Five Easy Steps to Fall Color for Your Yard

It’s time to say goodbye, at least until next year, to the irises, roses, lilies and other perennial flowers that gave us so much pleasure this summer. There’s no need to say adieu to color in your yard, though, as the days shorten and gray into fall and winter.  

So, what can you do to keep your garden in bloom?  You can’t go wrong with pansies, mums or violas, which are hardy and can withstand winter cold and frost.  Annuals, which only last one season, are a snap, said DeKalb County Extension expert Sarah Brodd. 

“They give you instant color,” Brodd said. “As long as you have good soil and are watering them, annuals are pretty much the easiest thing you can do.”

Easy-to-care-for ornamental cabbages, kale or grasses are other options, Brodd said. A frost might make the cabbage and kale look a little sad, but you can pinch away the afflicted parts, Brodd said, and the plants will be just fine.

Here are five easy steps to planting fall pathway or border flowers to brighten your fall and winter days, according to Brodd:

• Till the area you want to plant to get rid of the grass
• Add some compost and slow-release fertilizer to the soil
• Put the plants in the prepared ground
• Water
• Enjoy