It’s the home stretch of gardening season! Quick—get these perennials in the ground soon, before the soil freezes solid and a layer of snow is hiding our gardens.
Before you get any gorgeous new perennials in the ground, take note of these planting tips so that your plants are prepared for the winter ahead:
The ground usually starts to freeze around late November in Guelph, so get your perennials in the ground in October so they have plenty of time to settle into their new homes! Now, on to the fun part: our favourite perennials to plant in fall before the winter snow starts to fly!
One of the best things about ornamental grasses is that many varieties have multi-seasonal interest—even through winter! Leave their tall, wispy blades and feathery plumes intact after they turn brown in fall. Then, when the landscape is covered in a blanket of white snow, your grasses still remain tall, fluttering in the wind.
Big bluestem is one of our favourite varieties to plant in Guelph. It boasts beautiful blue-green foliage in summer, but in fall, it completely changes and becomes bright rusty red.
You’ll love the supersized blooms of this tropical beauty! It might be surprising to hear that this exotic flower is hardy to our Canadian winters, but perennial hibiscus is certainly tougher than it looks. Don’t worry if you aren’t seeing much new growth in spring—these perennials tend to arrive a bit later than the others. Just make sure you water the soil, and it should pop up in time to greet you with a burst of candy-coloured flowers.
You know we love our hydrangeas around here! These dramatic flowering shrubs are perfect for planting in fall when the soil is cool and mild. For the best fall colour to close out the gardening season, we recommend planting panicle hydrangeas. Their foliage takes on such vibrant red hues, and many varieties develop a pink flush throughout their petals.
This hot commodity is like an updated version of the wildly popular ‘Autumn Joy’ sedum. It grows taller and wider, with bigger, more plentiful blooms! Its rich rosy pink flowers appear in fall after our summer-blooming perennials have faded. ‘Autumn Fire’ never fails to bring a final splash of gorgeous colour before the winter scenery is draped in white.
The fragrant flower panicles of this flowering shrub will fill your garden with butterflies and other pretty pollinators. Its petals are usually purple or pink, but there are also some white, yellow and blue varieties. Depending on your chosen cultivar, butterfly bushes reach around 5–10 feet tall at maturity, making them ideal landscape plants for front yard privacy screens. Mix in lots of compost at the time of planting—these shrubs like consistently moist, well-drained soil!
This hardy geranium is known for its incredibly long blooming period. From late spring to mid-fall—nearly half of the year—Rozanne cranesbill will keep producing her signature icy violet flowers. Its emerald green foliage has subtle swirls of chartreuse throughout, quickly spreading 2–3 feet wide during its growing season. Use them as a filler plant between your flowering bulbs. That way, once the bulbs finish blooming and only their foliage remains, your garden will still be rich in colour.
Winter’s just around the corner! Pop into Royal City Nursery to find even more lovely perennials for sale in Guelph, ready to plant now.
