TN Nursery's Forbes Feature: The Plant Trends Actually Worth Planting This Fall
We had an interesting read in Forbes about landscaping trends recently․ It included an interview with TN Nursery owner Tammy Sons․ It was very gratifying because that's something we've been saying here for years․ What we want from our yards changes season to season‚ and fall is no exception․ So if you're trying to figure out what's worth planting right now in Tennessee or anywhere else in the Southeast or Zones 6-7 in general‚ here's the breakdown․
Fall Color That Isn't Just Mums
Everybody uses mums for fall color‚ and they're fine‚ but they're annuals in most places so you'd have to replant them every year․ If you're looking for some good fall perennials‚ try some asters‚ and some sedums․ Here in Tennessee‚ Sedum 'Autumn Joy' begins to bloom in late August and holds its rusty pink to bronze colors all through October and sometimes into a light frost․ Drought resistant once established‚ 'Autumn Joy' survives through our annual dry spells in September‚ also unpredictable․
Asters‚ particularly the New England Asters‚ also come into full purplish blue bloom just as the sedums are finally beginning to fade․ Planted in full sun with good drainage‚ neither plant should present a problem; you will have a six- to eight-week color window without replanting anything․ If you want that instant‚ saturated color from the flowers‚ consider them an additional accent‚ not the only element․
The Low-Maintenance Push Is Real‚ and It's Not Just Succulents
The desire for low-maintenance plants is not going away, and honestly‚ it shouldn't․ People are busy‚ and not everyone wants to devote time to a garden that requires constant care․ Although succulents and cacti receive much media attention‚ most of the desert succulents require indoor or container culture in humid Tennessee and must be brought indoors before first frost; most desert succulents will not survive winters unprotected outdoors in Tennessee․
Ornamental grasses are among the true low-maintenance‚ tough-as-nails outdoor performers in our area․ Once established (usually after one full growing season)‚ Tennessee natives such as little bluestem and switchgrass require little to no additional water and provide texture and movement from summer through winter․ There is no need to cut them back until late winter․ Other low-maintenance perennials suited for shade include ferns which like the dense tree cover often found in East Tennessee yards․
Unusual Plants: Misconceptions․ Where People Get It Wrong․
Carnivorous plants and air plants come up on every trend list because they're cool․ So let's discuss them․ Carnivorous plants like Venus flytraps and pitcher plants want consistently moist‚ acidic‚ nutrient-poor soil․ They also die in the winter‚ which confuses people who think they killed it in December․ It's normal dormancy and if you keep it in a cool area and do not let the soil dry out completely‚ it will return in the spring․
If you want something weird that's easier to maintain‚ try native pitcher plants that grow in Southeastern bogs‚ or oddball foliage perennials with variegated or deeply lobed foliage․ You'll still get the I've never seen that before effect‚ but without the dormancy learning curve․
Indoor Plants: The Fall Shift Indoors
As the temperatures drop‚ all the plant talk goes inside‚ where these trend pieces start to get repetitive․ Everyone just latches onto snake plants and peace lilies․ They'll both handle a bit of neglect (snake plants can survive pretty much anything‚ and peace lilies will droop when thirsty‚ almost making them impossible to kill with neglect)‚ but this is really when you should start thinking about what you're bringing in from the patio․
In late September or early October‚ before the first frost of the season‚ is the time to start bringing in tropicals and tender perennials that have spent the summer outside․ In Middle Tennessee‚ the first frost usually comes sometime in mid- to late October․ Watch for hitchhiking pests-a migrating aphid population will ruin an indoor plant collection․
Native and Sustainable Plants: Where TN Nursery Actually Specializes
This is the trend we care about most‚ because it's not really a trend for us - it's most of what we do․ Native plants make sense for reasons other than being marketable as sustainable - they're adapted to your region's rainfall levels‚ they're good for pollinators and birds‚ and they often need less care because they evolved in your local soil and climate․
Perennials tend to hold up best to the thick clay soil and muggy summer weather that Tennessee can serve up․ (You don't want to fight the climate and the plant at the same time․) One that you can count on is the purple coneflower‚ native to much of the eastern and central United States‚ blooming from early summer to fall‚ tolerating bad soil‚ and self-seeding if you leave the dead flower heads through winter (which the goldfinches appreciate)․
The term also describes a plant's ability to be propagated by division․ Most perennials‚ such as hostas‚ daylilies‚ and coneflowers‚ can be dug up and divided every three to four years to provide free plants for another spot in your garden or to give away to a neighbor down the street․ That's a different kind of eco-friendly than the marketing might typically suggest‚ but arguably more useful․
What This Means If You're Planting This Fall
One advantage of fall planting‚ not widely known outside Tennessee‚ is that soil temperature remains high enough for root growth for many weeks after the air temperature has cooled․ Perennials‚ shrubs‚ and trees planted in September and October will have already begun to root before going dormant for winter‚ and will begin to grow much earlier in spring‚ unencumbered by heat stress‚ than if they were planted in spring․
Now‚ if you're going through the trend list and trying to figure out what to plant‚ I would recommend plants that are suitable for your zone and your soil rather than what looks hot in a magazine feature․ That's what got us the mention from Forbes in the first place‚ and that's what we recommend for people who are working on a fall garden this year․
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