What are some good flowers to plant for fall/winter?

Question

We just moved to a new home that has a HUGE flower bed. I have no clue about gardening or flowers!! I'd like to know, what kinds of bushes and flowers would look nice together and cover some space. Also low cost.. Thank you so much in advance =)

Answer 1

Plant shrubs in the background, then the taller perennials, followed by medium sized flowers, & finally the smaller flowers. Interplant some tulips, daffodills, & other spring bulbs amoung the perennials for instant spring color.

Azalea, Rhododendons, or Forsythia will look good with tulips daffodils,& spring bulbs followed by Forget-me-nots.

Azaleas like shade & will inspire you ...take a look :)
http://www.usna.usda.gov/Gardens/collections/azaleablossom.html

For the sunny area & instant fall color, plant some Mums, Aster, Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia),Blue Mist Shrub (Caryopteris) & Cardinal Flower (Lobelia) now. The Butterfly Bush (Buddleja Davidii) would look nice now, also. Mine is still blooming:
http://www.rubythroat.org/BushButterflyMain.html

A nice flowering plant for winter is the Helleborus:
http://www.sunfarm.com/plantlist/hellebores_main.phtml

Hamamelis mollis or Chinese witch hazel is a somewhat slow growing deciduous shrub which can eventually become a small tree. Golden yellow flowers bloom on bare wood January to March. They have a very spicy fragrance. H. intermedia a cross between H. mollis and a Japanese witch hazel blooms at the same time, but has varieties with orange, copper and deep red flowers.
http://www.hort.net/profile/ham/hammo/


Here's a 3-Season Shade Garden:
http://springhillnursery.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_55756

Red tulips look nice with dainty blue Glory of the Snow: http://www.waysidegardens.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/StoreCatalogDisplay?storeId=10151&catalogId=10151&langId=-1&mainPage=LGprodview&ItemId=8629&cid=wem000552

Josee Lilac blooms from late spring & continues to flower intermittently til frost. Just 4-6' tall. Columbine & Primerose would go well with it.

I also like the Variegated Weigela. Flowering lasts from late spring into fall.
You can plant Lily-of-the-Valley (mid-late spring) under it.
http://springhillnursery.com/product.asp?pn=02857
My Monet is a dwarf variegated Weigela, just 12 to 18 inches high with rosy purple-pink blossoms:
http://springhillnursery.com/product.asp?pn=02857

The Red Twig Dogwood bush looks cool against the white snow. It'll grow 10' & spreads so it's best used in the background.
http://www.youcanlearnseries.com/Landscape/Plants/RedTwigDogwood.aspx

I planted "Knockout" roses last October. They bloomed until a hard frost & survived the winter with just some pine needles as mulch. I paid $2 each for them at Home Depot because they were "on sale"... HD was originally selling these for $10 each.

You can get some real deals at these big box stores & the garden centers. Yesterday, I was able to buy some large decorative pots of multi-colored pansies for only 99cents. They look nice now ...and if they're protected with some pine boughs or such, they will bloom again in the spring & throughout most of the growing season.

Here's a site you might enjoy (Interactive guide to garden perennials, roses, and shrubbery):
http://www.gardenmob.com/blog1/category/on-roses/knockout-roses/

Winter Flowering Shrubs:
http://gardening.wsu.edu/column/11-10-02.htm

Good luck in your new home!!!! Enjoy :)

Answer 2

It really depends on where you live...the type of climate you have....
Mums, pansies, cyclamen (my favorite) and snapdragons give nice color in the cooler seasons....
Bushes that keep their color year round would include:
Sage, rosemary, Japanese boxwood, azalea....

If you want to have just a few plants/bushes, you can always bring beauty to a flower bed by mulching it & adding a bird-bath or statue....you can use a few large stones, too.

Answer 3

Pansies and mums are nice for fall and winter color.

Answer 4

in milder climates, pansies and snapdragons will go well into the winter..