'

2. Overwintering coleus by taking cuttings

The alternative way of overwintering coleus is to take plant cuttings and care for sections of plants over the colder months. It is ideal if you are short of space but still want to overwinter your favorites varieties to enjoy again next year.

As Jessica Mercer from Plant Addicts says: 'Coleus plants grow readily from cuttings, giving us an easy way to keep these lovely plants growing in our gardens from year to year.'

'It is very easy to overwinter coleus by taking a cutting and rooting it in water for a few weeks until it develops roots and then planting it in soil,' adds Kathy Jentz, editor and publisher of the award-winning Washington Gardener Magazine. 'Then treat it like any other houseplant until taking it back outside next spring after any danger of frost has passed.'

There is time to take stem cuttings from coleus in the fall and root them indoors. To propagate coleus at this time of year, take multiple 4-6-inch stem cuttings and remove all but the top set of leaves. Dip the bottom of the cutting in rooting hormone (such as this rooting hormone powder, available at Amazon) and place them in a container filled with water.

Once the cutting develops roots, which usually takes 7-10 days, pot it into an individual container filled with a potting soil for container gardening - pick a potting mix like this organic potting soil at Burpee. But don't wait too long, as Kathy Jentz warns: 'If you leave it in water too long, the water roots develop, and then it is not suitable for growing in soil, usually becoming stretched out or sickly-looking.'

Place the container on a windowsill where it can get bright, but indirect sunlight, and pinch back the shoots as they develop to encourage more branching. The new coleus can be planted outdoors in spring after the last frost.

FAQs

Can you overwinter coleus in the house?

Yes, you can overwinter coleus in a house. To keep the plant thriving overwinter inside the home, place it in a sunny spot where the coleus can bask in bright, indirect light. Coleus do need light over winter, otherwise the vibrant foliage fades, but it won't like lots of direct sunlight.

Coleus wants temperatures of 60-75°F, and to be kept away from heat sources like radiators and heating ducts, as well as fluctuating temperatures from cold drafts or ventilation systems.

The plants will benefit from misting or placing them on a pebble tray for plants to increase humidity, as indoor air in winter can be quite dry for plants. Increasing humidity for indoor plants helps keep ones from warmer climates happier when growing in the house.

Can coleus survive winter in a garage?

Coleus can potentially survive winter in a garage provided the temperature stays above 50°F and it gets enough sunlight. If there is a lack of sufficient natural sunlight, ideally at least six hours a day, you may need to use grow lights to provide enough light for the coleus to survive happily through winter.

When overwintering plants indoors, there are several common mistakes to avoid making that can risk the health of your plants.

Two classic winter houseplant care mistakes are overwatering, which can lead to root rot, and continuing to feed plants like you did during summer.

Those growing over winter only require a lower concentration of fertilizer. While plants not actively growing can suffer root burn if they are fed during winter, they are best left unfertilized until they start growing in spring.

Milkweed is famed for being an important plant for the Monarch butterfly, and it may surprise you to know that late fall is an ideal time to start perennial varieties by sowing outdoors. It does work and is a quick and easy job to attract pollinators to your garden for years to come.

As the temperatures drop and the first light frosts arrive, it might not sound like the ideal time to start growing milkweed. However, there is method in this perceived madness. As sowing in the fall mimics nature and removes one hurdle you need to overcome when planting milkweed seeds in the spring.

If you are tempted to plant milkweed seeds in the fall, this guide reveals the best varieties to sow this season, along with four super-simple sowing steps to follow. It won't take up much of your time this fall, and the results will make it all worthwhile. You'll get bright blooms that support butterflies, as well as bees, hummingbirds, and other beneficial insects.

Can you plant milkweed in the fall?

Yes, you can plant many varieties of milkweed seeds in the fall. It is a great way to grow a fantastic plant for pollinators, especially with milkweed being the only host plant for Monarch butterflies.

Their population has declined hugely over the last 20 years, making it an important time for more gardeners to consider growing milkweed for Monarch butterflies.

As fall is an ideal time to plant milkweed seeds for plants to bolster your wildlife garden next year, why not add this simple task to your fall gardening checklist and let nature do its course?

Why you should plant milkweed seeds in fall

Milkweed seeds require a period of cold stratification to exit dormancy and sprout. While many gardeners replicate nature by stratifying seeds in a refrigerator in spring when sowing seeds indoors, the beauty of planting milkweed seeds in the fall is that you can stratify the seeds naturally.

Sowing in the fall lets nature do the work for you. This is far easier than artificially mimicking nature by having seeds in a container taking up space in your refrigerator for 30 days or more (potentially up to 60 days for the best results from some varieties).

In mid-to-late fall, the soil will be cold enough to stop the seeds from germinating without the ground being frozen – this is the perfect time to sow. When planning an ideal window for planting milkweed seeds in the fall, aim for just after the first light fall frosts.

This likely means sowing seeds outdoors in mid-October for zone 5, late October for zone 6, early November for zone 7, mid-November for zone 8, and as late as early December for zone 9. Keep an eye on the local forecasts, so you sow the seeds before the first ground frosts.

However, it is not a one-size-fits-all approach for all milkweed. Not all varieties of milkweed require stratification. It is advisable to check seed packets for information on whether they need it.

If you have harvested milkweed seeds from existing plants, the typical perennial varieties that need cold stratification include common milkweed, swamp milkweed, whorled milkweed, butterfly weed, and showy milkweed. Tropical milkweed and other annual varieties do not need it.

How to plant milkweed seeds in fall – 4 simple steps

The best way to plant milkweed seeds in fall is outdoors, directly into their desired growing position.

You can sow them in pots, with a view to transplanting seedlings outdoors after they have sprouted in the spring. However, you do need to ensure the pots have drainage holes to prevent waterlogging and are protected throughout winter and spring to stop them blowing over or getting damaged.

Planting milkweed seeds outdoors in the fall can be done in the following simple steps:

1. Pick a sunny spot in your yard with well-draining soil. It can be in flower beds, mixed borders, or dedicated wildflower meadows. Clear the area of weeds, debris, and large stones, and rake the soil level before sowing.
2. Water the ground if it is dry before sowing, and let the water soak into the soil.
3. Scatter the milkweed seeds over the surface and gently rake them over to work them into the soil.
4. Cover the seeds with a thin layer of more soil or compost. Then add an inch or two of mulch, such as straw or chopped up leaves.

The seeds will quietly sit there over the winter and begin to sprout once the soil temperatures warm in the spring. Milkweed seeds tend to germinate once the soil reaches 65°F to 75°F, which you can check in spring with a soil thermometer.

The milkweed seedlings will likely need to be thinned out once they appear in spring, starting at six inches but ultimately to around 18 inches apart, so plants can reach their full size.

The exact spacing required can depend on the type of milkweed, but it is better to start small and increase over time. You can always dig up plants and move them elsewhere in your yard.

Shop milkweed seeds for fall planting

There are many other flowers you can sow in the fall, too, as you take advantage of cold snaps sparking the seeds into life come the spring. For lots of inspiration, our guide to the best flowers to sow in the fall reveals 16 seeds to plant during the season for a bounty of blooms the following year.

Asters are valuable perennials for bringing color to a garden in late summer and fall. Their star-shaped flowers come in vivid shades of purple, pink, red, white, and more, all surrounding a central yellow eye. If you adore the daisy-like flowers, you'll want to ensure you see them again next year, and thankfully, there are a few simple ways to guarantee that happens.

When you grow asters, the sun-loving plants can flower anywhere from July through to late October, depending on the variety. After this glorious blooming comes to an end, your thoughts should turn to keeping them healthy over winter so they spark into life again next year for a repeat performance.

If you have ever wondered what to do with asters in the fall, we shine a light on some tasks you should do, and others you may need to consider, depending on how you grow your asters. I have grown asters whilst working in historic public gardens in the UK for many years, and also sourced some tips from a couple of experienced gardeners to help you overwinter asters successfully.

What to do With Asters in the Fall

Asters are tough, cold-hardy perennial plants, but even the most resilient plants can do with a helping hand to keep them healthy year-round. You may not need to do much with asters in the fall to get them through winter unscathed, as what TLC they need during the season will depend on your climate, rainfall, and the state of the plants. However, the following factors are definitely worth considering:

1. Leave Them Standing

This one might ruffle a few feathers, especially among gardeners who like to regimentally tidy flower beds in the fall, but there are good reasons not to cut back asters in the fall and wait until spring instead.

Firstly, leaving the stems and foliage in situ over winter helps protect the plant's crown, providing a potentially valuable layer of insulation against winter cold and frosts. Asters are hardy down to US hardiness zone 4, depending on the variety, but in climates with cold winters, the extra insurance policy of leaving the foliage standing can keep the crown safe from harm.

The second reason is that the dried seed heads of asters provide a valuable food source for birds and pollinators during the colder months. The likes of cardinals, finches, and chickadees are all known to feed on aster seeds during winter, making it a treasured source of essential food at a tough time of year for birds.

Another reason for keeping asters standing in a wildlife garden is that the stems provide shelter for overwintering insects and invertebrates. If you need more convincing, the dried stems and seed heads provide valuable structure and interest in a winter garden.

2. Check For Diseases

Asters are susceptible to many diseases, and the fall is a good time to inspect plants and remove any diseased foliage. In an ideal world, it may mean removing a small amount of foliage, but if there is a major infection, it could potentially mean cutting the entire aster down to the ground.

Fungal diseases such as powdery mildew, leaf spot, fusarium wilt, and botrytis blight can all strike asters, often as a result of poor air circulation, wet weather, or plants being watered from above. Look out for the likes of white leaves (powdery mildew), yellow leaves (fusarium wilt or rust), fuzzy gray or brown mold (botrytis blight) or spots on leaves.

The best course of action is to remove and destroy affected leaves. Fungal spores can overwinter in plant material (even that left on the soil) to infect new growth come spring. Best practice is always to remove any infected stems or leaves with clean, sharp pruning shears and either burn them or send them to the landfill.

Never use infected material to make compost, as diseases can overwinter in the compost pile, and you end up spreading them around the garden in the future if you do make this composting mistake.

3. Water in Dry Periods

Asters don't always require regular watering to thrive, but do need to be given a drink during extended dry periods. And this need to keep an eye on when to water plants continues into the fall, especially in warmer climates.

'As fall arrives, your asters will benefit from some help to prepare them for the cooler months ahead,' says Kiersten Rankel, garden expert and botanist for the plant app Greg. 'If your local fall season is particularly dry, continue watering them and gradually reduce frequency as temperatures drop.'

Using a soil moisture meter (like this soil moisture meter, available at Amazon) is advisable to help make sensible watering decisions, as asters can sulk in overly damp or waterlogged soils, especially during winter. Water plants deeply as required, and be careful to water the soil rather than the foliage, as soaking the leaves makes the plants susceptible to powdery mildew.

4. Mulch Plants

'If you live in a very cold region, I would recommend covering the soil around the plants with a thick layer of straw mulch,' recommends Annette Hird, expert gardener at Easy Urban Gardens.

Mulching asters in fall will help to maintain moisture in the soil, insulate the plant's roots against the winter cold, and smother weeds. It offers an easy way to nourish the plant for the next growing season.

Add a layer a few inches thick around the aster in the fall, before the ground freezes. There are other types of mulch you can use, including straw, as highlighted by Annette, such as compost, leaf mold, or shredded bark.

You can get bags of sustainable straw mulch at Walmart to cover up to 100 square feet of flower beds or borders.

Spread the mulch around the plant with a shovel and rake it level, but avoid piling it over the crown or against the stems. As this mulching mistake leaves the crown at risk of rotting during winter, and can ultimately kill the plant.

5. Protect Containers

Many aster varieties can work wonderfully as part of any container garden plan. Compact plants look impressive in small pots, while taller varieties create a striking centrepiece, flanked by lower-growing plants.

In late fall, asters in containers should be moved to a frost-free location to overwinter, where they can be protected from the harshest winter cold and wet conditions. During this time, the plants will die back, so it is safe to move them to a more secluded spot where they can shelter.

Alternatively, the containers can be placed in a shed, garage, barn, cold frame, or unheated greenhouse, allowing them to remain dormant in a frost-free environment.

Check the containers every few weeks to ensure the soil doesn't dry out completely, and water sparingly as needed.

For extra protection, mulch the top of the pots with a few inches of straw or use pot covers to provide additional insulation for the roots, such as this pack of two winter pot covers at Amazon.

It is not just asters that offer tangible benefits to wildlife if left standing over winter in the garden. Many perennials offer food and shelter to birds and pollinators during the colder months if gardeners opt to leave pruning them until spring. To discover some more of these, this guide to perennials not to cut back in fall highlights seven plants that are valuable food sources to a plethora of wildlife during winter.

Shop Garden Supplies

Peonies may only have a fleeting period of flowering, but they are highly anticipated by many gardeners and are one of the crowning moments of late spring or early summer. The big, blousy blooms may be on show for just a few weeks, yet peonies require lots of TLC to keep them performing.

There can be jobs for all seasons when you grow peonies, and in the fall there are some key care and maintenance tasks you can do. The plants need cutting back and mulching to keep them healthy, while the fall also offers the ideal opportunity to move or divide peonies in your garden.

If you've ever wondered how to care for peonies in the fall, we've got you covered. This guide looks in-depth at the four key jobs you can add to your fall gardening checklist. The rewards are worth the effort; not only will your peonies survive through winter and come out strongly to put on a fantastic display next year, but you can also get new plants for free.

How to Care For Peonies in The Fall

The following recommendations are for herbaceous peonies, rather than tree peonies. When you grow tree peonies, these shrub-like plants grow up to eight feet tall and have larger flowers. Their care and maintenance differ slightly from herbaceous types (such as this Autens Pride Peony, available at Amazon), especially when it comes to pruning and propagation.

1. Cut Back the Plants

Once the peony foliage turns yellow and dies back in the fall, it is time to cut back peonies. They tend to be perennial plants to prune in October or November, depending on your climate, but you do need to wait until the foliage has completely turned yellow or brown.

The foliage may wilt after blooming, but being impatient and trimming too early is a peony pruning mistake. For the best flowering display the next year, the foliage needs as much time as possible to photosynthesize and store energy. So, peonies should be cut back in the fall, but not until the right moment.

Another important reason to prune peonies in the fall is that they are susceptible to fungal and bacterial diseases. The likes of powdery mildew, botrytis blight, and gray mold can overwinter on old plant material and then infect the new foliage in the spring. To keep peonies healthy, remove all the foliage in the fall using a pair of sharp pruning tools, such as these professional Felco 2 pruning shears at Garden Goods Direct).

You can use healthy leaves to make compost, but don't add infected leaves to your pile, as spores can overwinter in compost and then be spread to other plants.

2. Mulch with Organic Matter

Peonies can benefit from the protection that mulch offers against cold weather. The mulch insulates the roots from frost, making it an important fall maintenance task in colder climates. It also helps maintain soil moisture and reduces competition from weeds.

In addition, mulching also helps newly-planted peonies avoid succumbing to heaving, where the roots are pushed from the ground due to the repeated freezing and thawing of the soil.

The best types of mulch for peonies in the fall are compost, leaf mold, straw, or natural wood mulch, such as this organic dye-free premium mulch available at Amazon.

If you want to mulch on a budget, there are several fall mulching materials you can source for free, including leaves, homemade compost, and wood chips.

Put a layer of a few inches deep around the peony, but do not bury the crown of the plant.

3. Move Plants

Peonies can happily thrive and bloom in the same place for many years. However, if you have existing plants you feel would be better somewhere else, or if you are tweaking your backyard ideas, then the fall is the best time to transplant peonies.

The adage is that peonies do not like being moved. While they can be temperamental perennial plants, this is not always the case, provided you do it at the right time. The plants are starting to enter dormancy in late fall, so September to November is a great time to lift and transplant them.

Cut back the stems, and dig a large circle around the plant to avoid damaging the roots when you lift the peony from the ground. Take care to lift the plant with lots of soil around the root ball and relocate it into a large hole with the crown no more than an inch below the soil.

Sprinkle some bone meal around the plant, which is high in phosphorus and helps to develop roots, and give it a deep watering and mulch. You can get organic bone meal at Burpee to use to feed your transplanted peony in the fall.

The newly transplanted peony won't flower the following spring, but should start blooming the next year.

4. Divide Plants

Just as you can lift and move peonies in the fall, it is also a good time to propagate peonies by division if you want to add to your collection of plants.

In the same way as above, cut the stems to the ground and carefully lift the peony from the soil. Brushing off as much soil as possible from the rootball will help you see where the eyes (or buds) are - these are the small growths on the crown where stems emerge.

Divide the plants with a sharp spade, knife, or hori hori, making sure that any sections have at least 3-5 eyes. Replant the sections as soon as possible in a sunny spot, ensuring the crown is no more than two inches below the surface. Planting too deeply is often the culprit for peonies not blooming.

Keep the new section well-watered and, again, prepare for it not to flower the following spring.

The fall also offers an ideal window to plant peonies if you do wish to add more specimens to your garden. Both container-grown and bare-root peonies can be planted in the fall. They will have a whole growing season to fully settle in their new home and hopefully burst into bloom in their second spring.

The calla lily (Zantedeschia aethiopica) is a summer-flowering perennial with trumpet-like flowers and lush, bright green leaves. The tropical plants are popular for bringing abundant color indoors and outdoors, but, as most varieties are tender, you should winterize calla lilies to guarantee blooms year after year.

The exotic summer bulbs are frost-tender, which impacts how they want to be treated for winter. They must be lifted and stored over winter in colder climates, while growers in warmer regions can successfully overwinter calla lilies outdoors.

This guide looks at both methods in detail, plus what to do if you grow the flowers in containers. It includes all the steps you need to know to winterize calla lilies in your climate, helping you to enjoy their stunning flowers for years.

How to Winterize Calla Lilies – Two Different Methods

Your US hardiness zone impacts how you should winterize calla lilies. Whether you live in warmer or cooler climates, these are the steps to follow to overwinter plants successfully.

How to Overwinter Calla Lilies Outdoors in Warmer Climates

If you live in US hardiness zones 8 or higher, it is a simple process to winterize calla lilies outdoors in the ground. The tender rhizome can survive outdoors in climates where there are no deep freezes or long periods of snow. Providing it is a frost-free minimum of 37-40°F, they can overwinter successfully where they are.

One caveat to the above rule is your soil type. You should only winterize calla lilies outdoors in well-draining soils, as rhizomes sitting in wet soil over winter risk rotting. Even in warmer climates, if you don't have free-draining soil, it is safer to lift and overwinter tender bulbs indoors to reduce the risk of losing them to rot.

To winterize calla lilies in situ, stop watering plants in mid-fall to encourage them to enter dormancy. Once the foliage yellows and dies back, cut back the calla lily foliage to ground level and apply a four-inch thick layer of mulch to the tender plants. This mulching layer provides essential insulation to the rhizome against cold temperatures, and compost, straw, or bark are all suitable types of mulch to use.

It may depend on when exactly plants go dormant, as you want to let them completely die back before cutting and covering, but calla lilies are usually among the best tender plants to mulch in October in warmer climates, along with other bulbs such as dahlias and canna lilies.

Come spring, carefully remove the mulch from over the plants once you see the first shoots start poking through.

Shop Mulching Materials

How to Overwinter Calla Lilies Indoors in Colder Climates

Gardeners in US hardiness zones 7 or lower will have to winterize calla lilies by lifting them from the ground and overwintering them indoors. The good news is that it is not a difficult task to prepare and store the rhizomes over winter.

Follow these five steps to overwinter calla lilies indoors, and you can replant them in spring:

1. Wait until the foliage turns yellow and dies back, usually as a result of the first light frosts, and cut the leaves back to a couple of inches above the ground with a pair of clean, sharp pruning shears
2. Carefully dig up the rhizomes with a garden fork or trowel and gently remove as much soil as possible from them. Do this with a brush, but do not wash the rhizomes, as they risk rotting during storage
3. Cure the rhizomes by placing them spaced out on a tray in a dry place with temperatures of 60 to 70°F for a week. This toughens the skin and helps ensure they store successfully over winter
4. After curing, wrap the rhizomes in newspaper and place them in a paper bag filled with a little shredded paper, coco coir, peat moss, rice hulls, or vermiculite (you can get bags of professional-grade vermiculite at Walmart). Don’t let the rhizomes touch each other.
5. Place the bag in a cool, dry location that will remain around 50ºF throughout winter

Check the rhizomes monthly throughout winter and remove any that start going mushy or showing signs of rot. If the rhizomes appear shrunken due to being too dry, lightly mist the medium in the bag. You can then replant the calla lilies in spring once the risk of frost has passed.

FAQs

What to do With Potted Calla Lilies in the Fall?

If you have calla lilies in pots as part of a container garden, these plants are simple to overwinter.

Stop watering in mid-fall, once they have finished flowering, and cut the foliage down once it yellows and dies back. The rhizomes can be kept in their pots of compost in a dry and frost-free environment, such as a garage, shed, or porch.

In late winter, repot the rhizomes into fresh potting soil for container gardening and start watering to wake them from their winter dormancy.

Calla lilies multiply as the underground rhizomes naturally develop new buds and expand. You can divide plants by separating the rhizomes and cutting them into sections. As long as any section has buds, it can grow into a new plant to enjoy. You can divide calla lilies during their dormancy period, which will help prevent overcrowding that can affect the quality of the blooms.

Lavender ranks among the most popular plants for good reason. The mass of pretty purple flowers in summer, the glorious fragrance, its versatility, and how low-maintenance it can be in the right circumstances. But growing lavender isn't always a cake-walk, and things can go awry quickly if you've planted it at the wrong time of year.

Knowing when to plant lavender and when not to is important, as it helps you avoid wasting time and effort. Most gardeners know the ideal time to plant is spring, but can you plant lavender in the fall?

Well, you can and you can't, and it all depends on the type of lavender, your climate, and your soil. But we want to keep things simple and avoid any potential confusion if you want to grow lavender. Below you will find the key factors that reveal when you can plant lavender in the fall or if you should hold off until spring.

Can You Plant Lavender in the Fall? When You Can and Can't

Should you add planting lavender to your fall gardening checklist? Here's all you need to know to make the right decision…

When You Can Plant Lavender in the Fall

You can plant hardy lavender varieties in the fall, provided you can give them enough time to establish and the right conditions to prosper during the colder months. So, let's look at the parameters that need to be right for plants to cope with fall planting:

Planting hardy lavender in the fall is acceptable in climates with milder winters, namely, US hardiness zones 7 to 10. In these zones, the lavender can take advantage of the warm soil, cool air, and seasonal rainfall to help plants settle in their new home.

The plants need at least six weeks between planting and the first hard frost for your region to have sufficient time to develop strong roots, which are crucial to the plant's chances of surviving winter.

As well as the type and climate, another key aspect of whether you can plant lavender in the fall is your soil type. Lavender needs well-draining soil and dislikes sitting with wet roots for long periods, so it can only be planted in the fall into ground that won't hold onto lots of water over winter.

If you have well-draining soil or can improve the drainage of your ground sufficiently by adding organic matter, grit, or coarse sand, lavender can be planted in the fall. You may struggle to winterize lavender successfully in a heavy soil that retains winter moisture.

When Not to Plant Lavender in the Fall

So, if you can in zones 7-10, can you plant lavender in the fall in US hardiness zones 6 and below? Well, the answer is no. Unfortunately, planting lavender in the fall is not recommended in areas with extreme winters, such as places with early frosts, deep freezes and extended periods of snow.

Even hardy lavender plants will not cope with harsh winters coming quickly after planting, as it takes time for plants to establish and reach their full hardiness. Gardeners in such climates are best planting in spring, so their lavender can get a full season to establish strong roots and reach full hardiness potential.

As outlined above, it is very risky to plant lavender in the fall if you have heavier soils that sit wet during winter. It would be a lavender-growing mistake to plant any young specimens in cold and wet soils, where they will be highly vulnerable to root rot in winter.

If you planted lavender seeds earlier in the year and have not got around to putting the plants outdoors yet, what can you expect to do with them in the fall if planting them outside is risky?

You can grow the lavender in pots indoors over winter, or keep the young plants in containers protected in a greenhouse or cold frame during the colder months. Growing lavender indoors means a lovely fragrance that can help provide stress relief, and it also repels house pests due to its strong smell.

FAQs

Is September Too Late to Plant Lavender?

September can be a good time to plant hardy lavender. The soil is warm from summer, and plants will have sufficient weeks to grow roots before the first hard frost. Regularly water plants to help them get established, and consider mulching around them with organic matter to retain moisture in the soil, smother weeds, and insulate the roots over winter.

Can You Plant Lavender in October?

If you live in milder climates and can give hardy lavender plants at least six weeks to establish before the first hard frost for your area, you can plant lavender in October. It is also dependent on whether you have well-draining soil. Planting in October is generally limited to just those in US hardiness zones 7-10.

If you ever have concerns about whether your lavender plants will survive winter, a safe contingency plan is to propagate lavender by taking cuttings. You can take softwood cuttings in spring and early summer, or hardwood cuttings in late fall. Softwood cuttings are the quicker of the two methods, but both are reliable methods of propagating lavender plants.

This guide on how to propagate lavender reveals the steps to follow for both methods, so you can take plant cuttings with confidence and get new plants for free.

Astilbe is a stunning perennial to brighten up often-tricky, shadier spots in the garden. With the right care, astilbe plants can last for many years, so it pays to understand how to care for astilbe in the fall to help it survive winter and put on a show the following year.

There are hundreds of cultivars of the summer-flowering perennial to pick from that are fully hardy in US hardiness zones 4-8. But just because they can tolerate cold, it doesn't mean they should just be neglected after flowering. When you grow astilbe, it only takes a few key maintenance tasks in the fall to help keep plants healthy and flowering to their full potential.

If you want to learn how to care for astilbe in the fall, there are four important jobs to remember. Among them, one is for either fall or spring, and another is only required at least every three years. It means astilbe fall care is super-simple and highly recommended.

What to do With Astilbe in The Fall

This guide on how to care for astilbe in the fall highlights four tasks, giving the reasons to do them along with a few expert tips to carry them out successfully. They are not all mandatory, and there may be exceptions due to weather or personal preferences, but the following jobs are all worth considering:

1. To Cut Back Or Not to Cut Back

There is no hard-and-fast rule for whether you should cut back astilbe in the fall or not. You can opt to prune astilbe in the fall, the spring, or do a bit of both. The route you take may depend on your gardening style or the condition of the plant, and there is no absolute right or wrong.

Firstly, let's start with opting to cut back astilbe in the fall. This helps to tidy the garden, which appeals to those who like neat flower beds over winter, and removes any debris that may harbor diseases. For example, astilbe is susceptible to powdery mildew that can overwinter on infected plant material, so it is best to add cutting back to your fall gardening checklist if your astilbe suffers from this fungal problem.

Another consideration is that the dry flower stalks can make good additions to arrangements, and removing old stems will also prevent the plant from self-seeding around the garden. So, there is the option of removing the stems and then cutting back the rest of the plant in the spring.

However, many gardeners prefer to enjoy the benefits of not cutting back at all until spring. This is because the astilbe seedheads look attractive and provide winter garden interest, while the stalks and foliage provide food and habitat for wildlife during the colder months.

2. Keep Watering Until the Frosts

Astilbe prefers moisture. Watering is especially vital during the flowering season, but continuing to water into the fall helps the plants stay strong into winter. Therefore, it is recommended to continue watering plants, as required, all the way through until the first frosts for your location.

The plants will require less watering than during the peak summer months, and natural rainfall will often suffice in the fall. However, if you have a warm fall or a lack of rain, keep a close eye on when to water plants.

Maksim Kazakou, resident botany expert at Plantum, claims astilbe 'thrives in wet soils' so requires regular watering when planted in 'regular' soil. He adds: 'If it hasn't rained for a while and the soil is dry, provide your plant with sufficient watering in the fall. This is a must for successful overwintering because this plant needs moist soil to survive winter.'

Give them an occasional deep watering, and the plants will remain healthy. Watering in the fall means strong and healthy roots, and wet soil is also beneficial as it stores more heat than dry soil. A soil moisture meter, like this one available at Amazon, can help to reveal when watering is required.

3. Mulch Plants to Keep Them Healthy

To keep astilbe healthy and protected for winter, mulch around plants in the fall with a two-inch layer of organic matter. Mulching helps by retaining vital moisture in the soil during fall and winter. This valuable layer also suppresses weeds and helps to boost soil nutrients as it breaks down.

The best types of mulch to use around astilbe are compost, well-rotted manure, leaf mold, shredded leaves and bark chippings. All of these mulches will insulate the plant's roots during the winter months, helping your astilbe survive winter and grow strongly in the spring.

Spread a 2-4 inch layer of mulch onto your flowers before the soil freezes, but avoid the mulching mistake of burying a plant's crown. This can lead to excess moisture trapped in the crown, causing rot or leaving the plant susceptible to disease. Always leaves at least a two-inch gap around the crown of perennials, or the stems of woody plants.

You can get bags of pine bark mulch at Walmart to spread in the fall, produced from northern pine and spruce trees.

4. Divide Clumps Every Few Years

While not a job to do every fall, dividing plants is recommended to be done every three or four years. As astilbe is a vigorous grower, the clump can become congested, which affects flowering and also leaves plants more susceptible to powdery mildew.

To keep astilbe healthy and blooming its best year after year, lifting and dividing plants helps rejuvenate clumps, plus there is the bonus that you get new plants for free to add to your flower beds or containers.

Another core reason to divide is that astilbe plants often rise in the ground over the years, which puts them in potential danger. 'Over time, the upper part of the plant's rhizome rises above the ground, which makes its buds prone to freezing,' warns Maksim Kazakou, adding that dividing and transplanting astilbe every few years keeps plants safe from harm.

The best time to divide plants is after flowering. The fall is an ideal time to do the task as the soil is warm and moist, and there is time to develop new roots before the frosts. If you miss the fall window, the other recommended time is early spring, when new growth starts to appear.

When it comes to how to divide plants, it can be done in the following steps:

1. Use a spade or garden fork to dig around the astilbe and carefully lift it from the soil.
2. Shake off as much soil as possible – this helps you get a good look at the plant
3. Divide the clump into sections with a spade or knife. You can divide astilbe into several sections, provided each one has healthy shoots and roots
4. Replant the new sections as quickly as possible in a part-shade spot
5. Water well, and continue to water as required to prevent the soil from drying out

FAQs

Will Astilbe Come Back Next Year?

Astilbe is a hardy perennial plant that dies back in the winter and starts growing again the following year. Astilbe can tolerate temperatures as low as -30°F, depending on the variety, making them hardy to US hardiness zone 4.

Will Astilbes Spread?

Astilbe plants will spread slowly over time through their underground rhizomes. They are not aggressive or invasive plants, but do benefit from large clumps being divided every few years to keep them as productive as possible.

Many trees, shrubs, and perennial plants can do with some TLC in the fall, even those known to be hardy. For more inspiration for the coming weeks, this guide to what to do with viburnums in the fall reveals the key tasks necessary to keep the popular shrubs healthy through the winter, and beyond.

Shop Tools For Fall Gardening

Lily of the valley, Convallaria majalis, is a fragrant, spring-flowering perennial. While its white, bell-shaped blooms are pretty, and it can make a ground cover plant for often-trickier shadier spots, its tough and aggressive nature often makes it troublesome.

The plant is renowned for spreading and has led to it being black-listed in certain areas, so it is best to check local advice before planting. If you already grow lily of the valley, prepare for it to spread, and its growth habit will lead to overcrowded clumps that need dividing to perform at their best.

Understanding when and how to transplant lily of the valley helps you retain the plant, keep it looking its best, and control it. This guide reveals when to transplant and how to do it in four simple steps. If you divide lily of the valley, you can replant sections in a container sunk into the soil to limit its spread.

Can you transplant lily of the valley?

You can transplant lily of the valley if you want to prevent overcrowding. However, exercising caution is worth repeating, as its notoriety for spreading has led this popular plant to be classed as invasive in some states due to its aggressive growth.

Before planting lily of the valley or dividing plants to add to your garden, always check whether it is an invasive species in your area. To mitigate any potential risks, consider less aggressive varieties or limit the spread by planting in containers or sunken pots.

If you plan to transplant lily of the valley, here are the best times to do the task and some pointers to keep you on the right track.

When to transplant lily of the valley

As the plants spread profusely, it can lead to overcrowded clumps that compete amongst themselves for nutrients, water, and light. Overall, this can lead to weak growth and fewer blooms on the clump.

Whether you divide plants to replant or merely discard unwanted sections, lily of the valley is best divided every three to five years to keep it healthy and performing at its best.

If you are dividing plants to expand your collection or want to move a clump, then when is the best time to transplant lily of the valley?

The ideal time is in the fall, as the conditions are suited for recovering from the stress of being lifted, divided, and replanted. As Michael Clarke, an experienced horticulturist and founder of Yardwork, explains: 'Cool temperatures and fall rains help the transplants establish roots before winter.

'You can also divide in early spring, just as new growth appears and the plant has energy to bounce back. You want to avoid dividing during the summer because it stresses the plant and reduces flowering.'

If you are planning when to divide plants, choose around four to six weeks before your first hard frost. This gives the lily of the valley sufficient time to develop roots before the winter cold arrives.

How to transplant lily of the valley in 4 simple steps

Transplanting lily of the valley is a simple job for any fall gardening checklist, and you do not need lots of garden tools. The task can be done with a sharp spade or fork and a pair of gardening gloves. The gloves are essential, as lily of the valley has toxins that can irritate the skin when handled.

1. Carefully dig up the clump with a fork or spade. Dig at least four inches away from the plant and circle it so you can lever the clump out of the ground.
2. Separate the clump into sections. Michael Clarke recommends ‘looking for sections with healthy roots and at least 1–2 pips (also known as rhizomes)’. He adds: ‘Gently pull them apart by hand or cut them with a clean tool and replant them immediately.’
3. Replant the new sections in a shaded area. Lily of the valley wants rich soil amended with compost or well-rotted manure. The spacing varies from 4-6 inches apart for individual or a small number of pips to one foot apart for larger clumps.
4. Water the newly planted clumps thoroughly, and regularly check to water plants as required until they are established.

FAQs

Can I transplant lily of the valley in the spring?

Yes, you can transplant lily of the valley in the spring. The ideal time is after the last frost for your climate, and just as the plant starts to grow in early spring. Early spring is a great time to transplant clumps, as they have sufficient time to establish a strong root network before the warmth of summer.

Can you transplant lily of the valley in the summer?

It is not advisable to transplant lily of the valley in the summer. Doing this during the hottest part of the year stresses the clump, and you will need to water the plant lots to prevent it from drying out in summer. If a lily of the valley is encroaching on other, more cherished plants during the summer, you can easily dig out and remove unwanted sections.

There are many alternatives to lily of the valley if you want to add spring-flowering perennials to your backyard ideas. The likes of erythronium, wood anemone, and tiarella can bring beauty in the spring without the dangers of spreading aggressively.

Shop for tools to transplant lily of the valley

Watching the plants in my yard change color ignites an excitement for the cozy fall days ahead. One of the greatest joys is spotting a plant in beautiful fiery and bronze hues that I didn't expect to see, previously disguised with luscious green leaves and neutral blooms.

These unexpected plants for fall color are some real gems to have in your fall garden. Not only do they dazzle with their bright foliage in the latter half of the year, they also provide interest earlier in the year, too, often with spring and summer blooms.

Alongside the best plants for fall color, these unexpected plants for fall color can create a vibrant garden landscape for this chillier season. Here, I take a look at five top choices, plus reveal some expert tips on growing them successfully.

5 unexpected plants for fall color

Unexpected plants for fall color can be found in all corners of the garden, from towering trees to fall flowers for pots, and even grasses. All of them go through a magnificent transition as summer ends, turning red, orange, yellow, and bronze.

1. Sassafras

With yellow-green leaves through spring and summer, you would never assume sassafras would turn into a mixture of orange, red, and even purple colors by the time fall comes around.

It's distinctive lobed leaves and lemon-scented spring blooms also make it attractive in the warmer months. By late fall, this tree even turns into one of the best trees and shrubs for fall berries, with dark blue berries emerging.

It's best to grow sassafras across US hardiness zone 4 to zone 9 where it enjoys full sun to partial shade.

'A well-draining, clay, slightly acidic soil type is recommended,' says Plantum plant expert Marina Prokaten.

'The sassafras can grow multiple trunks, so if that doesn’t suit you, you can reduce it to one by pruning in the early stages of its life,' she adds.

Do this by using essential pruning tools (like these bypass pruning shears Amazon) to remove suckers at the base of the tree during early spring.

You can find a young sassafras tree to plant from Amazon.

2. Japanese forest grass

One of the best ornamental grasses for winter, Japanese forest grass goes through a beautiful phase in fall before reaching its golden brown look for winter.

In summer, the mounding clumps of grass are yellow-green and often have creamy variegation. As fall settles in, the blades of the grass turn bright yellow and orange, with sprays of pale green flowers.

When growing Japanese forest grass, choose a partial shade position and maintain evenly moist soil. They are best suited to US hardiness zone 5 to zone 9.

Hold off on pruning until early spring to make the most of the bronze foliage through fall and winter. You can then use tools like these loppers from Amazon to cut it right back to the base.

Shop for Japanese forest grass at Nature Hills.

3. Spirea

If you're looking to fill in gaps of your fall borders, consider adding spirea (suited to US hardiness zone 3 to zone 9). These shrubs are popular not only for the beautiful fiery shades they turn in fall, but also the blooms that appear in summer.

'You can get blooms in shades of white, pink, and red, and they are all very popular with pollinators,' says Drew Swainston, Homes & Gardens' Gardens Content Editor.

'Some spirea varieties also have glorious fall color. The likes of Bridal Wreath Spirea (Spiraea prunifolia), Birchleaf Spirea (Spiraea betulifolia), and Japanese Spirea (Spiraea japonica) all turn stunning shades of yellow, red, or orange come the fall,' he adds.

Explore the spirea varieties available on Amazon.

Drew notes these shrubs are low-maintenance and easy to care for once established in your yard.

'Give spirea a good mulch in the fall with organic material like compost, wood chips, or pine needles,' Drew advises. 'This 2-3 inch layer will retain moisture in the soil, suppress weeds, and insulate the roots against the winter frosts.'

4. Arkansas blue star

With dainty blue star-shaped flowers on show from late spring to summer, Arkansas blue star is certainly one of the best unexpected plants for fall color.

It's wispy foliage transitions from vivid green to bright yellow and orange in fall, appearing like a fuzzy sponge from a distance.

It's best to grow Arkansas blue star across US hardiness zones 4 to 9. It prefers a well-draining soil, even growing well in sand and loam soil types.

They tend to stop flowering by early summer, which is when you should prune Arkansas blue star by six to eight inches. This will boost foliage growth through the rest of summer, creating a bushier habit for fall and winter.

Find an Arkansas blue star live plant from Amazon.

5. Blue leadwort

When blue leadwort (plumbargo) blooms first appear in summer, they sit against a background of green foliage. But, as the colder temperatures arrive, the leaves become a marbled red-green.

What's particularly remarkable about the look of blue leadwort in fall is the fact its blue flowers remain right through October. This creates a striking contrast to the red foliage that turns richer as the weeks progress.

This long flowering period makes blue leadwort one of the best flowering shrubs, along with its low-maintenance nature. It doesn't even need deadheading, as the flowers are self-cleaning and drop off once spent.

To achieve the best fall color, plant blue leadwort in well-draining soil. Too-wet can cause rot, resulting in the foliage drooping, curling, and falling off before it has a chance to turn red.

Find a blue leadwort plant from Amazon.

FAQs

Is October a good time to plant trees and shrubs?

Yes, October is a great month to add new trees and shrubs to your yard. This is because the soil is still warm and workable, encouraging root establishment ahead of frostier temperatures. For immediate impact, consider planting shrubs and trees for fall color this month.

One of the best things about adding new plants to your yard is watching how they change throughout the year, surprising you with different colors in different seasons.

For an extra hit of fall foliage galore, check out our report on the Farmers' Almanac peak fall foliage map to find out where to go to see the best colors this season.

Verbena is a showstopper in any garden. Its long-lasting flowers put on a show from late spring through to the first frosts, attracting lots of birds and pollinators over the course of a season. It is understandable why this perennial is so popular with gardeners, who can divide verbena in spring or fall to expand their number of plants for free.

There are many species of verbena suitable for US hardiness zones 8-11 that gardeners can choose between, with most offering the benefits of being low-maintenance and drought-tolerant once established. However, over time, these clumps can become overcrowded and require rejuvenation by division.

Rejuvenating older clumps is not the only reason to divide if you grow verbena. The task is also perfect if you are renovating flower beds in your garden and want new plants for free, or you want to give verbena to family or friends. Whatever the reason, we explain the best times of year to do the task and reveal the easy-to-follow steps you need to know to divide verbena.

Dividing verbena in the fall

If you want to boost your verbena collection, there are three potential ways to make the dream a reality. You can take verbena cuttings, grow verbena from seed, or divide existing clumps.

To divide verbena for new plants to add to your backyard ideas, or to give away, you need to know how and when to divide plants. So let's kick off with the best time of year to do it.

When to divide verbena

There are two windows in which you should divide verbena, spring and fall. Either after flowering, and before the winter colds arrive, or before the plant starts growing in spring, and after the frosts, are the perfect times to divide spring and summer-flowering perennials.

Perennials are just starting to break their dormancy in March to May, depending on your climate, and actively grow quickly at this stage of the season. The plants are full of vigorous energy, which helps plants recover from the stress of division and speedily establish roots.

Dividing verbena in the fall allows you to take advantage of the warmth that is in the soil after summer, along with the regular rain at that time of year. You can divide verbena in September or October; however, the plants need 4-6 weeks to develop roots before the first ground frost, so whether you divide may depend on your US hardiness zone.

If you live in a colder climate or have particularly wet falls and heavy soil types, then it may be preferable to divide verbena in the spring. Gardeners in cooler climates that can give plants enough time post-flowering to grow roots can take advantage of the opportunity to divide verbena in the fall and get flowers from late spring the following year.

It is never advisable to divide verbena in winter or summer. It places lots of extra stress on the plant and reduces its chance of success. Winter division means the plant is likely to succumb to cold, while dividing in summer places lots of pressure on regularly watering plants to stop them drying out.

To make life easier for yourself and the plants, stick to the ideal windows and divide verbena in spring or fall.

How to divide verbena in 5 simple steps

When dividing verbena, it is important to have the right gardening tools and to ensure they are sharp and clean. Sharp tools will make cleaner cuts, and sanitized tools reduce the risk of spreading disease around the garden.

Typically, a spade is the go-to tool for dividing plants, and you can sharpen a spade with a file or a sharpening stone to make it perfect for the task.

With your tools at hand, you can divide verbena in the following simple steps:

1. Carefully dig up the plant - work your way around the clump with a spade or garden fork, taking care not to damage the roots, and gently lift the verbena out of the ground.
2. Remove the soil - to help you get a good look at the root network and identify how many potential divisions you can get from the clump.
3. Divide the clump - use a sharp spade, garden knife, hori-hori knife, or two forks back-to-back to separate the root ball into pieces. All sections must have healthy stems and roots.
4. Replant sections as soon as possible - getting the pieces back into the soil quickly reduces stress and prevents the roots from drying out. You can put the sections in a bucket of water to keep them hydrated, but it is always best to move quickly. Plant the verbena in a sunny spot with well-draining soil, and with the crown at the same level as the original plant.
5. Water the plants deeply – to ensure the new plants get established quickly, give them a deep watering and remember to check plants so they don't dry out over the coming weeks.

To help boost your chances of success, consider using a soil moisture meter, available at Amazon, to see when the soil is drying out and needs watering. You may also give divided plants a light feed with a balanced fertilizer, or bone meal, which can help them develop roots and shoots, such as this organic bone meal, available at Burpee.

Shop for tools to divide verbena

FAQs

Can you transplant Verbena bonariensis in the fall?

Verbena bonariensis is a popular verbena variety that grows around six feet and is topped with small purple flowers. They bloom in summer and fall, and are great plants for pollinators.

If you want to transplant the perennial, it can be done in the fall. A transplanted verbena will need watering and mulching to protect the roots from winter colds. If you live in climates with cold winters, it is better to transplant Verbena bonariensis in spring.

These plants do self-seed, too, and spring is a better time to transplant seedlings than fall.

Verbena is renowned for being a self-seeding flower, and you may discover lots of new plants popping up in spring after the plant spreads its seeds in the fall. There are two ways to deal with this: either deadhead verbena regularly to stop it from forming seeds, or dig up the seedlings as you spot them if you don't want more verbena in your flower beds.

If you want to expand the collection of your best-performing perennials, fall is a great time to do it. Dividing perennials is a quick and easy way to get multiple new plants from one clump, and for free. And there is a fantastic choice for perennials to divide in October – great news if you have any of the following in your yard.

The flowering of older, congested clumps of perennials declines over time. Dividing plants every few years rejuvenates them, and the reward is better displays. As splitting and transplanting perennials can stress them, the warm, moist soil in the fall is ideal for them to settle and put down roots before the cold winter weather arrives.

If you want to add dividing plants to your fall gardening checklist, we reveal some of the best perennials you can choose in October. These spring and summer-flowering plants are ideal for the task this month, and we take a close look at how to divide plants so you have new clumps to add to your garden and stunning flowering displays for years to come.

Perennials to divide in October

Knowing when to divide plants makes sure you don't risk the health of your perennials by doing so at the wrong time of year. The best times for division are fall and spring, and you don't want to do the task during the coldest or warmest seasons. As mentioned, the soil is warm and moist in the fall. However, if you have particularly cold or wet falls, or you want to split more tender plants, it is advisable to wait until spring.

1. Hostas

You can divide hostas in the spring or fall, but the moist soils and regular rains of fall often mean that newly-divided clumps will need little watering. It is recommended that you divide hostas every four to five years. Whether in the ground or hostas in pots, the method remains the same.

Carefully dig up the clumps and remove as much soil as possible. You can divide the clumps by cutting downwards through the crown with a sharp knife or garden knife, or by separating smaller sections by hand. Your choice of tool will likely depend on the size of the clump.

Any new section needs to have at least one eye and roots, but the larger the section, the more likely it will be successful and grow quickly. Remove any damaged sections and dead leaves, then replant the new clumps quickly at their original depth and water deeply.

2. Daylilies

Daylilies, also known as Hemerocallis, grow in tightly-packed clumps and are best divided every three to five years. This ensures a great display of vibrant blooms, while not dividing daylilies will mean diminishing displays year after year as the clump fights amongst itself for water and nutrients in the soil.

Gently lever the clump out of the soil, and remove as much soil as possible so you can get a good look at the fibrous root system. Use a sharp spade, gardening knife, or two forks back-to-back to separate the clump into smaller divisions, each of which needs three fans (or stems) and a good set of roots.

Store the divided sections in a bucket of water until ready to plant. When you do put them in the ground, which is best done quickly, plant the daylilies so the crown is an inch or two under the surface. Cut back the daylily foliage to around six inches in height, and keep the new transplants well-watered.

3. Crocosmia

The fiery displays of crocosmia can ignite a summer bed, but overly congested clumps will disappoint. If your crocosmia is not blooming to its former glory, it may be that it needs to be divided. Not only will you have new clumps for free, but your favorite crocosmia varieties will be back to their best.

To keep the plants performing well, you should divide crocosmia at least every three years. In the fall, after flowering, is an ideal time to do this.

Gently dig up the clump and shake off as much soil as possible. You can pull apart crocosmia corms by hand, without the need for a sharp spade or knife, as with other perennials.

Separate and replant the top two corns attached to the stem, which are the most vigorous. Plant them two or three inches deep, with the pointed end upwards, in a sunny spot. Crocosmia can grow in shade, but plants perform best in full sun.

4. Peonies

Peonies have a short yet spectacular flowering season. While they don't require regular splitting, like many other perennials, dividing can be a way of propagating peonies if you want more of any particular variety, or if a plant has gotten too large for its space.

Fall is the best time to divide and transplant peonies, provided they can get four weeks of growing in their new home before you get any hard frosts. Peonies divided in the fall are capable of flowering in spring, but it will be a small-scale show, and it can take a few years to get to full strength.

Cut back the peony foliage in fall, before carefully digging up the clump and removing the soil from around the roots. Using a sharp spade or knife, cut the peony into sections, ensuring each one has at least three healthy eyes. To be safe, aim for each to have 5-8 eyes.

Plant the sections quickly with the eyes no more than an inch deep in the soil. Planting peonies too deeply is usually the cause of a plant not flowering.

5. Astilbe

Astilbe is a great full or part-shade perennial, able to bring some height, drama, and pops of color to darker spaces in the garden. The plants prefer shade and can scorch when growing in too much sun.

When you grow astilbe, they are low-maintenance but do benefit from being divided every three or four years. The clump can get large and overcrowded, which affects blooming and also leaves the plant more susceptible to powdery mildew.

Divide the plant after it has finished flowering. Start by giving it a good watering, unless it has rained in the day or two prior, and then dig around the plant to lift it from the soil. Shake off the excess soil and separate it into new sections, either by hand or with a spade or knife, aiming to get between three and five sections from one clump.

6. Black-eyed Susan

Black-eyed Susans, also known as rudbeckias, are reliable flowers and produce bright swaths of yellow, orange, or bronze blooms that attract birds, hummingbirds, and butterflies.

An issue that comes with their profuseness is that they are also prolific self-seeding flowers. As a result, things can get very crowded, and the flower bed can become a battleground for soil and nutrients.

Digging up and separating sections in the fall after flowering gives plants room to breathe, plus you get more clumps to plant in other areas of the garden.

Firstly, cut back the Black-eyed Susan in the fall. Then lift the clump carefully, remove the soil, and cut it into sections with your sharp spade or knife. Plant the new clumps as soon as possible in a sunny spot, ideally one that receives at least six hours of sunlight a day.

7. Hardy Geranium

When you grow and care for hardy geraniums, they are prolific plants that spread quickly.

This fast-spreading nature can leave them overcrowded. Often, the center of the clump is left looking bare compared to the edges, which remain covered in flowers. This scenario isn't ideal for any hardy geranium varieties, so you can avoid this happening by dividing the plants every 3-5 years to control their size, keep your geraniums blooming at their best, and get new plants to add to your garden.

After flowering and before the first hard frosts is the ideal time to divide hardy geraniums; otherwise, it is a job to add to your spring gardening checklist. Dig up the clump and separate it into pieces with a sharp tool.

You can get several divisions from one large clump, and each must have healthy shoots and roots to be successful. Each of these sections is best replanted straight away, planted with the crown sitting at soil level.

A good watering is essential, and a feed with a handful of bone meal will help promote strong root development. You can get organic bone meal at Burpee to use when replanting divided perennials.

Shop the tools professional gardeners use to divide perennials

Not all plants are suitable for dividing, so take care and do some research before choosing perennials to divide in October. Check this guide to plants you should never divide, which features some popular perennials you risk losing altogether if you attempt to lift, divide, and transplant them.

If you are disappointed by how your hardy geraniums are flowering, or the clumps are going bare in the middle, then it is time to divide and rejuvenate them. This easy task can solve problems with poor flowering, and you get new plants for free.

You can divide hardy geraniums in the fall or spring, and it is a maintenance job best done every few years. When working at the world-famous Hidcote Manor Garden in the Cotswolds, I was involved in dividing many clumps of hardy geraniums as part of a redevelopment of the planting beds in the Pillars garden room.

If you are growing hardy geraniums and don’t regularly divide your plants, you are missing out on the benefits on offer. Here is what I learned about dividing hardy geraniums over my years as a professional gardener, plus some extra tips from a botany expert to help you successfully divide your plants.

When to divide hardy geraniums

Dividing hardy geraniums can be done during two specific windows of the growing season. Whether you choose to do it in the fall or spring is up to you, but it is an important part of caring for the perennials and a recommended way to keep geraniums blooming at their best for longer.

Hardy geraniums spread over the years, developing into larger clumps. However, their rapid growth can cause clumps to become overcrowded, often resulting in the centre of the clumps appearing bare compared to the edges. This is unappealing to the eye and will likely attract unwanted attention in any flower beds.

This common issue can be countered by remembering to divide hardy geraniums every 3-5 years. It can revitalize hardy geraniums, control the size of clumps, and encourage the strongest blooms. Plus, it gives you new flowering perennials to add to your backyard ideas for free.

'The best time to divide hardy geraniums is in late fall, after they finish flowering but before severe frosts harden the soil,' claims Nastya Vasylchyshyna, resident botany expert at Plantum. Dividing hardy geraniums in fall – they do make ideal perennials to divide in September – gives the plants time to bed down roots in their new home before winter.

If you miss the window to divide hardy geraniums post-flowering, or prefer to add the job to your spring gardening checklist, then you can divide clumps before they start actively growing in early spring.

The truth is that you can divide hardy geraniums anytime from early spring to early summer, but the earlier you do the task, the better. Dividing in spring means less watering is required to get the new clumps established, plus you will definitely get blooms in their first year.

How to divide hardy geraniums

Dividing hardy geraniums can be quickly and easily done with some common garden tools, including a sharp shovel, garden knife, or hori hori knife. Ensure any tools are clean and sharp before undertaking the task, which guarantees they make clean cuts through the rootball.

Dividing plants can be done both in the fall and the spring by following these simple steps:

1. Carefully dig the soil around the clump and gently pull the geranium out of the soil
2. Use your sharp tool to divide the clump into pieces, ensuring that each section has both roots and shoots
3. Replant the sections as soon as possible, with the crown at soil level, and thoroughly water to settle them into the soil

It is always best practice to plant the sections immediately after dividing hardy geraniums, but if it is not possible, you can store them for a short time, provided the roots don’t dry out.

'If you can't plant them right after dividing, put all the parts together and water the soil ball or wrap the roots in a wet towel to prevent them from drying out. If you need to keep them like this for 2–3 days or longer, regularly check to ensure the roots stay moist,' recommends Nastya.

'However, it's better to avoid such a delay, so I recommend dividing geranium clumps only when you can plant them immediately.'

Newly-divided hardy geraniums will benefit from a handful of bone meal added to the soil before replanting the divisions. You can get organic bone meal at Burpee; it is slow-release and rich in phosphorus to promote the development of strong roots.

You can divide many perennials and shrubs to revitalize older plants and get new ones for free to add to your garden. However, some plants don’t respond well to being divided. Before you head out to split anything in your yard, check that they don’t feature in this guide to plants you should never divide, or you could risk losing them forever.

The best tools for dividing hardy geraniums

Ornamental grasses are often undervalued as part of landscapes, but offer a lot in the background without demanding the attention of more showy counterparts in beds or borders. If you want to add drama to your yard, September is an ideal time to plant ornamental grasses from cooler climates.

So, why plant ornamental grasses in September? Let's consider what they contribute. Grasses add texture, colour, and movement, and they are low-maintenance. Sounds good, yes. Plus, early fall is a perfect time to plant them, as the soil is warm and moist, giving them enough time to settle and establish roots before winter.

So, if this has piqued your interest, we reveal some fabulous ornamental grasses to plant in September that'll give you stunning beauty in flower beds and provide long seasons of interest

1. Deschampsia cespitosa 'Goldtau'

Deschampsia, or tufted hair grass, can grow in a wide range of soil types, including heavier soils and damp sites. There are many species of Deschampsia; however, the two main types for backyards are Deschampsia cespitosa and Deschampsia flexuosa.

Of those, the former always impresses with stiff leaves and arching sprays of masses of cloud-like flowers that dance in the light. It thrives in full sun or light shade, and can be a drought-tolerant plant once established.

This Deschampsia cespitosa 'Goldtau' at Amazon is great for landscaping with ornamental grasses. This compact, evergreen tufted hair grass reaches three feet tall, has mid-green leaves that develop to golden brown, and silvery plumes of flowers.

2. Festuca glauca 'Elijah Blue'

Festuca grasses, commonly referred to as fescues, are low-growing plants in shades of grey-green or blue. Native to Europe, they offer a unique, striking shades that work well for the front edges of borders or winter planters.

In particular, blue fescue grasses reach 8-12 inches and make distinctive ground cover plants when planted en masse. Hardy in US hardiness zones 4-10, they want 6-8 hours of sunlight per day for the blue shade of foliage. The color is best in the sun, and they will turn greyer in the shade.

You can get 'Elijah Blue' fescue grasses at Walmart to add distinctive ice-blue narrow leaves to any landscape. Whether you want to add something unique to your flower beds or rock garden, plant it in full sun and fertile, well-drained soil.

Some varieties of Festuca, including Festuca arundinacea and Festuca rubra, are considered invasive plants in the US. However, blue fescue grasses are not on the invasive list.

3. Helictotrichon sempervirens

Helictotrichon, or oatgrass, is a genus of grasses native to Africa and North America. One of the most charming and popular species is Helictotrichon sempervirens, commonly known as blue oat grass.

It is another grass that can add blue shades to any space, but offers a larger alternative to blue fescue grass. Helictotrichon sempervirens reach up to five feet with arching blue-purple flowers on tall stems rising out of clumps of blue leaves.

However, if you are after a more compact version, the modern cultivar of Sapphire Blue Oat Grass (Helictotrichon sempervirens 'Sapphire') might fit the bill. This variety reaches only two feet and offers the opportunity for a stunning deer-resistant plant that makes quite an impact as ground cover. Or you can grow the grass in containers for a dramatic effect in small spaces.

You can get live Helictotrichon sempervirens 'Sapphire' plants at Nature Hills.

4. Calamagrostis 'Karl Foerster'

Calamagrostis, also known as feather reed grass, is one of the finest ornamental grasses for winter interest as it continues to stand tall and impressive in the yard throughout the colder months, adding structure and movement to any bed.

These deciduous grasses can reach six feet, depending on the variety, and have fluffy flower heads that form in midsummer on tall, thin stems. The stems and flowers all take on a glorious golden hue in the fall.

Calamagrostis Karl Foerster is one of the most popular ornamental grasses worldwide. Named after a German plantsman, they have heavier seed heads than other calamagrostis, which increases their sway in the breeze, as the plants add height and movement to any bed.

You can purchase live plants of Calamagrostis Karl Foerster at Amazon to grow in US hardiness zones 4-9.

5. Hakonechloa macra

Japanese forest grass, or Hakonechloa macra, is a slow-growing ornamental grass with bright foliage and lime-green flowers that appear in midsummer, before the leaves change to reddish in the fall.

If you are looking for edging ideas or plants to line a garden path, Japanese forest grass offers a stylish option. But it is versatile and can also impress when paired with shrubs or grown as part of container gardening ideas.

For something a bit different, you can buy Hakonechloa macra 'All Gold' live plants at Amazon, which offer alternative yellow variegated foliage rather than the live green leaves of other varieties.

6. Pennsylvania sedge

Sedges are grasses in the Carex genus and include many native grasses to North America. It includes Pennsylvania sedge (Carex pensylvanica), which can be grown as a low ground cover carpet or as an alternative to a lawn.

It is a low-maintenance, drought-tolerant plant that reaches just 6-12 inches tall and spreads by rhizomes, and will even happily grow in the shade.

Whether you are part of the anti-lawn movement and seeking a wilder alternative to traditional turf grasses, or seeking a low-growing grass to edge borders or paths, then why not consider Pennsylvania sedge?

You can get live Pennsylvania sedge plants at Amazon to plant in partial-sun or shade in US hardiness zones 3-8.

7. Stipa tenuissima

Stipa is a genus of grasses also known as feather grass or needle grass. They are evergreen or deciduous varieties of stipa, but all are hardy, versatile, and attractive grasses.

The stipa flowerheads are airy and oat-like, standing strong into the colder months, where they look beautiful, tinged with frost – making them fine ornamental grasses for winter interest.

A particular favorite is Stipa tenuissima, aka Mexican feather grass. Reaching two feet tall and wide, it is a compact grass ideal for smaller borders or large containers, where it will impress with wispy yellow-green leaves and silvery-green flowers.

You can get a Pony Tails Mexican Feather Grass from Nature Hills to grow in sunny spots throughout US hardiness zones 6-10.

It is important to note that Mexican feather grass is considered invasive in California, so check with your local extension office before planting.

If you are looking for some more planting inspiration for your fall gardening checklist, our guide to perennials to plant in September features seven great options that will provide you with glorious spring blooms.

If you have a smaller space, we've got you covered too, with this guide to plants to add to pots in September.

There’s something odd and beautiful about Dodecatheon, or shooting star, with unusual petals flung back like they’re caught in the wind. They remind me of cyclamen or erythronium in shape and form.

Native to North America, these dainty blooms are pretty hardy, usually forming clumps of rosettes and throwing up their flower stalks in early spring. In the right spot – somewhere a little shady and with moist soil – they should naturalize without any need for intervention from you.

So, if you’re after a new perennial but fancy something that your next-door neighbor won't have in their yard, not just another hosta or fern, I’d give Dodecatheon a go. Here, one expert plant expert from Wisconsin reveals why she loves this native species, and the tips of the trade to ensure they spread across your plot.

How to grow shooting star

These part-shade perennials are native to North America, growing in damp environments such as alpine meadows and moist prairies. There are many different species and varieties, ranging from white to pink to purple.

Growing habits for shooting star

'Shooting star is a hardy woodland plant that can be grown from zone 4 plus,' says plant expert, Katie Sunderlage.

Shooting star seeds are available from Amazon.

'The simplest way to grow them? From Seed,' Katie continues. 'I would do this in the fall to allow time for root development.

'The seeds need light to germinate successfully, so it’s important to sow them right on the surface of the soil. A great method to use is mixing seeds with sand and scattering them throughout the planting area.

'Choose a location in part sun, avoiding the hot afternoon sun, and well-drained soil. It is also crucial to water well after seeds are sown and continue regular watering throughout the sprouting season, keeping the soil moist but not saturated.

'Once established, Dodecatheons are generally very low maintenance, and you should be enjoying a carpet of delicate blooms for the years to come.'

Care guide for shooting star

Soil: Shooting star plants tend to do best in damp, fertile soil. I would avoid growing them or scattering seed in dry, rocky or poor soils, to avoid disappointment. Instead, opt for woodland-like borders. 'Some mulching around plants to help retain moisture,' Katie advises, 'and keep your soil in good condition.' Try using something like this organic mulch from Back to the Roots, available now via Walmart.

Light: Part-shade is best for these short-lived perennials, ideally in the dappled light under a shrub or tree. While you can try deep shade, chances are their growth will be very slow.

Watering: Shooting star plants need consistently moist soil to thrive. 'Watering during drought times is necessary to maintain overall health,' Katie says. 'Ideally, supplemental watering won't be necessary as the soil will retain moisture in a damp bed.'

Fertilizing: 'Mulching will feed and nourish the soil with organic matter,' Katie says, 'and other than that, I would not advise any supplemental feeding.'

Pruning: No pruning or deadheading is required for this species. Allow plants to set seed so that they spread across the yard. Any yellow or brown leaves can be removed in early spring to tidy up, too.

Toxicity: They are generally not considered toxic for either humans or pets.

FAQs

Can I grow shooting star in pots?

I would not recommend growing shooting star in pots, simply because this perennial has a short season. So, once the spring blooms have been and gone, you will be left staring at pots with rosettes of green leaves, and little else. So, keep them in borders where you can combine them with successor perennials to continue the colorful show.

'Since shooting star plants tend to start dying back when temperatures start to rise in spring, it’s good to choose companion plants that require the same general needs but will also help fill in the gap once this plant is dormant,' says Katie.

'Some great options are wild geranium, woodland phlox, ferns and trillium, all of which like a damp, shadier spot.'

For more inspiration, see our guide on the best plants for under trees, and fill your yard with joyful perennials.

Shop flower garden accessories

I’ve grown several varieties of phlox over the years, but one border in South Wales really sticks in my mind. A private garden with a vast romantic border that brimmed with cottage garden favorites – delphinium, rose, campanula – and in among them, drifts of phlox.

There was one called Phlox paniculata ‘Blue Paradise’, which grew to about three feet, with deep violet-blue flowers that seemed to glow when the light hit them. While I have grown many, I think this might be the ultimate tall phlox I have grown, and can't recommend it enough.

And while phlox are often grown in borders – they do like room to spread – I’ve found they can do just fine in pots too, so long as the container is large enough (some can grow up to three or even five feet). So, if you want to try these long-flowering perennials in containers, here’s everything I know about how to grow phlox in pots.

How to grow phlox in pots

Learning how to grow phlox in pots is a good option for small gardens or balconies. And, not only do these perennials add height and structure to displays, but they can go on flowering right through to the first frost. Given a little support (to fend off high winds), I have seen phlox flowers stand right up until November.

Caring for phlox in pots

There are many different Phlox spp., including low-growing creeping phlox. For pots, however, you want to use something with height and shape, so I suggest Phlox paniculata, otherwise known as garden phlox or border phlox.

Phlox paniculata is native to North America and is hardy down to zone 4, and is ideal for use in pots and containers. Reaching up to three or four feet, I know that this species can survive tough and cold winters without any additional care, so it is ideal for low-maintenance container gardeners.

Choose a pot that is a good size, at least 14 or 16 inches in diameter, to avoid any top-heavy tumbles towards the latter end of summer and fall.

Try these rustic pots, available from Amazon, which would work well when planted with phlox.

Then, use a good-quality potting mix combined with a few generous handfuls of horticultural grit or perlite to ensure that water moves through the pot with ease.

In terms of placement, full sun is best for phlox. You’ll get stronger stems and more flowers this way. That said, I’ve grown phlox in a spot that only got morning light, and it still bloomed, just with fewer flowers.

For a Barbie-pink flowering option, try this Phlox paniculata 'Volcano', with live plants available via Amazon.

Ongoing maintenance for phlox in pots

Deep watering through the spring and summer is a good idea for phlox in pots, ideally giving them a good soaking once every few days (or even every day, if the weather is extreme).

Phlox will also benefit from feeding. I tend to apply a tomato feed every couple of weeks through the summer – something like this organic tomato feed from Walmart.

You’ll also want to deadhead regularly to keep those flower stems coming. Use clean, sharp pruners to snip back spent blooms just above a leaf node. This often triggers a second flush, particularly in early fall.

Finally, make sure you support and stake your pots. As they are taller perennials, even a gentle wind can topple stems. Try these plant supports available from Amazon, which will help to keep your phlox upright in the fall.

FAQs

Do I need to repot phlox?

Yes, repot phlox every couple of years, ideally in early spring. I usually lift the plant, shake off as much old compost as possible, and repot into fresh soil with some added grit. If the roots look cramped or the center of the plant seems woody, it’s a good moment to divide the clump.

In my experience, you shouldn't need to winterize your phlox pots. They are tough and hardy, and should be able to tolerate snow and frost just fine.

That being said, you can group containers together near the house for the darker and colder months of the year. This will create a microclimate that keeps them a little warmer, ideal in colder regions.

For more patio inspiration, see our guide on how to grow hummingbird mint in pots, and fill your yard with color this year.

Shop flower accessories

Cardoons (Cynara cardunculus) are also known as artichoke thistles, and they are unique double-whammy additions to any space. Not only do plants offer spectacular architectural beauty, but they are also edible, with cardoon leaf stalks being popular in Mediterranean cuisine.

If you are looking for a striking plant for any flower bed, look no further than the cardoon. Reaching six feet in height, these herbaceous plants have silver-grey spiny leaves and tall flower stalks topped with thistle-like flowers, which attract pollinators.

You can grow cardoons as an annual or perennial, depending on your location, for a harvest of tender stems with a mild artichoke flavour. There is a skill to achieving the perfect harvest, which we’ll share here, along with tips for growing cardoon from seed and caring for plants throughout the season.

How to grow cardoons – a quick word of warning

There are many positive reasons for growing cardoons, as they are not only striking and bold additions to a space but also provide a harvest.

Growing cardoons is also an excellent choice for any wildlife garden, as their nectar-rich blooms attract a large number of bees and butterflies. They are also deer-resistant and rabbit-repellent plants due to their spiny foliage.

However, cardoons do self-seed in ideal growing conditions, which has led them to be classified as invasive plants in the warm climates of Argentina, Australia, and California. Check the status of cardoons for your location before planting or sowing.

Where to grow cardoons – planting tips

Cardoon can be grown as a perennial in US hardiness zones 7-10. Ashleigh Smith from True Leaf Market explains that 'cardoon is not a cold-hardy crop', but this does not mean it is not possible to grow in cooler climates.

'It should be grown where winters are mild, as this perennial is native to the western and central Mediterranean,' she adds. 'In cooler zones, it may still be grown as an annual with proper planning.'

Growing the plant as an annual means you get the large stalks and foliage, but not the thistle-like blooms, as the growing season isn’t long enough. However, you do still get the harvest of leaf stalks.

'Growing cardoon is simple and easy when done under the right growing conditions,' adds Ashleigh. 'Cardoon requires full sun and warm weather to thrive. Grow in a location with well-drained soil and room to spread up to 4-5 feet.'

An ideal place to grow cardoon will get at least six hours of daily sunlight. The plant will tolerate partial shade but won’t grow as impressively. It will thrive in fertile, well-draining soil types, supplemented with the addition of compost or well-rotted manure.

How to grow cardoons from seed

You can find young cardoon transplants in garden centers or online to plant directly into the garden after the last frosts for your climate. Alternatively, a more budget-friendly way to get plants is to grow cardoon from seed.

Start seeds indoors 4-6 weeks before your final frost, sowing the small seeds a quarter-inch deep into small pots filled with quality potting mix. The seeds will germinate well at 70-80°F in a greenhouse or on a warm windowsill, provided the soil is kept consistently moist.

The seedlings need indirect light, and lots of it, so consider using grow lights to supplement natural light and prevent leggy seedlings. Harden off the young plants and transplant seedlings outside into the garden after the frosts, spacing each at least 24 inches apart.

How to grow cardoons – care tips

• Watering - When growing cardoons, it is important to keep the soil evenly moist, especially while the plant is establishing. When mature, a cardoon can be quite a drought-tolerant plant thanks to its long taproot. However, they benefit from regular deep watering during dry periods to ensure you have tender stalks to harvest. A lack of moisture causes stress, which in turn leads to pithy stalks. Mulching around plants with organic matter helps to retain moisture in the soil and provides nutrients.
• Feeding - The addition of compost before planting helps supply lots of nutrients. When growing cardoons as perennials, or in the absence of compost, apply a balanced fertilizer each spring to promote healthy growth at the start of the growing season. Supplemental feeding can be done with a nitrogen-rich feed (such as this NitroGreen water-soluble fertilizer at Amazon) every few weeks during the season, which will encourage lush foliage and stalks to harvest. Additional feeds throughout the growing season are especially beneficial in poorer soils.
• Staking - Cardoons can reach six feet tall. Taller varieties will require staking to prevent them from flopping, especially when laden with the large flower heads that can make them top-heavy. Providing sturdy supports is especially important in windy sites, as the plants are liable to fall over. Put stakes in place when the plants are young, such as these heavy-duty metal plant supports at Walmart, and loosely tie the stalks as the plant grows with soft materials, like this soft and flexible garden tie also at Walmart.
• Pruning - Ashleigh Smith from True Leaf Market recommends pruning cardoons to maintain the plant’s 'attractive vase shape'. She advises: 'Remove the older leaves from the base of the plant as they age. The leaves may simply be snapped off or trimmed with pruning shears.' As new growth emerges from the center, old foliage is liable to cover the ground and smother nearby plants. Removing it keeps the plant shapely and healthy and also prevents it from covering other plants. Taking time to prune off spent flower heads also prevents cardoons from self-seeding and spreading. Perennial plants will die back during winter, and you should cut the debris to around 12 inches from the ground.
• Overwintering - In zones 7-10, cardoons can overwinter by mulching the plant to protect the roots from any winter colds. 'When grown in cooler regions, try pruning the plant to about a foot tall and covering it with soil or compost to protect it from the cold winter conditions,' adds Ashleigh. 'Uncover in the spring. If it successfully survives, you may enjoy its thistle blooms in the second year.'

How to harvest cardoons

Cardoons are harvested for their leaf stalks. These stalks need to be blanched for 4-6 weeks ahead of harvesting to make them more tender and flavorful. This can be easily done once the plant reaches three feet tall by tying a bunch of leaves together or wrapping stems with cloth or burlap to exclude light.

In late fall, cut the blanched stalks near the base with a sharp knife. Discard the tougher outer stalks and keep the tender, inner ones. Cardoon stalks can be stored in a refrigerator for 1-2 weeks and do need to be cooked before eating.

FAQs

Should I deadhead cardoons?

Deadheading is advisable when growing cardoons. The seed heads can offer an architectural look and provide food for birds during winter. However, deadheading them tidies up the plant and limits the plant's self-seeding around the garden.

Can you transplant cardoons?

You can transplant cardoons when growing them as perennial plants, and the best time to divide plants and move them is in early spring.

There is often some confusion between cardoons and globe artichokes. The two plants have a similar appearance, but the main difference between them is which part is harvested for cooking. For cardoons, it is the stalks that are picked. But when you grow artichokes, you harvest the immature flower buds.

Hedge plants really shouldn't be an afterthought. While they might be a little unglamorous or less showy than dahlias or poppies or peonies, hedge plants are the backbone of any garden, typically marking the perimeter of a yard. This should not be wasted space, and can in fact be a lush green canopy to offer privacy and security.

The good news is that there are many hedge plants that thrive on neglect, meaning they require little input from you, but still deliver in terms of foliage, flowers and structure. Take hawthorn, for example, which I have grown and cared for in gardens across both Italy and the UK. This low-maintenance species has spring blooms, dense green cover for much of the year, and often houses nesting birds – a real doer in the yard. A simple prune once or twice a year is all it takes to keep this hedge plant in check.

So, if you’re looking for one or two low-maintenance hedge plants that are tough, hardy and don't mind being ignored, this list is for you. The following five species are ones I have grown in different gardens during my professional career, and I know they require little but give a lot.

5 hedge plants that thrive on neglect

When landscaping with hedge plants, always remember to pick plants that are suited to your region, soil, climate and US hardiness zone. While many of these hedge shrubs that thrive on neglect are tough and hardy, it is important to identify relevant species for your yard.

And, always remember to be mindful of invasive hedge plants to avoid, as what can be grown happily in one region can be aggressive and invasive in another.

Here are five hedge plants that thrive on neglect that I have grown as a professional gardener.

1. Hawthorn

Crataegus spp. are a wide-ranging group also known as hawthorns. One of the most popular species is Crataegus monogyna, or the common hawthorn, which is a shrub or tree with red berries that makes for the perfect low-maintenance hedge plant.

Common hawthorn seeds can be ordered via Amazon.

I have grown and cared for hawthorn hedges in many London gardens, where it can be relied on to bloom brilliantly in spring with delicate white flowers, before going on to produce red berries from September onwards.

They tend to be hardy down to zone 3, and can thrive in a range of soil and lighting situations. Just be warned, in shady yards, they can become quite leggy in their search for light.

Once established, you won't need to water or feed them. Simply prune hawthorn trees during the dormant season, in winter or early spring, but they shouldn't require too much trimming; just a foot or so off the top each February or March will keep them compact.

When pruning hawthorn, I would suggest using something like these strong, thornproof gardening gloves, available now via Walmart. Believe me, the thorns are rather unforgiving.

2. Yew

Hardy down to zone 4, yew is one of the easiest evergreen shrubs to use as a hedge plant. It has a moderate growth rate, usually around 10 inches or so each year, with the new growth appearing lighter in color than the darker shade of older stems.

I have cared for yew in more gardens than I can recall, but never once did it require watering or feeding. It is perhaps the ultimate evergreen shrub that thrives on neglect.

Live yew starter plants can be ordered now via Walmart.

And, the good news is that yews respond remarkably well to pruning. So, if you want a neat, perfectly straight hedge, that is just fine. Or, if you prefer a wave-like organic shape, it can be done. I also quite like a loose, natural yew hedge, which provides year-round interest and cover for wildlife.

Just remember that all parts of yew are poisonous, so it is best to wear gloves when handling.

3. Firethorn

Pyracantha, or firethorn, is an underrated hedge plant that not only provides evergreen cover but also produces vibrant berries during fall. Flower and berry production will be improved if grown in full sun, but they will also do just fine in part shade.

Live firethorn shrubs can be ordered via Walmart.

And, what's more, this tough shrub (hardy down to zone 6) doesn't need much care at all. In reality, once planted, it will grow just fine without supplemental water or feed.

A word of caution, however. Firethorn species can be vigorous, and these plants with thorns and spines are problematic in certain states.

For example, the Pyracantha coccinea, or the scarlet firethorn, is considered an invasive plant in Texas. So, always do your homework before purchasing.

4. Beach rose

If you are seeking flowering hedge ideas, you won't find much better (or easier to grow) than Rosa rugosa. Otherwise known as the beach rose, this dense and bushy species is native to Asia, popular with gardeners for its pink blooms.

It can be grown down to zone 3, and will literally take anything thrown at it. Salt air? Sandy soil? Part-shade? Rosa rugosa will thrive. So, if you want hedge plants that thrive on neglect, this is one flowering shrub to consider.

And, if you need any more convincing, this is also one of the best roses for rosehips in fall and winter, ideal for providing interest in your yard during the darker months of the year.

Live Rosa Rugosa plants can be ordered now via Amazon.

5. St. John's wort

Hypericum prolificum, otherwise known as the shrubby St John's wort, is a tough, resilient plant, ideal for a low hedge at the front of any yard.

Native to North America, this species doesn't tend to grow any taller than four feet tall and wide, but would make for a bushy but compact hedge that is not short on color, producing masses of yellow flowers throughout the growing season.

It is hardy down to zone 4, and will thrive in most soil and light conditions, although in shady yards it might not produce many blooms.

And, maxxing out at this height means that you create a hedge barrier that provides screening and privacy, but one that requires little maintenance, needing no water, feed or pruning most years.

Live St John's Wort shrubs can be ordered now via Nature Hills.

If you are seeking another native plant option, try growing Ilex glabra, or the inkberry shrub, which is a North American species that can be grown as a low-maintenance perimeter plant. Live inkberry shrubs can be ordered via Amazon.

For more inspiration, see our guide to some of the other best hedging plants.

Shop hedge plants

If you're on the prowl for container gardening ideas, then you are thoroughly spoilt for choice. Most plants thrive in pots, and although there are some bulbs you should never plant in pots, like Sicilian honey garlic and crown imperial fritillaries, on the whole, most perennial plants will live a very happy, albeit restricted, life in a pot.

As ever with gardening, there are a few exceptions to the rule. There are a handful of plants that will, at best, throw a tantrum if planted in a pot, and at worst, perish and die. Some perennials simply do not thrive in confined environments. Plants that prefer a deeper, cooler root run are off the list, and if you're a forgetful waterer, so too are those that require constant moisture levels.

Here we shine a light on six plants you should never grow in pots.

Wisteria

I adore wisteria and grow it against my garden wall here in London, waiting with bated breath each year for it to throw out its beautifully fragrant purple flowers.

If you're wondering how to grow wisteria in pots, then know this: it can be done, but your wisteria will live a far happier life in the ground, if it is possible for you to do so.

Wisteria vines are vigorous growers and can produce extensive root networks, so you will likely find your wisteria vine outgrows its pot every few years, requiring you to buy a larger and larger pot every couple of years to keep your wisteria plant alive.

What's more, wisterias don't need feeding when grown in the ground; they find it easy to access the nutrients they need. Though when grown in pots, you must regularly fertilize wisteria vines, adding an extra cost.

Astilbe

Astilbe, often referred to as 'False goat's beard', is one of those incredibly rare full shade perennials that delivers color to dark, dank corners of the garden.

Fantastic for shade-drenched beds, underplanting trees, and filling those gaps where simply nothing else seems to grow, astilbe can be relied upon to deliver great plumes of flowers even in the gloomiest of spots.

Though if you are looking for some of the best shade plants for growing in pots, maybe you're keeping your eyes peeled for the best plants for a shaded balcony or to squeeze into a shadowy courtyard, then be wary of astilbe, since its near constant thirst levels make it very difficult to please when housed in containers.

Astilbe thrives in consistently moist soil and requires ample watering. A moment's inattention, and container-grown astilbe plants will throw a tantrum from lack of water and will perish remarkably fast. Unless you are someone who can water astilbe religiously, it is best in a damp, shady flower border that retains water far better than a pot.

Eryngium

As forementioned, among the perennials you should never grow in pots include those that have a deep root system. Eryngiums fall into this category. A superb architectural plant with seedheads almost more beautiful than the flowers.

Happily, eryngiums can thrive almost anywhere and are extremely tolerant of poor and sandy soils, and since they require little watering, they're well-suited for drought-tolerant planting schemes. So far, they're sounding pretty suitable for container gardening.

However, whilst eryngiums might grow well initially in a pot, they will only reach their full potential when allowed to grow with a deep taproot. The height and spread of the plants will be stunted by living their restricted lives in a pot, and will need a large area to grow properly.

English Ivy

Very few perennials grow quite as ferociously as English Ivy (Hedera helix). It's quite the aggressive grower and climbs and spreads as much as possible, and since it's self-clinging, there's no need for man-made support - if it sees a surface, it will grow on it.

This habit has its merits, making it one of the best ground cover plants and fantastic for hiding outside pipes or covering a wall.

Initially, ivy may seem well-suited for growing in containers, since it has adventitious roots (roots that grow from the stems instead of below the soil). Although it's worth bearing in mind that ivy grows astonishingly fast, and once adult growth has established, it will begin to take over and engulf your container, and all surrounding containers in its leafy green foliage if left unchecked.

Even with regular haircuts, ivy grows too fast for a container space, so from an aesthetic perspective, and to save you the constant headache of keeping it contained to a small area, it is best planted in the ground.

Delphiniums

There are so many beautiful types of delphiniums, each as impressively tall as the next. They always look dashingly handsome as a back-of-border plant, but be wary if you plan on planting them in pots.

Tenielle Jordison, Gardens Content Editor at Homes & Gardens, urges gardeners to plant delphiniums in a flower bed and not in pots. 'Their roots don't do well with being disturbed, so having to repot your delphiniums if they outgrow a container is risky,' she explains.

'They also don't do well with restricted space. In the ground, delphinium plants can establish a much more settled, robust root system for stronger growth year-on-year. Not only this, but the height of delphiniums makes them susceptible to being knocked over in the wind, especially in pots. Planting them in the ground adds stability, especially when paired with a plant support.'

Shop garden essentials for potted plants

If you are restricted to growing any of these plants in pots, and still want to give it a go, be sure to stock up on these top rated container gardening must-haves:

Rest assured, though, that there are many other plants that will thrive, even prefer life in a pot, where it can be pampered and cossetted.

Though, if you are willing to tolerate the idiocrasies of these six plants, then by all means do attempt to grow them in a pot, just don't say we didn't warn you.

Sweet William, or Dianthus barbatus, are the ultimate cottage garden plant. A riot of pinks, whites, purples and reds with charming, old-fashioned blooms. In recent years, I have been a little obsessed with the 'Nigricens' group, which produces stems of solid purple-brown (almost black) blooms. Grown in a pot with something punchy like Viola ‘Tiger Eye’, this sweet William is hard to beat.

While all sweet William varieties are low-maintenance and relatively easy to grow, a little deadheading can go a long way in terms of longevity and keeping your borders and pots in good shape. Spending five minutes trimming every few days can really make all the difference, in my experience.

So, if you know how to grow sweet William but want some advice on trimming the blooms, you have come to the right place. Here's everything I know about how to deadhead sweet William.

Is it necessary to deadhead sweet William?

Whatever varieties of sweet William you enjoy, deadheading is an important job to add to your summer gardening checklist. Not only will it keep your yard looking good, but you can squeeze out as many new flowering stems as possible, sometimes right through until September and October.

If you enjoy bubblegum pink blooms, try this 'Baby Doll' sweet William variety, with seeds now available to order from Amazon.

When and how to deadhead sweet William

Sweet Williams can be grown in most regions and US hardiness zones, regardless of climate. They can either be sown as biennials, meaning they will flower the following year, or picked up from garden stores and treated as an annual that will last only until the first frost.

Deadheading dianthus and sweet Williams is one of those easy garden tasks that can have a big payoff. Once those first domes of flowers start to go over, usually around early summer, when the petals are dropping or browning, that is a good time to snip.

Doing so will hopefully coax the plant to keep going, often giving you a second, slightly smaller flush of flowers later in the season.

I tend to deadhead sweet William in borders and in pots, especially if I’ve gone to the trouble of pairing it with other cottage garden plants in containers, as you want to keep things looking neat and tidy.

Use something like these highly rated Felco F2 pruners, available from Amazon, which will easily cut through flower stems. Cut green stems down to the base of the plant, which should encourage new flowers to shoot.

Of course, you can leave these fading flowers to stand, but if you want to encourage more flowers, it is a good idea to trim these stems earlier in the summer.

If you’re lucky, the plant will push out new stems, giving you a second flush. Not always guaranteed, but definitely possible, especially if the summer’s been mild or you’ve kept your plants well-watered and fed.

For feeding, I would suggest a bloom booster or an organic tomato feed, like this fertilizer from Dr Earth, available from Amazon now.

Once we reach late summer, however, that is the point I would suggest leaving the faded flowers in place.

With any luck, these stalks will produce seeds you can collect and sow for next year's displays. So, from September onwards, it is probably best to stop deadheading and enjoy the end of the growing season.

FAQs

Can you compost trimmed sweet William stems?

Yes, all sweet William flowers, stems and leaves can be added to your compost heap. This green waste will quickly break down, just be sure to snip longer stems up into small bits (no more than a few inches), which will help with the composting rate.

While sweet Williams are tough plants, during hot summers, it can help to complete some deep watering as well as deadheading, which should boost flower production for as long as possible.

For more yard maintenance inspiration, see our guide on deadheading agapanthus, to keep your borders looking good late into the fall months.

Shop deadheading kit

Listen carefully at this time of year, and you will hear a great many of us gardeners whispering that fall is the most important season in the gardening calendar. It truly is. It is the perfect time to sow hardy annuals, and bed in new plants, giving them plenty of time to establish their roots in the soil before next spring.

The soil is still warm, but easy to dig. And from a practical standpoint, it’s also a lot easier to garden for longer periods of time when the weather is less extreme.

I tend to pick one focus area of my garden to work on in fall, and this year it’s what I’m deeming the ‘hero bed’ right next to our new patio. Over the summer we cleared it of brambles, woody rhododendrons, overgrown laurels and ground ivy. It’s now ready to become a stunning focal point in the yard, and I want to invest in spectacular, beautiful perennial plants to give it an enduringly professional look with color all year round. Here are my top five picks.

The plants I’m shopping this fall, plus a few I will happily leave at the garden center

As with any yard, your plant choices will come down to a number of factors, and understanding your soil and how much sunlight your bed of choice gets will be key to the success of your new plants.

However, buy well now and you’ll be enjoying these plants for many many years to come.

Viburnum ‘bodnantense dawn’

Reasons to invest: This is the pinnacle plant for winter color and scent. Clusters of tiny dark and powder pink flowers begin to emerge in November, when most other deciduous stems are bare and barren. These flowers carry the most delicious fragrance, and will persist throughout winter to March, when new foliage starts to emerge.

I plan to position one towards the back of my border, to add light and softness to the fence, and one much closer to the front, where I can appreciate its calming winter scent.

Best for: Part sun-part shade positions, and well drained, moist soil. Avoid if you have heavy, waterlogged clay for much of the year.

Hardiness zones: 4-8

Very similar varieties of winter-flowering viburnum include Viburnum carlesii, or Korean spice viburnum, from Nature Hills, and viburnum tinus, with live plants available from Amazon.

Ceanothus

Reasons to invest: Blue is one of the rarest colors to find in the garden, and there is no better way to get it than from California lilac, or ceanothus. In my experience, these shrubs grow very fast with minimal care needed, and are wonderful for creating natural privacy in a few short years.

They are drought tolerant, love a full sun position, and in spring they burst into an intense cloud of royal blue, which are also sweetly scented. There are many US native varieties that are ideal for xeriscaping, plus hummingbirds and butterflies love the springtime flowers.

Best for: Any soil type and hot, dry areas.

Hardiness zones: 7-10

You can find California lilac plants available from Nature Hills.

You can also find ceanothus seeds on Amazon.

Verbena bonariensis

Reasons to invest: It’s a garden stalwart for a very good reason. With fluffy purple flowers forming atop towering slender stems from summer through fall, Verbena bonariensis, or purple-top vervain is always a winner for me. I love it for its height, it’s airy nature, and the fact it is a pollinator magnet.

Verbena bonariensis is also incredibly easy to care for and to propagate, meaning I can plant and forget until the following fall.

Best for: Drought-prone areas and self seeding.

Hardiness zones: 7-11 as a perennial

You can find Verbena bonariensis seeds at Amazon.

Astrantia major

Reasons to invest: They might be small, but these star-shaped perennial flowers have a magical feel to them and will be perfect for popping into the shadier parts of my large border. I particularly like Astrantia major ‘sparkling stars’, which is an elegant white variety

The plants won’t be in flower in fall, but you can still get them into the ground (a good opportunity to buy some bare-root plants, which are usually less expensive) and allow them time to establish before spring arrives.

Best for: Shady areas, moist soils and for easy propagating.

Hardiness zones: 4-9

This bare root, burgundy astrantia from Burpee would be an ideal match for the creamy pinks of gaura flowers (read on to find out more!)

Gaura lindheimeri ‘sparkle white’

Reasons to invest: There are oh so many reasons why this is on my list of plants to invest in this fall. Gaura sometimes hides under the radar when it comes to the best perennials, perhaps because it is less showy and dominant than some of its counterparts, but that’s exactly what gives it such grace and charm.

With a long flowering period from early summer through fall, gaura produces lots of small white or pink flowers on tall, arching stems that look their absolute best moving in a gentle breeze. It adds a softness around more structured planting, and once established is super low maintenance.

Best for: Drought-prone soil and pollinators.

Hardiness zones: 5-9

You can find a beautiful bi-color gaura from Burpee.

You can also purchase gaura seeds from Amazon.

Plants I won’t be purchasing this fall

On my list of plants I am not going to be purchasing is one that might surprise you – and that is coneflowers. Don’t get me wrong, I adore them as a cut flower, I simply haven’t had success with them over the past two years, despite buying well-established plants from the garden center (which were not cheap).

I haven’t seen the height or spread I desire from them, and the blooms look weak and bedraggled rather than full and flaming. I’m taking my cue from nature, and moving on to plants I know will thrive better in our soil.

The other plant I’m happily leaving on the shelf is Euphorbia characias, or Mediterranean spurge. Again, I fully appreciate its alien-like flowers and acid-green tones, but I inherited a mature plant in our front yard and it was so difficult to get it under control; the spread was enormous.

I am also not a fan of its milky sap, which is released when the stems are cut. As a florist, I have been on the receiving end of skin irritation and tend to steer clear of this one as a result.

With all the plants I intend to buy, I’m going to look for mature specimens for some instant impact. In the case of the astrantia and verbena, it will also mean I can propagate them more quickly and create more plants for this space and elsewhere in the garden. It will be a big initial investment, but one that I know is going to be paying me dividends for many years to come.

I’ve always thought of containers as accents or punctuation marks in the garden. You can tuck them into little corners, perch them on steps, or cluster them near the front door to add a pop of color and lift your space. And, as a professional gardener, when the summer haze is golden, and the greens of spring are long gone, I’ve found myself turning to pots in September for a little lift.

Even a single pot with an evergreen fern, a handful of violas and a fading ornamental grass is enough to hold space for the season ahead – a small but pointed nod to the shift into fall.

So, if you’re wondering what to plant in September to help you extend the gardening year, you've come to the right place. These are a few of my favorite plants to add to pots in September. No fuss, just good color and plenty of joy and impact.

7 plants to add to pots in September

These seven plants to add to pots in September are all pretty low-maintenance. Just be sure to use some fresh compost in your containers and give them a good watering after planting.

So, if you are looking for inspiration for your container garden ideas, these seven options are well worth a go.

1. Rudbeckia

I’ve long had a soft spot for black-eyed Susan, or Rudbeckia spp.. Native to North America, these prairie plants are perfect for injecting some joy into any late-summer display.

To me, one of the best rudbeckias is ‘Henry Eilers’, which has thin, spidery yellow flowers that are hard to beat. I have grown this on a few occasions and never tire of it.

But truthfully, any of the Rudbeckias will do. 'Goldsturm', 'Cherry Brandy', 'Indian Summer' – they’re all reliable and give that defiant flash of color just when the rest of the garden starts to pack up.

Hardy down to zone 4, you can grow black eyed Susan plants in pots by the front door, ideally in a sunny spot. Give them a good water during dry spells to keep them happy.

Try this Rudbeckia hirta, with live plants available from Amazon, which should keep the fall show going in your yard until the first frost.

2. Mexican feather grass

I’ve grown Mexican feather grass, or Nassella tenuissima (syn. Stipa Tenuissima), in all sorts of settings – beside paths, under shrubs and in old zinc tubs and terracotta pots.

Hardy down to zone 7, this plant thrives in poor soil, so don't worry too much about the compost in your container. Just make sure there is adequate drainage with a scoop or two of grit.

It prefers full sun, so pot displays on the patio should work well. Just be sure to include a colorful perennial or two (such as Black eyed Susan) to add a sprinkling of joy and impact.

Live Mexican feather grass starter plants can be ordered from Greenwood Nursery via Amazon now.

Shop your container displays

3. Autumn fern

The Autumn fern, or Dryopteris erythrosora, is, as you might have guessed by the name, a plant for the fall season.

I once planted several specimens in old stone pots when working for a private estate just outside Monmouthshire, South Wales.

We had trailing mulhenbeckia tucked in, and a drift of lilac violas spilling over the edge. Simple, but it really sang towards the end of summer and into fall.

When the new fronds push through in September, they emerge coppery-orange, as you can see in the image above, fading to deeper green by winter.

Hardy down to zone 5, this evergreen fern prefers dappled shade, and a spot that stays damp, which shouldn't be a problem during October and November. And, with any luck, it will tick along all fall and winter.

Live Autumn fern plants are available now via Amazon.

4. Japanese anemone

At the Garden Museum in London, where I once worked, we had swathes of Japanese anemones with white flowers that grew throughout the woodland borders.

From late summer right into November, the ‘Honorine Jobert’ variety lit up the borders, never failing to stop passers-by.

Yes, they can be considered an invasive perennial in the wrong location, as they have a tendency to spread. But in pots, Japanese anemones are elegant and containable.

They’re hardy to US hardiness zone 4, so you can overwinter them without fuss. I often underplant something trailing. It’s a tall plant, so best in a large stable container.

'Honorine Jobert' Japanese anemone live plants are available now via Amazon.

5. Monkey grass

Monkey grass, or Liriope muscari, is one of the best perennials to add to borders or pots, purely because it is reliable and steadfast.

Live monkey grass plants are available now via Amazon.

Hardy from zone 5 to 10, this evergreen will happily take full shade or dappled sun, and pairs beautifully with autumn ferns or small white cyclamen.

And the purple flowers – don’t forget those. Short spikes of pale lilac (or sometimes white) will emerge in summer, lasting sometimes into October. They’re subtle, but lovely, perfect for understated pot displays.

6. Heuchera

Heuchera spp., or coral bells, are impressive plants typically grown for their unique foliage coloration. Hardy down to zone 4, they thrive in darker spots or shady pot displays.

One of my favorite heuchera varieties is 'Fire Chief’, which glows red in the fall months. So vibrant in the right light, working well if the container is near to a red Japanese maple or a tall copper grass.

I have found that Heuchera spp. need minimal effort. Simply plant them in good quality soil, provide a little water, and a light feed every now and then.

Live heuchera plants are available from Amazon.

7. Violas

I’ve lost count of how many violas I’ve grown over the years. I have a small obsession with 'Tiger Eye' – seen in the image above – all orange, yellow and bronze, perfect for joyful pots.

I also love the delicate Australian violet, or Viola hederacea, though it’s more of a zone 9 to 10 type.

But really, just head to your local nursery and pick whatever viola or pansy catches your eye. There’s no right or wrong here.

I tend to plant in groups, mixing purples and oranges with faded grasses and ferns. Full sun is best, but they’ll manage in part shade, too.

For a darker look, try these purple pansies, with live plants available now via Amazon.

One last tip – most of these container plants can be moved out into the yard come spring. That frees up your pots for spring and summer displays and gives the plants a proper home to stretch out.

Just lift them with care, and plant into borders or under trees. A little bit of water will help, but most are tough and dependable species that should go on to settle in the border.

For more plant inspiration, see our guide on the best perennials to plant in September for spring blooms, to add even more color to your yard for the months ahead.

Shop container gardening accessories

There’s something deeply satisfying about snipping off a bit of stem and turning it into a whole new plant. And while summer may be slipping quietly out the side door, don’t pack away your tools just yet. September still has plenty to offer on the propagation front.

For me, this is the month to get stuck into softwood cuttings of tender perennials and semi-ripe cuttings of flowering shrubs. I always see it as a kind of insurance policy – especially for pelargoniums, which may not survive the first frost. Far easier to store a dozen small pots in the greenhouse than to haul full-sized, large specimens around. I also like to prep a few trays of penstemons and fuchsias this month, to be spread around the yard next spring. A small amount of effort now for a big reward next year.

So, if you’re after a raft of free plants for spring and summer 2026, you’re in the right place. Here’s everything I know about what to propagate in September, one of the final, satisfying tasks on your late-summer gardening checklist.

7 plants to propagate in September

September is a good time to get stuck into a spot of propagation. It’s not too hot, not too cold, and many of the best perennials and flowering shrubs are at an ideal point in their growth cycle to provide viable cuttings.

Learning how to take plant cuttings is pretty straightforward, but I always keep things simple. Clean snips, a bucket of water to drop cuttings into as I go (hydration is key), and a small table for potting up with gritty compost. It really is that simple.

Here are seven of my go-to plants to propagate in September.

1. Penstemon

As some of the easiest perennials to grow, penstemon can always be relied on to inject some late summer color into borders.

There are so many varieties, most of which are hardy down to zone 4 in a range of colors, although I always love the crisp, clean white flowers of 'White Bedder'.

I have found that these perennials root with ease and give back handsomely the following year. Simply take a handful of four to six-inch cuttings from non-flowering stems, or pinch out the buds if present.

Try this Fiskars pruning knife, available now from Amazon, which is perfect for taking cuttings and cleaning up the stems.

Remember to cut just below a node and strip the lower leaves. By spring, wiry roots will be out of the bottom of the pot, and your new penstemons will be ready to go.

2. Fuchsia

I’ve grown fuchsias for many years, and while I used to be a little perturbed by the more popular two-tone varieties, in the last few years I have come round to them (at least the single shade options). In particular, I love 'Grayrigg', with its pale lilac flowers, which are perfect for cottage garden ideas.

In terms of how to take fuchsia cuttings, now is the perfect time. I have found that the earlier the better, really, so aim to get this done sooner rather than later in September, to give plenty of time for roots to develop before fall.

Cut four-inch sections, removing any lower leaves, and plant in a gritty mix. You can use rooting hormone powder, although it is not always needed. However, I have found it can help with propagation success rates.

Try this rooting hormone powder, available from Amazon, dipping first in water, then in the powder, before shaking off any excess.

Your cuttings will root best in a warm, humid spot – a greenhouse or a plastic bag over the pot will do.

3. Pelargoniums

I have long been obsessed with pelargoniums. One of my go-to varieties in recent years has been Pelargonium sidoides, which has delicate five-petalled blooms that are the color of deep crimson. In pots on the patio, nothing could be better.

Most, if not all, pelargoniums are tender, surviving the winters only in zone 9 or zone 10. I suggest taking some cuttings now will make storage in the greenhouse far easier.

I’ve found pelargoniums root well from short three or four-inch cuttings taken from the tips of non-flowering stems, and a dab of rooting hormone can give them a boost, too.

Drainage is really important, so make sure to use seed and cuttings soil, like this from Amazon, and go easy on the water. Just a light dribble or mist every now and then will do.

4. Verbena

If you like purple plants, then you won't go far wrong with Verbena bonariensis. With lofty stems that can last through until October or November, this perennial is one of the best verbena varieties and is a real workhorse in the backyard.

If you are already growing this verbena, or perhaps you have the native blue vervain, now is a good time to take cuttings to grow more clumps next year.

Take four-inch verbena cuttings of non-flowering tips, and strip the lower leaves. Push several into a single pot of gritty mix. I often tuck them in around the edge of the pot, being sure that the leaves aren't touching.

By spring, you’ll have plenty of little plants ready to kick into action next summer, that the butterflies go mad for.

And, if all else fails, you can always treat yourself to a new plant. Live Verbena hastata plants can be ordered via Amazon.

5. Salvia

If I had to pick a desert-island genus, Salvia spp. might just clinch it. I’ve grown dozens of varieties over the years, ranging from the blue-flowering bog sage, or Salvia uliginosa, to my current favorite, clary sage, or Salvia sclarea, which has white-lilac flower spikes in spring and summer.

To propagate salvia, you want firm side shoots. Snip just below a node, remove lower leaves and push into gritty compost.

One tool that will make the job easier is this wooden dibber, available via Amazon, which will quickly tunnel holes in the soil for each cutting.

And, as with all cuttings, don’t overwater. Salvias tend to sulk if too wet, so a little caution, patience and minimal fuss are best. By spring, you’ll have tidy little plants with roots poking out of the bottom of the pot.

6. Camellia

Now is a brilliant time to try camellia cuttings – although, a warning, they do take a little while to become a good-sized flowering shrub. Think slow and steady, but very worth it.

In September, propagate camellias using this season's growth. You want the stem to be brown, but still bendy. I would say cuttings of about six inches are best.

Simply strip the leaves, leaving only the top two, and dip them in hormone rooting powder.

It might take two to four months to spy a little white root or two at the bottom of the pot, so you might have to wait until next spring before repotting into individual containers.

7. California lilac

If you are keen on shrubs that thrive on neglect, Ceanothus spp. (or California lilacs) are some of the best.

These low-maintenance shrubs thrive in hot, dry climates, producing lilac blooms in sunny yards.

They can get leggy after several years, so taking cuttings is a good way to replenish and replace older specimens when the time is right.

I suggest taking semi-ripe cuttings from the current season's growth in September, ideally four to six inches long without blooms. You want fresh, healthy shoots that have turned a little hard and brown during the growing season.

Your California lilac cuttings will hate having wet feet, so a pot with good drainage is ideal. They might take a few months to develop roots, so a degree of patience is required for this tough shrub.

One final word of advice: overwatering is the biggest sin when taking cuttings. So, be sure to water sparingly, and add some sand, grit or perlite to your soil, to make it well-draining. Of course, some water retention is no bad thing, but you want to avoid waterlogged soil at all costs when it comes to these plants to propagate in September.

Perlite sacks can be ordered via Walmart.

Shop propagation accessories

September is an ideal time to plant perennials, and what a wide selection there is to choose from. The weather is cooler as we hit September, but the soil is still warm from summer, and there is usually abundant moisture around this month to make establishing plants that little bit easier.

If you want to add spring flowers to your garden, the time is now, as any new plants can bed down roots before the temperatures drop for winter. There is ample time to plant perennials and get them established before the frosts, and they will flower in spring to provide delightful early-season color in flower beds, borders, or containers.

There are perennials to plant in September that can provide blooms throughout spring, from the early weeks when there is little else out, to those that bridge the gap between the spring bulbs going over and summer perennials kicking in. If you are looking for new plants to add to your backyard ideas, this guide reveals some great perennials to plant in September that will provide dazzling blooms come spring.

1. Hellebores

Hellebores are one of the earliest spring-flowering plants, coming to the fore in late winter and early spring, offering delightful color when the garden may otherwise look a little bare.

With their nodding, saucer-shaped blooms and hellebore varieties coming in a range of colors, they make an ideal addition to provide interest in early spring. And September is an ideal time to plant hellebores.

Grow hellebores in a spot with dappled shade and rich soil, with lots of organic matter added ahead of time. Once established, they require little maintenance, though you can fertilize hellebores in spring for better blooming, and you should prune hellebores to control leaf spot.

You can choose from many different hellebores, but this FrostKiss Moondance Lenten Rose at Nature Hills has a very early blooming period and produces white blooms that turn an intriguing pale green with age. It will make a romantic addition to any border and is a deer-resistant plant.

2. Winter aconite

Winter aconite, also known as Eranthis Hyemalis, is another really early bloomer. The bulbs appear with their yellow buttercup blooms in late winter and early spring, and they are often even seen poking their heads through frost and snow.

The sign of these winter flowers can be a warming sign that spring is just around the corner; they appear in early February and can bloom through to late spring, depending on the variety.

You can purchase winter aconite bulbs to plant in early fall, and they should be put in a sunny or lightly shaded spot. They are ideal bulbs for under deciduous trees and woodland gardens, but can be planted in borders and container gardens.

Winter aconites are loved for their ability to reliably flower year after year and spread naturally over time to bring glorious displays to brighten up cold mornings.

You can order winter aconite bulbs at Dutch Grown in quantities from 25 to 1000 to plant in the fall.

3. Pasque flower

The pasque flower, also known as Pulsatilla vulgaris, wind flower, or Easter flower, may be small, but it always impresses.

One of the first perennials to bloom in spring, the pasque flower has purple trumpet-shaped blooms that are furry on the outside and smooth on the inside. Uniquely, the majority of the flowers develop before the soft leaves.

The pasque flower only reaches 12 inches tall, so it is best utilized at the front of flower beds or in rock gardens. While the majority of the cultivars are purple, new modern breeding has developed cultivars with red or white blooms.

The pasque flower can be grown from seed sown in fall, which gives the seeds a natural period of cold stratification they require to germinate. Cover the seeds with a thin layer of soil, and keep your fingers crossed for germination in spring.

If you want to try growing this perennial from seed, you can get purple pasque flower seeds at Amazon

4. Daffodils

What can one say about daffodils that hasn’t been said before?

They are classic spring bulbs and potentially the most popular blooms the season has to offer. Narcissus come in many different shapes, sizes, and colors, with early varieties starting in February and later types extending the show until May.

September is an ideal time to plant daffodil bulbs, with the typical window extending through to November. Plant each bulb at three times the height of the bulb, usually between 4-6 inches, with the pointed end upwards.

You can either use a trowel or get yourself a bulb planter to make the task easier – like this long handled bulb planter at Amazon that even removes the need to bend.

See the range of daffodil bulbs to plant at Amazon

See the range of daffodil bulbs to plant at Walmart

See the range of daffodil bulbs to plant at Dutch Grown

5. Alliums

If you are looking for high-impact perennial bulbs to plant in the fall, then look no further than alliums. These statuesque and architectural plants always impress with ball-shaped heads that stand atop tall stems, with varieties of allium bulbs reaching up to five feet in height.

Alliums bloom in late spring, after many other spring bulbs, and their purple, pink, yellow, or white blooms help knit together your border displays between the seasons, as they can complement both spring and summer-flowering plants.

Plant alliums from September to November in a sunny spot with rich and well-draining soil. If you have a heavier soil type, add compost and grit to boost the drainage. Plant at three times the depth of the bulb, with the pointy end upwards.

A perennial favourite is Allium 'Purple Sensation' that reaches 30 inches in height and, as the name suggests, has rich purple blooms. You can get Allium 'Purple Sensation' bulbs at Dutch Grown to plant this month.

6. Bleeding heart

Bleeding heart, now known as Lamprocapnos spectabilis, but it was Dicentra spectabilis for many years, is a unique perennial grown for elegant heart-shaped sprays of pendant flowers on arching stems in the spring.

Most people picture pink blooms when you mention bleeding heart, but this Dicentra Spectabilis 'Alba' at Nature Hills has bright white heart-shaped flowers instead, as well as lime green foliage to make it stand out in a bed.

Bleeding hearts are great part-shade perennials that thrive in those often-tricky cooler and shadier spots in the garden. They can grow in full sun but will require lots of water to avoid drying out.

They often don’t need much watering or feeding once established. One of the main maintenance tasks is to cut back bleeding hearts after they have finished blooming in midsummer.

7. Coral bells

Coral bells, commonly known as heucheras, are evergreen perennials that flower in late spring and early summer.

Grown primarily for being attractive foliage plants, they also put out delicate bell-shaped flowers, and you get heuchera varieties with spikes of blooms in beautiful shades of white or pink.

The plants prefer semi-shaded planting spots and will look their best with 4-6 hours of direct sunlight.

This position can be at the front of beds, where they can make an attractive foliage backdrop to other brighter, more dominating, spring or summer plants, or you can grow coral bells in pots in smaller spaces.

A celebratory example of a stunning variety is Champagne Coral Bells at Nature Hills. This cultivar has golden foliage with shades of yellows and pinks, and white blooms on deep red stems that attract butterflies and hummingbirds.

FAQs

Is September too early to plant bulbs?

No, you can plant spring bulbs like daffodils, hyacinths, or crocuses in September. It is too soon to plant tulip bulbs, though, as you want to wait until October or November to prevent tulip fire.

September is also a good window to move and divide plants, offering a chance to rejuvenate older clumps of perennials.

Our guide to perennials to divide in September reveals seven popular backyard favorites that you can split to get new clumps for free to plant around the garden.

Shop gardening supplies

Coreopsis, otherwise known as tickseed, is a genus of flowering plants native to North and South America, with over 100 species available and countless hybrids. Its off-putting common name, 'tickseed,' belies its character, since it is a charming, fine-textured, fairy-like plant with a flowering period that is hard to rival and very little to loathe – and despite what you might assume, happily, it does not attract ticks.

Its popularity with honeybees, bumblebees, and butterflies has secured its place on the roster of must-have perennials for adding a dash of color, without relying on traditional tawdry bedding plants. Their propensity to deliver kaleidoscopic color to borders with very little watering makes it well-suited for prairie planting and drought-tolerant planting schemes, as well as being superb cut flowers with a long vase life.

Here, we look at everything you need to know about how to grow Coreopsis successfully in your garden.

Best varieties of tickseed

Tickseed comes in a wide variety of colors from canary yellow and vermillion red to the gentlest of ballet slipper pink and lemon-hued whites.

Whilst there are many varieties of Coreopsis, and it can feel somewhat overwhelming to wrap your head around, more broadly speaking, they can be divided into these groups.

Most tickseed plants are perennials and return year after year. Though some Coreopsis varieties are annuals over perennials (completing their lifecycle in one year), they tend to come in extremely dramatic colors.

All types, whether they be perennial or annual, attract pollinators and are choc-full of nectar, and all are fantastic stress-tolerators.

Some of the best varieties to grow include:

• Coreopsis 'Amulet', looks terrific in a wildflower meadow, with its deep, rich crimson flowers that look as though they're made of velvet. You can purchase Coreopsis Amulet seeds on Amazon.
• Coreopsis 'Creme Brulee' is a beautiful soft butter yellow flower with feathery threadleaf foliage and a fantastically long season of interest, starting its flowering in spring and continuing to bloom throughout the entirety of summer and fall. You can purchase Coreopsis 'Creme Brulee' plants at Nature Hills.
• Coreopsis verticillata 'Moonbeam' is one of the nation's favourites for a reason; it's an award-winning cultivar that plays pied piper to hordes of butterflies and bumblebees. It only reaches around 1.5 ft, so it is best grown near the front of a border or in beautiful terracotta pots. You can purchase Coreopsis 'Moonbeam' as a container plant from Garden Goods Direct.

How to grow tickseed

Before you jump in with learning how to grow coreopsis, it is worth knowing where it will perform best. Tickseed is one of those wonderful perennials that thrive on neglect, so as long as it gets plenty of sunshine, the memo is: plant it and let it do its thing.

Hardiness zones: Although this varies by species, those in US hardiness zone 3 to zone 10 will be able to grow most tickseed without issue.

Exposure: Tickseed likes to be positioned in full sun. Ensure you find a spot that gets at least six hours of sunshine per day for tickseed to reach its full potential. Whilst it can happily tolerate dappled shade, it simply won't bloom as prolifically as it would in a spot drenched in sunlight.

Soil: Tickseed has a broad tolerance to almost every soil, so there is no need to amend your soil in preparation for planting. So long as the roots don't get waterlogged, it will tolerate all soil types. Tickseed tends to perform better in infertile soil, so adding fertilizer is not recommended.

How to grow tickseed in borders and pots

In borders: Tickseed is ideally suited to low-maintenance garden borders, and is right at home with other cutting garden flowers like cosmos, dahlias, zinnias, and achillea.

Take heed of the aforementioned positioning advice, and bear in mind the eventual height your plant will grow to, as some varieties will be lost when put at the back of the border, and some will be far too lofty for the front of the border.

Simply analyze the height of your plant once fully grown and make a judgment as to where it would be best positioned. In terms of companion planting, I would opt for those plants that, like coreopsis, catch the slightest wind, adding a magical kinetic energy to your garden.

In containers: If you're on the prowl for container gardening ideas, then tickseed is a marvellous performer, most definitely worth considering and curiously undergrown in pots, in my opinion.

As long as the container you chose has drainage holes (tickseed won't tolerate waterlogged soil) and is positioned in a sun-filled spot that you know can meet tickseed's needs, it will flower abundantly for months on end.

The best soil type for potted tickseed is all-purpose potting soil, like this organic potting soil available at Amazon.

How to plant tickseed

Plant tickseed in the spring or summer when the threat of frost has passed, spacing each plant around ten inches apart, to allow them space to grow.

Dig a hole slightly larger than the root ball of the plant and place the plant in the hole and fill with soil.

Water newly planted tickseed plants regularly until they establish. Once established, they are drought-tolerant and will not like heavy or regular watering.

Use this soil moisture meter from Amazon to check if it's time to top up water levels.

How to care for tickseed

Deadheading: You can deadhead Coreopsis to encourage more blooming, but they are such prolific bloomers, forgetting to do so won't deter them from throwing out more flowers.

Pruning: You can extend the season of blooms by pruning your perennial tickseed plants in August, or if they tend to start flowering early, then you do the Hampton hack, and can prune as early as July.

Trim one-third of the plant back. You'll tidy up the foliage and encourage a new flush of flowers for fall decoration.

Overwintering: Happily, you don't need to take any additional steps to protect tickseed as the temperatures plummet and winter sets in. Whilst you may be tempted to bring them inside, it is not recommended.

FAQs

How do you propagate tickseed?

Dividing: Perennial coreopsis that are several years old (at least two to three years old) and have formed large clumps can be lifted, divided, and replanted immediately. Do so in the spring when there is warm weather ahead to help the new, smaller plants establish.

Propagating tickseed from cuttings: Cut a six-inch piece of the stem beneath a node. Once you have your cutting, insert it into a pot of perlite, like this perlite available at Amazon, until only the top leaves are showing.

Water the pot and place it in a warm, sunny spot. After approximately a month, it should have developed roots, and once the plant is established, it can be planted in the garden.

Is tickseed deer-resistant?

Yes, tickseed (Coreopsis) is a deer-resistant plant, as they do not fit the profile for a delicious deer buffet. One of the benefits of this is that you can use tickseed plants to hide smaller plants that are vulnerable to deer.

Do tickseed plants suffer from any pests or problems?

Tickseed plants are notoriously unflustered and unbothered by any common garden pests.

In some cases, they can be susceptible to powdery mildew but this is fairly uncommon. A neem oil spray like this one available at Amazon tends to remedy the issue quickly.

Now you know how to grow coreopsis, you can add it to your low-maintenance backyard ideas. If you find yourself without endless hours to dedicate to the upkeep of your space, then these happy little flowers should be top of your list.

Ground cover plants shouldn't be overlooked when planning a backyard. By covering patches of bare soil, they help bring a space together, creating a tapestry of textures and colors, all while keeping weeds at bay.

There are plenty of ground cover plants to choose from, including underrated options and ones that attract hummingbirds. But, if you really want to elevate the sensory experience of your space, it's worth adding a few perfumed picks to your list.

Below, you'll find five fragrant plants recommended by gardening experts for your ground cover needs. All have pretty flowers, and, if planted in the right spot, are easy to look after, too.

5 best fragrant ground cover plants

I love these perfumed floral picks for transforming borders in the backyard. Afterall, who wouldn't want to fill empty soil with scented low-growing plants?

1. Creeping thyme

Creeping thyme (Thymus serpyllum) is an excellent ground cover choice, being drought-tolerant, easy to maintain, and emitting a pleasant, herbal scent.

Justin Hancock of Costa Farms and horticulturist Gail Pabst both recommend it, highlighting its resistance to deer and rabbits, and attractiveness to pollinators.

'In mild-winter areas, it can be evergreen, but in northern landscapes it tends to be deciduous,' says Justin. 'Individual plants can spread more than a foot wide over time, but tend to top out around three inches tall. It’s generally hardy in Zones 4-8 and grows best in full, all-day sun.'

It is often used in low-maintenance landscapes between pavers, tucked in stone walls, and other locations where its silvery-green foliage and pink flowers can be enjoyed, Justin adds. You can even grow a creeping thyme lawn, which has numerous benefits.

Creeping thyme seeds are available from Amazon.

2. Creeping rosemary

Justin also adds creeping rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus prostratus) to our list. This plant, he explains, is a low-growing form of common rosemary, offering the same fragrant, needle-like foliage, but in a spreading form (it typically gets about a foot or so tall and can spread several feet across).

'It’s drought-tolerant, deer- and rabbit-resistant, and useful for cooking,' Justin continues.

'As a perennial, it grows in Zones 8-10, but in cooler areas, you can enjoy its beauty and scent as an annual ground cover.

It produces lavender-blue flowers in spring; these flowers attract butterflies and hummingbirds. It does best in full sun and well-draining soil.'

Creeping rosemary plants are available to buy from Nature Hills.

3. Firewitch dianthus

Firewitch dianthus (Dianthus "Feuerhexe") offers lovely, silvery-blue foliage that’s topped by spicy-scented pink flowers in late spring, says Justin.

It's not a fan of wet, heavy clay soil, he notes – instead, plant it somewhere that's well-draining and sunny. 'It doesn’t spread as quickly as other, more traditional ground covers, growing about six inches tall and 12 inches wide, so it’s a great choice for small spaces.' It's hardy in Zones 3-8.

These pretty bloomers are also a good match for container growing. You can buy firewitch dianthus plants from Nature Hills.

4. Nepeta

With its silvery, aromatic leaves and purple-blue blooms, nepeta, or cat mint, is well-suited to Mediterranean-style gardens, cottage gardens, and modern schemes alike.

Nikki Bruner of Perfect Plants Nursery recommends the 'Walkers Low' variety, which spreads up to three feet wide. Alternatively, try ‘Purple Haze’, suggested by Chuck Pavlich, director of new product development with Terra Nova Nurseries. 'Unlike many other perennials, it maintains a clean, tidy habit throughout the season, requiring virtually no maintenance, which makes it especially appealing for low-effort landscapes,' he says.

Plant nepeta somewhere sunny, with well-draining soil. By pruning it correctly, you can encourage more blooms throughout the season.

Live Nepeta plants are available via Amazon.

5. Sweet woodruff

For covering bare soil in woodland gardens and other areas that don't get much sun, sweet woodruff (Galium odoratum) can be ideal. Justin highlights its lush green foliage, which is scented like freshly mown hay, and clusters of white flowers in mid-spring. These blooms are fragrant, too.

'This ground cover is generally considered deer- and rabbit-resistant, though it’s not drought tolerant,' he says.

'It’s a useful plant for moist, shaded spots where you can’t get lawn grasses to grow. A single plant can spread some 18 inches across and may grow 12 inches tall, but it can be a fast spreader through seedlings and underground roots.' It's hardy in Zones 4-8.

FAQs

What are some fragrant ground cover plants for shade?

If you're looking for fragrant ground covers that grow well in shade, consider sweet woodruff, mentioned above. Or, try corydalis ‘Blackberry Wine’. Chuck says the latter has finely-cut blue-green leaves which provide a graceful backdrop for hundreds of fragrant, blackberry-wine-colored flowers that appear from early summer into fall. 'With its cascading, trailing habit, it is particularly striking as ground cover under shrubs,' he adds.

What are some fragrant evergreen ground cover plants?

Creeping rosemary, firewitch dianthus, and creeping thyme are evergreen ground covers in the right climate. You could also try creeping phlox (Phlox subulata) – Gail says its needle-like foliage can be used to cascade over walls, rock gardens, and across slopes, and that the spring flowers attract pollinators.

According to Nikki, you can grow star jasmine – a fragrant, fast-growing climber – as a ground cover, too. 'It thrives in full sun to partial shade and prefers well-draining, loamy soil,' she advises, adding that it's recommended to prune it after flowering to maintain shape and remove excess growth. You can buy star jasmine from Perfect Plants Nursery.

As well as ground covers, it's important to choose some taller-growing plants, for structure and beauty across different levels. If you're eager for more aromatic options, our guides on fragrant trees, fragrant shrubs, and fragrant privacy plants can all provide inspiration. And you may want to read up on the worst-smelling plants, too!

Shop ground cover plants

I have grown hummingbird mint, or Agastache spp., in many gardens where I have worked. In Tuscany, we grew these perennials in a scattering of large terracotta pots alongside other fragrant herbs. The smell, I recall, was quite something.

While it is a plant that prefers to be grown in borders where its roots can spread and roam, I have seen it grow just fine in pots, throwing up spires of colorful blooms and releasing that unusual, almost aniseed scent whenever brushed.

So, if you want to grow some colorful flowers that will prove irresistible to hummingbirds, bees and butterflies, learning how to grow hummingbird mint in pots is time well spent. Here’s everything I know after years of growing it.

How to grow hummingbird mint in pots

Learning how to grow hummingbird mint in pots is pretty straightforward, and so long as they enjoy plenty of sunshine and have a drink of water every few days, these perennials should do just fine with relatively little effort.

Here are my tips to guarantee long-lasting blooms that return year after year.

Growing hummingbird mint in pots

When learning how to grow hummingbird mint in pots, the key is simple: drainage. Agastache spp. loathe soggy roots.

It is good to remember that these plants are drought-tolerant flowering perennials, and in their native environments, can grow in rocky or free-draining soil, so you want to avoid waterlogged pots at all costs. To note, this does not mean that you do not have to water, but that the water should be free to drain away, and not sit.

So, be sure to fill a medium to large terracotta pot (12 to 16 inches across) with a gritty soil mix, combining a couple of handfuls of sand or grit to improve drainage.

Try these rustic pots, available from Amazon, which would work well when planted with hummingbird mint.

In terms of placement, remember that these are sunseeking plants. Most species are hardy down to zone 4, but will be all the happier if they are placed in a sunny spot.

This is non-negotiable if you are in a northern region (like zone 5), but in warmer areas, you can get away with some shade, too. However, in darker corner, flower numbers might be reduced.

Live 'Blue Fortune' hummingbird mint plants can be ordered from Greenwood Nurseries via Amazon.

Caring for hummingbird mint in pots

In pots, hummingbird mint needs regular deep watering. As mentioned above, these are drought-tolerant plants, but a good soaking every other day during summer will help them to thrive.

You want to stick to a regular schedule to avoid pots drying out, which can stress your plants, but touching the soil and feeling down to one or two inches will indicate how damp or dry the pot is.

In addition, feeding isn’t really necessary, especially if the container potting mix is fresh, but a fortnightly tomato feed (try this organic tomato feed by Espoma, available at Walmart) will keep container plants in fine flowering form.

Finally, don’t forget about deadheading during summer. Always use clean and sharp pruners, like these Felco F2 pruners from Amazon, to cut away spent blooms, although you can stop doing this from September. At this stage in the growing season, I would leave faded flowers in place for the fall months.

FAQs

How often should I repot hummingbird mint?

I would suggest repotting this perennial every two years or so. Using a spade or Hori Hori knife, gently work around the edge of the pot to loosen your plant. Then, lift the plant, shake off tired soil, and refresh the pot with fresh compost and grit. If the plant looks congested, you can learn how to divide hummingbird mint, reducing the size of your clump.

While you shouldn't need to winterize your pot, you can group containers together near the house for the darker and colder months of the year. This will create a mini-microclimate, and pots will benefit from the heat loss from homes.

For more information, see our guide on how to grow hummingbird mint from seed, and discover how to propagate more perennials for a fraction of the cost of a live plant.

Shop garden accessories

Creeping phlox is a low-growing perennial that you’ll often spot tumbling over walls, carpeting a bank, or stitching itself between rock crevices. What I like about it is its sheer determination, thriving in scrappy corners, producing a patchwork of pink, purple, white and even the odd sky-blue.

The name 'creeping phlox' gets thrown around for a handful of ground-hugging species, but the two you’ll bump into most are Phlox subulata and Phlox stolonifera. Both are North American natives, both are ridiculously resilient and both are capable of putting on a riot of bloom through spring into early summer.

So, if you’re hunting for one of the best perennials to smother a slope or soften a rocky edge, I’d say learning how to grow phlox is a good idea. Here’s what I know after years of seeing it used in cottage gardens, rockeries and in between cracks and crevices, where it always seems to find its moment.

How to grow creeping phlox

I think creeping phlox is one of the best perennials for spring and summer color. And who wouldn’t want borders or slopes covered in sheets of jewel-toned flowers?

The good news is that learning how to grow creeping phlox is not complicated. Once planted, it asks for very little, apart from sunshine and reasonably well-draining soil.

Growing habits of creeping phlox

'Ground cover plants are perhaps my favorite category of plants,' says plant expert Lauren Carvalho. 'I think of them as the true workhorses of the garden.

'Creeping phlox, I think, is one of the best. It can help to knit a design together, adding interest to the edges of borders and paths, and adding a pop of color or texture to cracks and crevices where other plants might perish.'

These two native plant species, Phlox subulata and Phlox stolonifera, are both hardy down to zone 5, thriving fairly far north so long as they enjoy a little bit of sunshine.

'The benefits of this gorgeous ground cover species don’t just stop with weed suppression, however, they can also be extremely valuable for pollinators too,' Lauren adds.

'One of my favorites is Phlox nana 'Perfect Pink', native to the southern regions of North America.'

'It is an outstanding performer and isn't picky about soil type. This native starts blooming in spring, offering a carpet of pink flowers with wide petals perfect for pollinating butterflies and moths who tend to rest while they nourish.'

Live pink creeping phlox plants can be ordered via Amazon.

Care guide for creeping phlox

Soil: In my experience, creeping phlox do not tend to be fussy as to the soil they grow in, tolerating rocky and even poor soil, so long as there is good drainage. To help improve soil structure, mulching in the fall months is a good idea.

Light: In warmer regions, like zone 9, these cottage garden plants can be grown as part-shade perennials, doing best in places where they will enjoy a couple of hours of sunshine each day but where they are protected from the afternoon sun. In cooler regions, like zone 5, full sun is best to ensure you get as many blooms as possible.

Watering: Creeping phlox, as with most perennials, prefers a spot of water every now and then. In fact, they do best with consistent deep watering every few days during summer when the temperature can be high. This is important during the first year as they settle into your yard.

Fertilizing: In my experience, it is not really necessary to feed creeping phlox, and these perennials can do just fine without supplemental fertilizer. However, if you do want to give plants a little boost, use an organic, all-purpose fertilizer, available from Amazon, in early spring. But remember, less is more – a light feed is far preferable.

Pruning: After blooming has finished with your creeping phlox, usually sometime in late summer, you can grab your pruners from the shed and simply snip off any faded blooms to tidy the appearance. Beyond that, I would recommend leaving stems and leaves in place through fall and winter, before cutting back all brown and yellow foliage in early spring, before new growth emerges.

Toxicity: Creeping phlox (both Phlox subulata and Phlox stolonifera) are not considered toxic to humans or pets.

FAQs

Can I grow creeping phlox in pots?

Yes, creeping phlox can be grown in containers, though I’ve found it performs best when it can spread in borders. If you do grow it in pots, pick a wide container and opt for a gritty, free-draining mix, using it to carpet the soil underneath a larger shrub or tree in sun or part shade. And, it goes without saying, but be sure to keep pots well watered during July and August.

Once creeping phlox is settled in your yard, after a year or two, you’ll find it easy to manage. If it gets too thick or starts to spread a little too much for your liking, you can lift and divide clumps in the fall.

For more information, see our guide on how to divide plants to easily grow your phlox collection. Or, alternatively, if you are feeling generous, you could gift a divided plant to a gardening friend. The choice is up to you.

Shop flower accessories

I was recently gifted a mini rose plant and while I love having it on my kitchen windowsill, the thought of having it in my garden, alongside my other roses, did cross my mind. But, then I thought, can I actually grow a mini rose plant outdoors?

After doing some research, I was delighted to learn you can grow a mini rose plant outdoors. But, it isn't as simple as just placing it outside. It turns out you need to do a few things to ensure it is acclimatized before growing your rose in your garden.

It's also easy to make a few rose growing mistakes with mini rose plants, so it's important to take the time to first understand how to grow it outdoors correctly. To help you out, I've put together a guide on how to grow a mini rose plant outdoors with the steps I'm following to ensure it's a success.

How to grow a mini rose plant outdoors

Miniature rose plants are often intended to be indoor plants, usually bought from supermarkets or florists. Just like florist hydrangeas, these plants are usually forced to bloom or are grown from cuttings with weaker root systems.

This means transitioning them outdoors into a colder climate could shock them, stunt growth, or even kill them off. But, it isn't impossible to grow a mini rose plant outdoors. You just need to follow a few simple steps.

Something to be aware of, however, is that not all climates will be able to support a mini rose plant. They will do best across US hardiness zones 4 to zone 11, and will need winterizing to survive frosty winters.

1. Acclimatize your mini rose plant

Just like many of the easiest houseplants to grow outdoors, a mini rose plant needs acclimatizing to ensure it adapts to the temperatures, light, and wind of outdoor conditions.

To do this, I have gradually exposed my mini rose plant to increased sunlight (as it's blocked from sun indoors) by placing it in my yard.

First, I put it in a shaded, sheltered spot for a few hours of the day. When intense afternoon sunlight came out, I moved my mini rose plant back indoors, as to not cause leaf scorch or shock it.

Every few days, I moved my mini rose plant to a slightly sunnier spot for a longer amount of time.

While doing this, I monitored for any signs of stress, such as my rose leaves turning yellow or wilting. If your mini rose plant does show stress, move it back indoors to recover. You can prune your rose with these micro pruning snips from Amazon to remove any damaged leaves or blooms.

After several weeks have passed and your mini rose plant is showing signs of being happy and healthy outdoors, you can move it to its final spot.

These plants aren't likely to grow as big as rose shrubs or climbing roses, so it makes sense to continue growing it in a container garden, although you can also add it to a garden border.

2. Provide plenty of sunlight

Wherever you do decide to grow a mini rose plant outdoors, make sure it's a sunny spot. Just like regular roses, mini rose plants are sun-lovers, so they're less likely to perform well if you grow this rose in shade.

Aim to place it somewhere it will get at least six hours of direct sun a day and you'll watch it rebloom through the summer months.

If you're struggling to find a sunny spot in your yard, however, consider pruning tree branches that are casting shade. You might need essential pruning tools to do this, like these loppers from Amazon.

3. Water your mini rose plant deeply

It's also important to water your rose correctly to help it settle in to an outdoor environment. This means maintaining consistent moisture levels for your mini rose.

To avoid root rot and other rose diseases, it's best to water your rose deeply and less frequently. This will help encourage a stronger, deeper root system and reduce the likelihood of waterlogged soil.

At the same time, you should take care not to overwater your mini rose plant. I personally use this soil moisture meter from Amazon to check when my plants need watering and avoid watering mistakes.

FAQs

Should I fertilize my mini rose plant?

Yes, it's a good idea to fertilize your rose, even if it is a mini indoor plant. Roses are heavy feeders and fertilizing (with a rose fertilizer from Amazon) provides the essential plant nutrients needed for longer blooming and more profuse flowers. You should, however, only fertilize your mini rose plant when it is actively growing in spring and summer, to avoid roots burning and oversaturating soil.

Don't forget to winterize your mini rose plant when the colder seasons come round. I'm leaving mine growing in a pot, so plan to just bring it under cover for the winter, but you can also use frost cloths (from Amazon) or mulch to protect it from freezing temperatures.

Milkweed is a fantastic plant for pollinators, and one particularly adored by Monarch butterflies. But the Monarchs' population is declining, and gardeners need to stand up and do whatever they can to help.

One key way to do this and help the Monarch population is to harvest milkweed seeds and grow new plants. The more milkweed plants, the better, as they give the insects a habitat to rest and lay their eggs, which they do exclusively on milkweed. A lack of milkweed being grown is contributing to the decline in the number of Monarch butterflies, so let’s do something about it and add it to more of our gardens.

Whether you, a neighbor, or family member grow milkweed, or you see plants by roadsides or in public parks, there are lots of opportunities to collect seeds, and grow new plants for free. The tips here will equip you with the knowledge to harvest milkweed seeds at the perfect time to sow and grow at home and support the endangered Monarch butterflies.

When and how to harvest milkweed seeds of the highest quality

If you aspire to harvest seeds to grow milkweed for monarch butterflies, it is worth understanding that they do prefer certain types of milkweed and lay more eggs on some than others.

Their favorites include native plants such as butterfly weed, common milkweed, whorled milkweed, and swamp milkweed. You can buy butterfly weed seeds at True Leaf Market or get common milkweed seeds at Amazon that will be great for butterflies, but collecting seeds is also a beneficial way to cultivate plants.

Check before collecting seeds whether a particular milkweed is ideal for Monarch butterflies, along with whether you have permission to collect seeds if you are targeting plants on public land.

When to harvest milkweed seeds

The milkweed pods are very distinctive. They are long and narrow, starting green in color and turning browner as they mature. Milkweed pods mature fully from late summer into fall, which is the window for collecting seeds.

Getting the timing right is crucial when you harvest milkweed seeds. They want to mature fully on the plant; otherwise, they are unlikely to germinate when you sow them. The easiest way to tell ripeness is to examine the color and texture of the seeds and pods.

Fully mature pods will have started to split open, or will easily split with light pressure applied. If it does not split when gently squeezed, it is not ready. The ripe seeds inside should be brown; white or pale-colored seeds are not mature enough to collect.

When you are too late, the pod will have fully split open and dispersed its seeds into the wild.

How to harvest milkweed seeds

It is important to check for the presence of milkweed bugs when harvesting pods. It is recommended to avoid picking any open pods that have milkweed bugs. Their presence indicates the seed may not be viable for germination, and you don’t want to introduce the bugs to your bag of freshly collected seeds.

When you identify ripe pods, cut them from the plant at the base with a pair of clean, sharp pruning shears, garden snips, or scissors and place them into a paper bag.

The next step is separating the seeds from the floss, which is the white fluff inside the pod that causes it to burst open. The amount of floss you have to deal with will depend on your timing, as the floss expands as the seed pod opens.

Gently open the pod to get to the seeds and floss. If the floss hasn’t expanded, you can pull it and the seeds out and separate the two by hand by stripping the seeds away.

If the floss has covered the seeds, there is a nifty trick for separating the two. Place your collected seeds and floss into a paper bag with a couple of coins. Then shake the bag before cutting a small hole in the bottom corner. The seeds will fall out and can be collected, while the bulkier floss should remain in the bag.

It is imperative to store seeds properly. Store your collected seeds in paper bags, and always avoid keeping them in plastic bags or boxes. This is a seed storage mistake as plastic creates moisture, causing the seeds to develop mold. It is also bad practice to store damp seeds and keep chaff, floss, or other plant debris on the seeds during storage.

FAQs

How long do milkweed seeds last?

How long you can store seeds depends on many factors, primarily where and how they are stored. However, all seeds do lose their viability as they age, as their germination rate decreases year after year. Milkweed seeds will remain in top shape for around three years after collecting them when stored in an airtight and cool place, but their viability will start to decline from that point on.

Are milkweed seeds poisonous?

Milkweed contains cardenolides and all parts of the plant, including the leaves, stems, seed pods, and seeds, are toxic to animals and humans.

You can plant milkweed seeds in fall or spring. Sowing indoors in spring means you have to stratify seeds, to give them a period of cold to break dormancy. Sowing milkweed seeds outdoors in fall naturally exposes them to cold, and they will germinate in spring.

If you do plan to sow seeds indoors, you can provide a period of cold stratification by putting the seeds in a refrigerator for around a month before sowing.

Flossflower, or Ageratum spp., is one of those plants that really does punch above its weight. With their fluffy pom-pom blooms in lilac and blue, they flower from July right through to the first frost, and even come with the added bonus of a mosquito-repelling aroma. Not bad for such a compact little plant.

I first came across flossflowers years ago, tucking them into a jumble of late-summer bedding alongside other bright, low-maintenance annuals. These half-hardy plants are often sold in nurseries through summer, and I’ve found they’re best in generous drifts. Mass them near a seating area, and you’ll get clouds of powder-blue flowers humming with pollinators long into the season.

Easy to grow and surprisingly versatile, flossflowers are annuals that thrive on neglect and will work in almost any-sized yard. Here’s everything I know about this colorful, useful little plant.

How to grow flossflower

This half-hardy annual, also known as the Mexican paintbrush, has been a bedding staple for decades. Its name is from the Greek 'ageratos', meaning 'not growing old', a nod to how well its blooms hold their color.

Cheerful, forgiving and largely self-sufficient, these fast-growing flowering annuals are ideal for injecting color and impact into any space.

Growing habits of flossflowers

Flossflowers might look delicate, but these purple plants are tough little annuals.

Native to Central America, namely Mexico, Guatemala and Belize, these plants – as you might imagine – do best in bright, sunny yards. In fact, the more sun, the better.

So, if you are toying with where to plant them in your yard, I would suggest finding a spot with six hours of direct sunshine each day, whether in borders or pots.

While they can be treated as perennials in zone 9 or zone 10, for the majority of us in cooler northerly spots, it is best to think of them as annuals that we enjoy for just a few months of the growing season.

In addition, flossflowers contain a compound called coumarin, which is considered to ward off mosquitoes and other biting insects, and is typically found in some insecticides.

Of course, it's not a foolproof way to a pest-free yard, but it might help if you grow in drifts around your patio.

Most varieties are best considered ground cover plants, although one or two, such as Ageratum houstonianum ‘Blue Horizon’, are taller and best suited to the middle or back of the border.

Flossflower seeds can be ordered via Amazon.

Care guide for flossflowers

Soil: While these underrated bedding plants are simple to grow, they do best in fertile soil. So, to help them on their way, I recommend spending a little time improving the soil health and structure by mulching. This easy job can be done at any time of year, but it is a good idea to get in the habit of mulching beds and borders in the fall or winter months (I find it easier when perennials have been cut back). Try this organic mulch from Back to the Roots, available now via Walmart.

Light: Ageratum spp. thrive in full sun, but will tolerate part-shade in warmer regions, such as zone 8 or 9. The best (and most vibrant) lilac flowers are produced in bright conditions; however, so try to find a spot with at least six hours of direct sunshine for your bedding plants. In a pot near the patio of the front door is often a good idea.

Watering: Flossflowers can tolerate heat just fine, but to do so, they need consistently moist soil, especially when grown in pots. You want to avoid waterlogging, but give them a good, deep watering every few days to keep those blooms coming.

Fertilizing: Use something like this bloom booster fertilizer by Dr. Earth, available via Walmart, on a three-weekly basis. Applying a liquid feed during the growing season can extend and boost flowering through to fall.

Pruning: You can pinch out growing tips earlier in the summer to keep plants compact and bushy (for taller varieties). Otherwise, deadheading will help to keep plants looking tidy and encourage more flowers later in the season.

Toxicity: Ageratum spp. are considered toxic for both humans and pets, having a nasty effect if ingested. So, it is best to keep it away from inquisitive hands and mouths.

FAQs

Can I grow flossflower in pots?

Yes, flossflowers can be grown in pots. In fact, this tender plant is perfect for adding pops of lilac to your container displays. In summer, I would recommend keeping the soil well-watered, and be sure to fertilize once every few weeks with a bloom booster feed, which will encourage the plant to keep producing flowers through to fall.

If you have a greenhouse, you can take softwood cuttings of flossflowers in summer, protecting them in the warmth until spring, when they can then be planted outside as the temperature rises.

For a lilac-blue low-growing plant, see our guide on how to grow lungwort.

Shop flower growing essentials

Japanese anemone bring pops of color in late summer and early fall, at a time when many other flowers have started to fade. They put on an outstanding late show of blooms, which come in shades from white to magenta, that also attracts bees and butterflies.

Also known as windflowers, Japanese anemones are perennial plants in the ranunculus family that reach 2-4 feet tall. They make graceful plants for any flower beds, thanks to their large blooms that sit atop tall stems and gently nod in the late summer breeze.

If you want to add to your backyard ideas and grow Japanese anemone, the good news is that they are adaptable perennial plants and simple to maintain. This guide on how to grow Japanese anemone includes where to plant them and the maintenance required for thriving plants.

How to grow Japanese anemone – here’s all you need to know

Japanese anemone can grow in US hardiness zones 4-9 and are versatile plants that can grow in various conditions. However, Japanese anemone is toxic to people and pets. If your home has curious children, dogs, or cats, you may look elsewhere for perennials to add to your yard.

How to grow Japanese anemone - planting tips

Japanese anemone plants are available for purchase from garden centres, nurseries, or online throughout the growing season and can be planted from spring to fall. Planting Japanese anemone is best done in the cooler weather of spring or fall, rather than mid-summer, when the temperature is cooler and the ground is moist.

If you have existing clumps in your garden, you can propagate Japanese anemones by dividing plants or taking plant cuttings in spring.

Japanese anemones can grow in full sun or part-shade. Avoid too much shade, though, as it can cause leggy, floppy plants with few blooms. As well as in flower beds or borders, you can grow Japanese anemones in pots as part of your container gardening ideas.

'They will do best where they will receive morning sun but will have some shade to protect them from the scorching sun of the afternoon,' advises highly-experienced gardener Lucie Bradley. Their fondness for such a dappled shade location makes them great plants for under trees or for woodland garden ideas.

When it comes to soil types suitable for growing Japanese anemones, they do thrive in fertile soil that drains well.

'Before planting, I would always recommend digging compost, well-rotted manure or leaf mold into the ground,' adds Lucie. 'Any of these will help to improve the structure of the soil, not only providing a boost in nutrients but also making it more porous for improved drainage, important when planting Japanese anemones as they don’t like being in soggy, waterlogged soil.'

How to grow Japanese anemone - care tips

Japanese anemone care can be simple, but there are a few key maintenance tasks that you need to know about:

Watering

Watering can be a balancing act when you grow Japanese anemone, but with a bit of care and attention, your plants can thrive. When and how much you need to water depends on your climate, soil type, and seasonal conditions, but here are some key rules to remember with these perennial plants.

'The key with watering Japanese anemones is consistency and moderation,' advises Thom Rutter, an experienced gardener and content editor at Homes & Gardens. 'They are not drought-tolerant plants and dislike drying out, while they also struggle sitting in sodden soil due to overwatering, which can lead to root rot.

'The key is to keep the soil consistently moist. Check the moisture levels using a soil moisture meter and water plants deeply during prolonged periods of dry weather. Mulching around plants with compost, leaf mold, or shredded bark is a recommended way to retain moisture in the soil and protect the roots from high temperatures.'

A soil moisture meter like this one at Amazon can give instant results on an easy-to-read dial to help make decisions about watering plants.

Feeding

Japanese anemones are not heavy feeders, and you may not need to fertilize plants regularly as with other flowering perennials in your borders.

'As long as you prepare the soil before planting and incorporate new organic matter each spring, they should receive sufficient nutrients from the soil to produce beautiful blooms,' says Lucie Bradley.

'If you are at all worried about the level of nutrients in your garden soil where they are growing, you could always add a slow-release fertilizer in spring or work in some bone meal.'

Any spring fertilizer for Japanese anemones should be balanced, with an NPK of 5-5-5 or 10-10-10, and applied at the recommended rates, such as this slow-release plant fertilizer available at Amazon.

Pruning

Pruning is simple when you grow Japanese anemones. Deadhead flowers during the blooming season to encourage more flowers through summer and fall, and then cut the plants back either in winter or spring.

Leaving some seedheads over winter can provide birds with a food source during the colder months, and, if you prefer to do this, cut back the plants in spring before the new growth starts.

Division

Division is the easiest way to get new clumps of Japanese anemone to plant elsewhere and get new plants for free. Divide clumps in early spring, just as the new growth emerges, or in the fall.

Dig up a clump and split it into two or three sections with a shard spade or knife. Replant the new sections immediately and water them in thoroughly.

Shop Japanese anemone varieties

FAQs

Are Japanese anemone invasive?

Japanese anemones are not officially classified as invasive plants, but they are notorious for spreading rapidly if left to their own devices.

The plants spread by sending out vigorous underground stems and also by self-seeding, which can result in plants spreading out of their intended space and taking over areas.

Dividing clumps to control their size, removing new shoots in spring, and deadheading to prevent seeds from scattering will help prevent the spread.

Can you grow Japanese anemone in pots?

You can grow Japanese anemones in pots. It is important to use a large pot with drainage holes in the bottom to prevent the plant from sitting in sodden soil, and to fill it with a well-draining potting soil for container gardening.

Place the container in a part-shade spot on a deck or patio and keep a close eye on watering so the soil remains consistently moist.

Can you grow Japanese anemone from seed?

Yes, you can grow Japanese from seed. It is a slower process than dividing plants, though, plus the germination can be erratic, and you won’t get flowers in the first year. However, it is doable.

Japanese anemone seeds need a period of cold stratification to mimic natural dormancy (which can be achieved by placing them in a refrigerator before sowing) and are sown indoors in spring, around 4-6 weeks before the last frost.

The seeds then require temperatures of 50-60°F to germinate, making an unheated greenhouse or cold frame ideal in spring. You can transplant seedlings out into the garden after the last frost.

Do Japanese anemones come back every year?

Japanese anemones are perennial flowering plants that regrow every year when kept in ideal conditions. The plant’s foliage will die back in winter and start to grow again in spring. Japanese anemone plants have a long lifespan and are known to survive for over 30 years.

If you are seeking more perennials to bring color to your borders long past the end of summer, the addition of plants that come to the fore in fall will extend your displays. This guide to the best fall-flowering perennials features seven fantastic plants that will pick up the baton once the summer bloomers start to wane and bring dramatic seasonal displays.

For many of us gardeners, mid-August is when our fall thinking caps come on and we start to make plans for putting the garden to bed and adding colder season interest to the yard. But, there is one simple thing you can do to enjoy your summer planting for a little while longer: deadheading.

It's not too late to encourage an extended display by deadheading fading flowers to encourage plants to rebloom before the coldest temperatures kick in. Rather than leaving those wilting plants to wait out the rest of the summer season, make the most of the warm temperatures we're still experiencing by helping your plants to redirect their energy into reblooming.

Of course, it can be tricky to know what to deadhead when, as not all plants will reliably provide a second flush of flowers. To help you out, I've compiled a list of seven plants to deadhead in August, with advice from a gardening expert on how to do it, so you can tick this job off your summer gardening checklist.

Why deadhead plants in August?

Not all plants should be deadheaded in August. In fact, doing so is a deadheading mistake that can leave you without any plants for seedheads for winter interest and it can take away fading flowers wildlife are still using.

But, there are other plants that will benefit from being deadheaded because they still have plenty of energy they can use to put out a second round of flowers in the same season.

Here, experts shed light on seven plants to deadhead in August to help your summer display last a while longer, ahead of fall.

1. Pelargonium

Sometimes better known as bedding geraniums, pelargoniums are fantastic tender perennials that can bloom from spring through to fall. They come in a wide range of bright colors and variegations, and regularly removing their faded blooms will encourage a more abundant display.

'As soon as flower heads begin to fade or petals drop, follow the stem down to the main stem and snip off the entire flower stalk, not just the spent flower,' advises gardening expert Michael Clarke.

'Use scissors or pinch with your fingers to cleanly remove the old flower. This will encourage continuous blooming and prevent seed development,' he continues.

As Michael notes, these are quite easy blooms to pinch off with your fingers, but you can also use essential pruning tools (like these pruning snips from Amazon) to make a clean cut.

2. Veronica

Veronica is a stunning plant that certainly makes an impact in a purple plant scheme with its vibrant flower spikes. It typically starts blooming in June and by deadheading in August, you can enjoy flowers into fall.

It'll be obvious that it's time to deadhead veronica because the usually bright flowers will have dulled in color and may have browning or greening tips. Remove spent flower stalks just above a healthy set of leaves to ensure the plant puts on new growth.

Not deadheading plants above leaf nodes or new buds is a pruning mistake that can hinder your plant's ability to put on a second display of blooms.

3. Nepeta

Another lavender alternative, nepeta (or catmint) is often loved for its profuse flowering. But, it can start to look a little worse for wear by the time August comes around. The good news is it makes the list of plants to deadhead in August, tidying it up and encouraging new growth.

'After the first big bloom flush fades in early to mid-summer, use a pair of garden hedge shears (from Amazon) to shear the whole plant back by a third,' Michael recommends. 'Focus on removing spent blooms and some foliage to promote a second flush of flowers and keep the plant compact and tidy,' he says.

Read our guide on how and when to prune catmint for more information on different techniques to use.

4. Zinnia

Plants to deadhead in August don't just involve must-have perennials, you can get also more out of your annuals by giving them a bit of attention this month.

Zinnias are cut-and-come-again flowers, so it makes sense removing the flower stalks will encourage a returning display while the summer temperatures stick around.

I have zinnias growing in my cut flower garden and have been enjoying harvesting them to display in vases in my home. But, I have also allowed many of them to stay on display in my yard, offering a bright and cheery view.

When the blooms begin to fade and shrivel, I deadhead my zinnias. In just a matter of days, new flower buds appear. To do this correctly, cut the zinnia flower stem down to just above a set of leaves.

I find the stems of zinnias too tough for snips or scissors, and rather use pruning shears (from Amazon) to make clean cuts.

5. Lantana

This is another plant typically grown as one of the best fast-growing annuals, but it is actually a tender perennial. Lantana is a charming plant with clusters of multi-colored blooms. It belongs to the verbena varieties family and is popular with pollinators, flowering from early summer up until the first frost.

Deadheading is a key aspect of growing lantana if you want to promote a longer blooming period. Look out for when flowers start to form seedpods and then snip down to a leaf node.

When deadheading lantana, you may also wish to take lantana cuttings to propagate and get even more of these beautiful plants for free. You should also fertilize lantana throughout summer to aid flower growth (using this flower fertilizer from Amazon).

6. Coneflower

Coneflower is one of the easiest plants to deadhead in August to spot. It dramatically darkens in color, wilts, and its petals may even fall off.

'Cut the flower stalk down to a set of leaves or a side bud. Deadheading coneflowers will extend the bloom period and encourage branching with more flowers,' says Michael.

But, you may also want to consider leaving some of your fading coneflowers for your winter garden, as their seedheads make the list of the best architectural plants.

'Seedheads will also feed birds in winter and help other wildlife into fall,' Michael adds.

7. Lavender

It can be easy to mistake your lavender being done for the year when those iconic purple flowers become dull in mid-summer. But, getting out your pruners and deadheading lavender in August can reward you with a late summer, fragrant display that pollinators will thank you for.

'Once most flowers are faded or dried in mid to late summer, snip the stems down to just above the foliage mound,' Michael advises.

You want to avoid cutting into woody stems as this isn't likely to regrow. Although, there are a few things you can do to revive woody lavender plants. Reading up on our guide to lavender growing mistakes can also help you prevent your plant becoming so woody.

FAQs

Should I deadhead any shrubs in August?

Yes, there are many benefits to deadheading some flowering shrubs in August. Examples include butterfly bush, roses, and caryopteris, which can all typically provide a second flush of blooms if deadheaded during this month. Not all shrubs will benefit from deadheading in August, however, so it's best to do some research around the specific flowering shrub you have in your yard.

Once your second flush of blooms start to fade in fall, consider collecting seeds to replant next year. You can also using dried seedheads for decorating with dried flowers and indoor arrangements.

Shop deadheading essentials:

Hostas are hugely popular perennials grown for their decorative foliage. There are hostas of different sizes, leaf shapes, and colors, with shades of green, yellow, and blue, as well as decorative variegated patterns.

A key part of growing and caring for hostas has to be feeding plants annually to keep them healthy and looking in top shape. It is recommended to fertilize hostas twice a year, and this number increases if you grow hostas in pots.

Most of the focus with hostas is on how to stop slugs eating them, but don’t overlook how important feeding plants is. This focused piece looks at when and how to fertilize hostas, including the best time to feed and the types of products to use. It’ll ensure your hostas look superb year after year.

When to fertilize hostas

It all starts when you plant hostas. Hostas like rich and well-draining soil, so mixing in organic matter, such as compost or well-rotted manure, before planting, and using a slow-release, balanced fertilizer helps get hostas off to a great start in their new home.

Going forward, knowing the best time to fertilize hostas keeps them performing at their best season after season. As for how often to fertilize hostas, there are two ideal times for thriving plants:

• The first window to fertilize hostas is in spring, when the new growth starts to emerge. This is an ideal time to give plants the nutrients to develop strong early foliage growth.
• Fertilizing hostas in early summer is also recommended. As the Delaware Valley Hosta Society says: 'An application of fertilizer during the first part of summer will be appreciated by your garden treasures. Place the fertilizer around the dripline of your hosta, not on top of the crown. Be nice to your plants; kindness goes a long way.'

There is one major fertilizing mistake to avoid, and that is feeding them in mid to late summer. The East Tennessee Hosta Society warns: 'Do not fertilize after August because this will cause growth of soft foliage that would be damaged by early frosts.'

When you grow hostas in pots in a container garden, they will require extra attention. Give them a feed in spring, like with hostas in the ground, followed by a monthly dose of general-purpose liquid fertilizer until the end of August.

How to fertilize hostas

Picking the right fertilizer for hosta plants will give the best results and help avoid hostas turning yellow due to a lack of nutrients. The fertilizer requirements differ in spring and summer, plus there are real benefits to discover from mulching hostas.

To fertilize hostas in spring

The best type of feed to fertilize hostas in spring is a balanced granular fertilizer with an NPK of 10-10-10. This gives a safe level of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, and a slow-release product will release these essential plant nutrients over several months.

Examples of a balanced fertilizer are granular all-purpose feeds designed for flowers, including products from big names such as Growmore or Miracle-Gro, chicken manure pellets, and worm castings.

This 10-10-10 all-purpose fertilizer at Amazon is ideal for the task, while these organic worm castings at Amazon offer a lower NPK ratio but do make a great natural slow-release feed.

To fertilize hostas in summer

During early summer, you can give a second application of the same feed as spring, just in liquid form rather than granular. Such as this 10-10-10 liquid fertilizer with seaweed and iron at Amazon.

Such liquid feeds are mixed with water and applied when you water plants, and they provide a quicker dose of nutrients than granular products. The nitrogen in the feed will keep foliage healthy, while phosphorus helps develop strong roots to help winterize hostas.

Avoid using high-nitrogen feeds to fertilize hostas in summer, as they will encourage the lush production of foliage that will be extremely attractive to slugs.

You can get liquid feeds from stores to fertilize hostas in summer, such as a tomato feed, or there are ways to make a plant fertilizer. This includes making compost tea, steeping a comfrey feed or making a plant fertilizer using weeds, such as nettles.

Mulching hostas

Mulching hostas with organic matter, such as compost, leaf mold, bark, or shredded leaves, will suppress weeds, regulate the soil temperature, retain moisture in the soil, and release nutrients to the plants as it decomposes.

Add a 2-3 inch layer of mulch in spring, taking care only to spread it around the hostas and not putting it over the crown of the plant.

Shop more fertilizer options for hosta plants

FAQs

Is tomato feed good for hostas?

A liquid fertilizer designed for growing tomatoes can be beneficial, especially for feeding hostas in pots.

Are coffee grounds good for hostas?

Used coffee grounds do add nutrients to the soil. They can be beneficial if spread around hosta plants, as they will both feed them and stop slugs destroying plants, as coffee grounds can help deter slugs and snails.

Can I use Miracle-Gro on hostas?

Yes, there are beneficial Miracle-Gro products you can use on hostas. For example, the water-soluble all-purpose plant food at Amazon can feed hostas in summer, both in the ground or containers, while the shake’n’feed all-purpose plant food, also at Amazon, can be used to fertilize hostas in spring.

Another key maintenance task is dividing hostas every four or five years. The performance can wane if the clumps get compacted, so dividing plants in early spring, just before they start to grow, helps you rejuvenate clumps and give you more plants to add around the garden.

Coneflowers are one of my go-to perennials for long-lasting summer and fall color. And, not only are they made of tough stuff, they are also loved by pollinators in summer and hungry birds who enjoy snacking on the seed.

They are remarkably easy to grow, but for all their toughness, coneflowers do respond well to a little extra care, and feeding is one of the easiest ways to keep them flowering during August and September. But I wouldn’t throw fertilizer at them without reason. If your clumps are already producing a good number of blooms, there’s no need to overapply. But if they are sparse or starting to look a little tired, some deadheading and a quick feed can really perk them up, in my experience.

So, while you may already know how to grow coneflowers, here’s what I’ve learned over the years as a professional gardener about feeding them for the longest, strongest display.

How to fertilize coneflowers

There are many different coneflower varieties, most of which can be grown somewhere between zone 3 and zone 8.

One of the most popular is the native purple coneflower, or Echinacea purpurea, which produces masses of daisy-like, vibrant blooms, seen in the image above.

Whatever coneflowers you grow in your yard, the occasional feed can help to give your perennials a boost during summer.

When to fertilize coneflowers

In general, coneflowers are not greedy perennials. In fact, I have found that too much feeding, especially with high-nitrogen products, can lead to leafy growth at the expense of blooms.

Instead, I would stick to feeding them just once or twice during the growing season if they are lacking in flowers.

So, anytime between June and September is recommended. Feeding any later than this would be a fertilizing mistake to avoid, as no amount of feed will be able to extend the growing season.

The only time I would advise anything different would be if you are learning how to grow coneflowers in pots.

This is because container plants are entirely reliant on you for nutrition, so feeding them every few weeks during spring and summer is best.

How to fertilize coneflowers

Learning how to fertilize coneflowers could not be simpler. But, importantly, using suitable products with the right plant fertilizer numbers is key.

I would suggest using a feed with a higher potash (or potassium) value, something in the range of 5-5-8 or 4-4-6. You are looking for a product with a higher third value.

Something like this organic tomato fertilizer from Burpee, available from Amazon now, would be ideal.

For potted coneflowers, I would stick to a liquid feed, applying once every three weeks, watering carefully at the base of your perennial to avoid splashing the leaves.

And, importantly, to keep your plants looking happy and floriferous, do not forget to deadhead coneflowers regularly through August.

However, towards the end of the growing season, leave the flowers in situ, so the local goldfinches can snack on the seeds in the early fall months.

FAQs

When should I mulch coneflowers?

Yes, mulching coneflowers that are growing in borders is a good idea. Doing this once a year in the fall or winter is best. A good two-inch (or thicker) layer of well-rotted organic material is ideal, and will give your plants a boost for the year ahead. Doing this may also reduce any need for fertilizing, too.

In general, you might find your coneflowers are blooming just fine without much need for fertilizer. So, feed sparingly, and only if you think your plants need it. With an annual mulch and the occasional sprinkle of feed, your coneflowers should put on quite a show.

For more feeding information, see our guide on how to fertilize daylilies this summer, to keep your borders in fine form.

Shop garden accessories

Lungwort is a shade-loving spring-flowering perennial plant often used to fill trickier spots in a garden under trees and shrubs. If you have a smaller garden, you can still grow lungwort in pots, provided you have them in the right spot and give plants the TLC they require.

Also known as pulmonaria, lungwort plants reach six to 12 inches tall and have delicate pink, blue, or white blooms in spring, depending on the variety. The one potential drawback is that, when you grow lungwort in pots, it needs more attention than plants in the ground.

But how much extra attention? And is it worth it? To answer these questions, this guide to growing lungwort in pots looks at five key elements that will keep plants happy, including the maintenance involved in caring for them.

5 crucial elements to get right with lungwort in pots

If you ever wondered, can I grow lungwort in pots, well the answer is yes. These perennial plants can do well in many types of containers, provide you heed the following advice:

1. A suitable pot

A basic element to get right with container gardening is to give each plant the proper pot. The right container ensures a plant thrives, while the wrong pot can leave it unhappy or contribute to a plant’s demise.

For lungwort in pots, they want a medium-to-large container. The plants may not be huge, but they grow quickly and have an expansive root system. An individual lungwort can grow in a minimum 12-inch container, while two plants will happily thrive together in an 18-inch container.

A container can be plastic, metal, ceramic, wood, or concrete. However, lungworts are not necessarily suited for being put in terracotta pots, as these tend to dry out quickly.

What is imperative is that any container has drainage holes in the bottom. This means any excess water can escape, preventing the plant from sitting in waterlogged soil.

A young lungwort should start life in a smaller pot and be repotted into larger ones. This is better than going straight for a large pot, as ‘overpotting’ and putting plants into too-large homes causes them to suffer from excess moisture in the soil.

2. The right soil

Lungwort in the ground prefers to grow in rich, moist, and well-drained soil, and you need to provide those same conditions when growing lungwort in pots.

Use a quality potting mix designed for pots, which always makes the best soil for container gardening. These products are a mix of ingredients that provide good drainage and nutrients to potted plants.

Check any product to see if it contains sphagnum peat moss. As it is advisable not to use mixes with peat moss, as it can lower the pH away from the 7-8 that lungworts prefer. You can get potting mixes that contain compost or coir, such as this organic potting mix at Burpee.

Never reuse potting soil, as it may be depleted of nutrients and harbor pests or diseases. And do not use garden soil in pots, which may also contain harmful bacteria or fungi, and also sits too wet and leaves plants susceptible to rotting.

3. The ideal location

Lungwort in pots prefers a part-shade spot in your yard. They are ideal shade plants and can happily grow in the part-shade of buildings on a deck or patio, or dappled shade underneath garden structures, trees, or shrubs.

Look around your yard to find a location where lungwort receives the shade it needs to thrive, but will get at least three hours of sunlight. Too much shade and not enough light can impact blooming and deprive you of the sight of the lovely tubular flowers in spring.

It would be a mistake to place pots in full sun. While lungwort will tolerate morning sunshine, it needs protection from the intense afternoon sun during summer. Too much sun can lead to leaf scorch and the plants to wilt.

One benefit of growing lungwort in pots is that you can move the containers out of the sun when needed, or to a spot with a bit more light if there is too much deep shade in the first location.

Lungwort plants are hardy in US hardiness zones 3-9. In colder climates, lungwort in pots are best moved to a protected space for winter to prevent the roots getting harmed by frosts. Alternatively, you can get covers, such as these winter pot covers at Amazon, that can be put around containers to insulate them.

4. Remember regular watering

As mentioned earlier, there is an extra workload involved when you grow lungwort in pots compared to when they are in the ground.

Lungwort do require watering and feeding when growing in flower beds or garden borders, even as relatively drought-tolerant perennials, they perform best with consistently moist soil, a feed in spring, and mulching.

In particular, how often you water plants increases with lungwort in pots. The plants like the soil to be consistently moist, so they may need deep watering at least once a week during summer.

When watering plants in containers, check the moisture level a few inches under the surface either with your fingers or a soil moisture meter. When the top few inches of soil are dry, water the pot until it runs out of the drainage holes.

Keep the soil moist, but avoid overwatering plants. Lungwort does not like sitting in soggy soil for long periods, it impacts their growth and runs the risk of root rot.

5. Annual fertilizing is crucial

Lungwort in pots benefit from feeding with a balanced slow-release fertilizer in spring, and again in summer.

Use a granular fertilizer and mix it into the top layer of the soil, before watering in well. This regime should provide enough nutrients for the plant to develop healthily and put on a strong flowering display.

One good example of a product to use, and one I have used to feed container plants over the years, is this Osmocote smart release plant food, available at Walmart, that has an NPK of 14-14-14 and feeds plants for up to four months.

Topping the soil with fresh compost each year will also supply food to the plant. This can be done in early spring for an early boost of nutrients, or in the fall to protect the roots from the winter cold.

FAQs

Can Lungwort be a houseplant?

Lungwort is not a conventional indoor plant, but it can grow as a houseplant in the right conditions. The most important aspect to get right is the light. It will need a sunny spot with lots of indirect light, as indoor light is not as intense as outdoors, rather than a south-facing window. It wants to be away from fluctuating temperatures that come from radiators, air circulation, or drafts, and not allowed to dry out.

One bit of good news is that, whether growing in the ground or pots, lungwort does not require much pruning. Simply remove the entire flower stems after blooming with clean and sharp pruning shears, and remove any damaged leaves to keep the plant looking in top shape.

For taller perennial plants that can always be relied on to inject a punch of color in summer borders and pots, red hot pokers, or Kniphofia spp., are a strong option. Native to sub-Saharan Africa, these fiery perennials will always turn heads with pops of orange, red, peach and white. One of my favorites is 'Tawny King', which is a salmon-peach pastel variety that, to me, is a little less busy than the two-tone options.

Red hot pokers are incredibly tough once they’ve settled in to your yard, thriving in poor soil and asking for very little. But one task that will extend the floral show in summer is deadheading. A simple snip every few days can encourage your plants to produce more flowers for as long as possible.

So, if you already know how to grow red hot pokers but want a little advice on deadheading, you've come to the right place. Here, I explain when and how to deadhead red hot pokers to keep your perennials looking spectacular for as long as possible this year.

Deadheading red hot pokers – my top tips

Whatever varieties of red hot poker you enjoy, deadheading is a great way to encourage your plants to produce as many flowering stems as possible. So, make sure to add this to your summer gardening checklist this year.

If you fancy adding an unusual dwarf variety to your containers or borders, try this crimson 'Red Hot Popsicle' red hot pokers, with live plants available now via Nature Hills.

How to deadhead red hot pokers

In most regions, red hot pokers tend to flower sometime in summer, usually around June, July and August, depending on the variety, local climate and your US hardiness zone.

While individual blooms will last about three weeks (around the 18 days mark), with consistent and regular deadheading, these tall perennial flowers will keep emerging right through until fall, particularly during mild years. While their numbers will dwindle, you can still eek out an extra one or two stems even in late September.

Red hot pokers flower from the bottom up, so those petals that open first (lower down the stem) will have fallen by the time the petals at the top of the flower have seen the light of day.

And, where the flowers have turned brown and the petals have fallen, small green seedpods will begin to swell.

Of course, you can leave these fading flowers and seed pods to stand, but if you want to encourage more flowers, it is a good idea to trim these stems, cutting right down to the base of the plant.

Use something like these highly rated Felco F2 pruners, available from Amazon, which will easily slice through red hot poker stems.

While you can wait until all petals have dropped, I would probably suggest pruning red hot pokers a little sooner than this, to redirect energy into flower production as opposed to seed production as soon as possible.

To note, many red hot poker cultivars are actually sterile and won't actually produce seeds. But, even for sterile plants, deadheading will encourage more flower stems to form, so really, it is worth doing for all varieties.

FAQs

Can you compost trimmed red hot poker stems?

Yes, all red hot poker flowers, stems and leaves can be added to your compost heap. This green waste will quickly break down, just be sure to snip any chunky or longer stems up into smaller pieces (no more than a few inches), which will help with the composting rate.

Red hot pokers are remarkably drought-tolerant, surviving in arid-like conditions without rainfall in their native habitat. However, deep watering once a week can help with flower production, particularly if the summer is incredibly hot.

For more flower inspiration, see our guide on deadheading agapanthus, to get the most out of your yard this summer.

Shop garden accessories

Shasta daisies, or Leucanthemum spp., are stalwarts of the summer garden. Often producing masses of daisy flowers during July, August and September, these perennials are both tough and reliable, returning year after year without fail. But, while they are remarkably easy to grow, it can help to learn how to fertilize Shasta daisies during spring and summer, particularly if yours aren't flowering as well as they used to.

I’ve loved Shasta daisies for many years, although I am particularly fond of the aptly named 'Banana Cream' variety, which produces masses of pale lemon blooms and looks great in pots. With a light feed and regular deadheading, I have enjoyed 'Banana Cream' flowers right through until the first frost.

So, if you already know how to grow Shasta daisies, but want to get the most out of your prized perennials this summer, applying a little feed can go a long way. Here's everything I know about when and how to fertilize Shasta daisies, including tips on the best products for the best results.

How to get the most out of your shasta daisies

I think that Shasta daisies are some of the best perennials, happily growing in sunny yards from zone 5 to zone 9 without much effort required.

If you want to enjoy a pale yellow variety this summer, I highly recommend the 'Banana Cream' variety, with live plants available from Amazon now.

While not always necessary, a light feed every now and then can give your plants a boost during summer. Here's when and how to fertilize Shasta daisies.

When to fertilize shasta daisies

It is not always necessary to feed Shasta daisies, and I would caution against using fertilizer for the sake of it.

So, if your Shasta daisies look healthy and happy, and they are full of flowers in summer, chances are you do not need to fertilize.

If, however, your clump is a little light on blooms this year, or perhaps you are worried about growing perennials in poor soil, then it can certainly help to lightly feed during the growing season.

Do so sparingly, feeding once at the start of spring and once during the summer. Anymore is probably not needed and would be considered a fertilizing mistake.

But for any Shasta daisies growing in pots, there is a different approach. I would suggest feeding once every two or three weeks, largely because container plants are entirely reliant on you for water and nutrition.

How to fertilize shasta daisies

For Shasta daisies, you can feed once using a general-purpose fertilizer in spring. Using a slow-release product can be a good idea and will reduce any need for further fertilizer use later in the summer.

Try something like this organic slow-release feed, available from Amazon.

If you are feeding later in the growing season, you will want to opt for a bloom booster feed that is designed to maximize the number of flowers.

In terms of plant fertilizer numbers, you are looking for a product with a higher potash value, which is the third figure in the fertilizer ratio. So, this means sourcing something like 4-5-8 or 5-5-9.

Something like this organic tomato fertilizer from Burpee, available from Amazon now, is a good idea to maximize blooms.

You can also mulch your borders once a year during fall or winter, once you have cut back your perennials down to the base.

A good layer (around two to three inches) of organic mulch will help to improve the nutrition and structure of your soil.

And, finally, remember to keep deadheading Shasta daisies. Spending ten minutes every couple of days removing any faded blooms will help to prolong the flowering season.

FAQs

When should I stop feeding Shasta daisies?

Usually, plant growth and flower production will begin to wane by early September, and it is at this time that you should stop feeding. Sadly, no amount of feed can prolong the summer or prevent the change in seasons, and so fertilizing late in the season will do no good.

In terms of when to cut back Shasta daisies, I would suggest leaving them to stand until the New Year.

Even when they are brown, wildlife will be grateful for shelter and sustenance during the colder months of the year, and I think browning plants help to keep interest in the yard, too.

For more fertilizing information, see our guide on how to fertilize daylilies to discover how to get the most out of your plants this summer.

Shop gardening accessories

If you enjoy tall flower spikes in backyard borders, for height and structure alongside your low-growing perennials, then I do not think you can do much better than Veronica spp.. Also known as speedwells, veronica plants erupt in colorful flowers from midsummer, oftentimes lasting right up until October or even November.

A few years back, I grew a pale pink variety in a London garden, Veronica spicata 'Heidekind', which produced pastel-colored blooms for much of July and August. Alongside white dahlias (I love the star-shaped Dahlia 'Honka Fragile') and Cosmos 'Pink Lemonade', it was blush perfection.

There are many different varieties of veronica to choose from, including lofty purple bloomers and low-growing whites and magentas. So, whatever your preference for size, shape and style, you are sure to find one that is perfect for your backyard. Here's everything I know about growing these perennials, including tips on how to grow veronica in pots and borders, pruning and feeding.

How to grow veronica

I think that veronica are some of the best tall perennial flowers, helping to plug gaps in borders with height and color. And, not only do they look good, but they are also some of the best plants for pollinators, valued by bees and butterflies for their nectar.

Fortunately for us, learning how to grow veronica is relatively simple, so long as you follow a handful of rules as set out here, with advice from one plant expert based in Wisconsin.

Growing habits for veronica

'Veronica, or speedwell, is a tough and hardy perennial that I adore,' says Katie Sunderlage, a garden expert based in Wisconsin.

'It can be grown down to zone 3, and is very adaptable to many types of conditions and climates.

'I find they do best in full sun but can also be grown as part-shade perennials,' Katie adds, 'as they can tolerate some light shade or filtered sunlight.

'You can grow veronica from seeds, cuttings, divisions and also pre-potted young plants from nurseries.

'One of my favorite groups is the 'Skyward' series,' Katie says. 'This variety comes in lilac, blue, pink and light pink – take your pick!

'They are a fairly newer group of plants that have the same upright blooms of other varieties, but they are resistant to deer and powdery mildew and are bred to be more durable and hardy.

'What's more, most Veronica spp. have a high bloom count, attracting essential pollinators, which is wonderful to see.'

Live 'Pink Potion' veronica plants can be ordered now via Walmart, and will inject plenty of colorful pink blooms into your yard this year.

Care guide for veronica

Soil: 'Plant in well-drained, fertile soil, as poor drainage can cause some potential issues such as leaf spot, root rot and powdery mildew,' Katie says. 'You can add some grit to the soil when planting, or remember to complete some mulching every year in the fall to improve the structure of your beds.'

Light: Veronica do best in full-sun situations, preferring at least six hours of direct sun each day. However, in warmer regions, like zone 8 or zone 9, you can get away with part-sun-part-shade, so long as they get a good few hours of light in the morning.

Watering: 'When planting, it’s important to complete some deep watering, thoroughly and regularly soaking your plants until established,' Katie adds. 'Once established, veronica can tolerate more drought-like conditions, but occasional watering is recommended during peak bloom time to help prolong flowers.'

Fertilizing: 'Using a slow-release, balanced fertilizer in spring is recommended to help them come out of dormancy,' Katie says. 'A bloom-booster can also help produce more flowers during August and September.' Try this organic bloom booster feed, available from Amazon.

Pruning: 'Deadheading or cutting back spent blooms is a great way to help encourage secondary blooms in the summer,' Katie adds. 'Then, you can leave brown stems to stand through the winter (for interest and to support wildlife), before trimming down to the base in February or March.'

Toxicity: Veronica is not reported as having any toxic effects on humans or pets.

FAQs

Can I grow veronica in pots?

Yes, you can grow Veronica spp. in pots. In fact, these colorful perennials are perfect for adding color and impact to container displays. Just be sure to keep pots well watered and fed during spring and summer, as they can quickly dry out and loose nutrients. For smaller containers, I would suggest growing a shorter variety, something like Veronica spicata 'Ulster Blue Dwarf', which grows no taller than one foot.

'It is a good idea to divide veronica plants every three years,' Katie says, 'which is beneficial for the overall health of the plant.

'Plants tend to start to die back in the center, which is an indication it’s time to divide. Divisions should be done in the fall when temperatures are a bit cooler.'

For more easy-to-grow blooms, check out our guide on the perennials that thrive on neglect, and fill your borders with low-effort but high-impact plants this year.

Shop planting accessories