Here are some suggestions for herbaceous perennials you can include in your garden, to enjoy their spectacular fall foliage.
| Latin name (common name) | Colours |
|---|---|
| Aquilegia canadensis (Canada columbine) | Dark purple |
| Bergenia (Bergenia) | Bronze |
| Epimedium (Epimedium) | Bronze, yellow, red |
| Geranium dalmaticum (Dalmatian cranesbill) | Bright red |
| Iris sibirica (Siberian iris) | Yellow |
| Physalis alkekengi (Chinese lantern) | Yellow |
| Platycodon (Balloon flower) | Striking translucent yellow |
| Polygonum affine (Knotweed) | Red |
| Sedum kamschaticum (Stonecrop) | Orange-red |
| Sempervivum (Hens and chicks) | Purplish to red |
Perennials to plant with conifers
While trees and shrubs don their fall colours, conifers stay green all year round, although some of them take on purplish hues in colder weather – some cyprus (Chamaecyparis thyoides 'Heather Burn', for example) and junipers (Juniperus horizontalis 'Wiltonii' and Juniperus horizontalis 'Plumosa').
These conifers make a good contrasting backdrop for plants with grey, silver or pale yellowish-green foliage that persists until the fall.
| Latin name (common name) | Colours |
|---|---|
| Artemisia stellariana (Dusty Miller) | Silvery green foliage |
| Aurinia saxatilis (Basket of gold) | Grey foliage |
| Cerastium tomentosum (Snow in summer) | Silver foliage |
| Veronica incana (Silver speedwell) | Grey foliage |
Flowers
No garden would be complete without a few flowers that can withstand the elements right into fall. Here are a few essentials:
| Latin name (common name) | Colours |
|---|---|
| Aconitum carmichaelli (Monkshood) | Amethyst flowers |
| Anemone japonica (Japanese anemone) | White to pink flowers, depending on the variety |
| Aster spp. and cultivars (Aster) | Pink, red, pale blue or purplish-blue flowers, depending on the variety |
| Chrysanthemum weyrichii | Pink daisy-like flowerheads with yellow disks |
| Colchicum automnale (Autumn crocus) | Lilac flowers |
| Elsholtzia stauntonii (Mint shrub) | Purplish-pink flowers |
| Gentiana sino-ornata (Autumn gentian) | Bright blue flowers with dark blue and greenish-yellow stripes |
| Hylotelephium 'Autumn Joy' (Stonecrop) | Dark salmon-pink flowers |
| Physostegia virginiana (Obedient plant) | Pink or mauve flowers |
| Rudbeckia fulgida 'Goldsturm' (Black-eyed Susan) | Yellow flowers with brown to black cones |
Based on an article by René Giguère and Robert Mineau in Quatre-Temps magazine, Vol. 23, no.1.
