Single-digit temperatures in the morning can mean only one thing. Fall is fast approaching.
Many perennials have pretty much done their "thing" by now, so many gardeners are tempted to turn their backs on the garden.
But with our short growing season, savvy gardeners know it is entirely possible to enjoy bloom in the garden right up to the first frost.
Tried-and-true pansies, for example, or potted mums -- now available at many of the big box stores, are guaranteed to give that last pop of colour as the rest of the garden winds down for the year.
And there are many perennials which will perform beautifully until Jack Frost wreaks havoc.
A must-have for late bloom is the garden chrysanthemum.
These are daisy-like perennials with aromatic, lobed leaves which, thanks to varieties developed by Manitoba horticultural research stations, will bloom in late summer and early fall.
And the list of varieties is extensive, including: The double white Morden Cameo; double yellow Morden Canary; double orange, bronze Morden Candy; double pink Morden Delight; double bronze red Morden Garnet; and the semidouble, lavender Susan Brandon.
Other late-flowering perennials include: Joe Pye Weed (Eupatorium); yellow perennial flax (Linum flavum compactum); Campanula punctata; perennial yellow foxglove (Digitalis grandiflora); false sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides); golden marguerite kelways; and purple or yellow coneflowers (Echinacae spp).
