Time to Move Beyond COVID-19 and Into Fall Plants
September 1, 2020 I have written several pieces on the continuing roller coaster we call COVID-19. The bad news is it is winning. Things have degenerated into a rout — by the end of July the final score was approximately 165,000 to zero. The coronavirus has shown itself to be extraordinarily efficient in its ability to spread, but unfortunately it has not been a very good teacher.
It has tried its best to teach us how to avoid it, but as a nation, we keep skipping the classes about staying distant, washing, and the M word. In any country and group, there are those who don’t have the opportunity to practice the lessons, but I wonder if other countries have reported COVID-parties, Trump rallies, or other Darwin Award-worthy events. Watching stupidity is so exhausting. Why do we keep prolonging the agony?
On the other hand, there are a ton of positives that have been and will continue to emerge from these experiences. Families have become closer and people have learned to care for each other. American exceptionalism has shown itself in different ways, particularly in the dedication of healthcare workers, and so many others who believe in helping others. They are exceptional.
Danger aside, for those of us in the plant industry it has been without a doubt a far better year than we originally expected. Perhaps we were the default game, but more people than ever have discovered gardening, from zinnias to okra, and more people than we ever thought are visiting nurseries in person and have visited online sites en masse. We have become essential, not because of the beauty we bring, but because of the therapy we supply. Spring wasn’t nearly as bad as it could have been.
However, as we continue to be the only developed country who can’t get out of our way, the rest of the summer and fall are going to be challenging for everyone. Meetings, trade shows, and get-togethers have been abandoned well into November, and if we can’t get this thing under control, shows like MANTS in January may even be canceled. Every economist agrees that the economy is tied directly to our behavior; let’s encourage COVID-destroying behavior.
Fall Favorites for Growing and Selling
But that is for another day. Let’s talk about some cool things that make us smile, like a few great plants. Here are a few plants I look forward to for fall power.
Fall anemones: They are hard to beat for their flower power in the fall. Deer enjoy them, so be warned. My favorites are the much-loved ‘Honorine Jobert’ and the shorter ‘Pamina’. They have become lost in echinaceas and heucheras, but what hasn’t. With the appearance of ‘Fall in Love Sweetly’ from Proven Winners, perhaps more will be on the palette in the future.
Fall plants with flower power: Anemone ‘Fall in Love Sweely’
Photo by Allan Armitage
Aconitum, wolfsbane: Everyone loves blue, and there is sufficient choice in wolfsbanes to allow for late summer through fall flowering. These are not for the southern market; they are only useful as landscape plants in Zone 5 and further north. But there is plenty of market there. The common name should be a hint. Don’t plant it if pets and babies are sticking things in their mouths. ‘Arendsii’ is my favorite performer.
Gomphrenas: I confess. I have always been an in-the-closet globe man. I admire their tenacity and flower power, but I am always a little embarrassed to laud the dwarf forms like Gnomes and the Las Vegas series. However, with the appearance of ‘Fireworks’ they started to strut their stuff. They are colorful, flower forever, and are easy to grow and maintain. The Ping Pong series with its array of colors was also a big improvement, but for me, there is nothing finer than ‘Truffula Pink’. Having Dr. Seuss and globes in the nursery and/or garden, well, that is hard to beat.
Fall plants with pop: Gomphrena ‘Truffula Pink’
Photo by Allan Armitage
Sunflowers: Mr. Van Gogh made sunflower fields famous, and between ball players and the birds in my garden, sunflower seeds are everywhere. I admire the perennial sunflowers, my favorite being ‘Autumn Gold’. But oh my, there has been a surge of fine annual forms such as Sunfinity and Sunsation, but I have been most impressed with ‘Suncredible Yellow’. It turns out it is not just me. This plant earned Greenhouse Grower’s Medal of Excellence award for Best Performer in trial gardens around the country. As far as I am concerned, that is the most prestigious award of any.
Grasses: The fall is often their time to shine, providing handsome foliar color as well as flowers. We not only have incredible grasses to fill the landscape, we also have incredible nurseries (Hoffman Nursery and Emerald Coast Growers, to name but a couple) specializing in sales of grasses. The movement to native plants and the popularity of native grasses such as prairie drop seed (Sporobolis), little bluestem (Schizachyrium), and switch grass (Panicum) have gone hand in hand. For me, it is still hard to beat switch grass, Panicum, with their range of cultivars.
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