Autumn Attitude. Can I make a confession here? I’m utterly tired of whiny, bellyaching autumn gardeners. There, I said it, already I feel better! Why? Because the answer to MANY of the questions I regularly deal with this time of the year are from gardeners who believe that FLOWERS ought to be as abundantly available and at the forefront of seasonal container designs as they are in July.
Well, they aren’t. And they won’t be in the fall and winter, for the majority of the country, ever. Unless you are all right with the Chrysanthemums and Asters that bloom for such a short period of time. Those are fine for plants that you might switch out, but most of us don’t want that kind of work as it gets colder. The idea is that the flowers are now the seasonal accent for the next few months, not the main course.
Flower focused people will walk through the nursery and point-
Customer: “Can I use that one?”
Me: “No, that is a tropical, it will be dead in a week or two if left outside when it REALLY gets cold. How about this great plant? It has tons of texture and looks amazing with your container, plus you can re-use it somewhere else next year?”
Customer: “How about those, they are purple!”
Me: “I wish! Unfortunately, that one is about done blooming right now. What if we come up with a color palette of amazing foliage that is bright and showy? We can even find purple for you!”
Don’t get me wrong, I adore flowers! It’s just that at THIS time of the year, the “shoulder season”, I am a little more realistic about what will last, have some great color and interest as well as be a good value. A pansy or viola will serve as a lovely accent flower and will also bloom for months in the cold, it is just not the centerpiece or focal point that will hold attention.
Here is an example of what I’m talking about!
See? I’m only asking for a minor revolution in thinking here. 
Try plants on that you might never have considered before for fall and winter interest. You might make an AMAZINGLY creative discovery!
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