Michelle McQuade

Fall Gardening: Best Plants for Sprucing Up Your Home’s Exterior

Fall in Chagrin Valley brings a wonderful change of scenery as the colors turn into rich hues of gold, orange, and red. Bring this beautiful display of nature into your own backyard. Give your garden a final makeover for the year and plant these stunning blooms and ornamentals to mature just in time for the season.

MUMS

Chrysanthemums blossom into vivid shades of yellow, orange, red, and burgundy, as well as lavender, peach, white, and even green. They come in many varieties with different bloom times, from early bloomers that start flowering in late July to late fall bloomers that show off their beauty in October.

Mums require well-drained and nutrient-rich soil, along with six or more hours of sunlight every day. You can plant them in batches of a single color or combine them with other shades to create a festive clump.

ASTERS

These daisy-like perennials which got their name from their star-shaped petals are perfect for any garden. They are easy to care and give your landscape a burst of colors, coming in a variety of hues including purple, pink, blue, and white. Asters grow to about two feet tall and draw in Monarch butterflies due to their nectar-rich blooms.

To care for asters, you need well-drained soil mixed with organic matter to improve soil structure and enhance root growth. Young aster plants should be planted one to three feet apart and watered once a week during their first year.

ORNAMENTAL PEPPERS

Pungent and spicy, ornamental chili peppers showcase a range of fall colors when they bear fruit. While bred for their appearance, their horn, cone, bell, or globe-shaped fruits are edible. But watch out as these fruits are too hot for some, and their leaves are toxic to both humans and pets.

Ornamental peppers thrive in the ground or containers, as long as they’re receiving full sun exposure. After one to two fall frosts, you should bring them indoors and place them on a windowsill to prevent stunted growth.

ORNAMENTAL CABBAGE AND FLOWERING KALE

Ornamental cabbage and flowering kale may look like your garden variety vegetables when they’re young, but at full bloom, they are exquisite showstoppers. While similar in appearance, there are also subtle differences. Ornamental cabbages feature compact, rounded heads with broad, flat, and wavy-edged leaves, while flowering kale has mounded, vase-shaped heads with curly, frilly, and ruffled leaveshas.

These plants are are among the fall foliage that could last through winter. They flourish when planted in consistently moist soil with full sun exposure, but they cannot stand sudden drops in temperature.

With their variegated shades of purple, pink, white, and red, ornamental cabbage and kale complement other fall-appropriate flowers and shrubbery. If the weather is too hot, a flower stalk could shoot up from their heads–causing them to set seed. Meanwhile, harsh storms can cause leaf tearing and shredding.

Looking for more gardening tips? Check out our blog for home improvement ideas, including sprucing up your exterior and greening your home.

If you’re looking for the perfect property or selling your home in Chagrin Valley, don’t hesitate to get in touch with me, Michelle McQuade. As one of Chagrin Valley’s best Realtors, I can help you achieve your real estate goals and have a smooth, seamless experience.

Give me a call at 440.823.2448 or send an email here.

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