Fall annuals put their colors out in cooler weather

Cooler temperatures may signal the end of another summer, but they don't have to mean the end of color in your landscape. Unlike summer-loving annuals, fall annuals relish cooler temperatures and happily replace summer worn flowers in the border and in containers.

Mums

What would the fall landscape be without mums? Although technically considered perennials, most mums that we plant in the fall have trouble making it through the winter unscathed. Plant them as annuals in a sunny site where they will shine in a wide variety of colors from white and yellow to gold and bronze, red to burgundy, and pink to lavender and purple. When you purchase them in fall at your local garden center, mums have been pinched repeatedly and have so many flower buds the plants are literally blanketed with blooms.

Pansies

Pansies are the next must-have plants for the fall landscape. Often thought of as a partner for tulips and daffodils in the spring, pansies are just as nice in the fall. They add a bright splash of color in the garden or are perfectly paired with ornamental cabbage or kale in containers. The Delta series offers large-flowered blooms on compact 6-inch plants. They may be solid colored in shades of blue, yellow and orange or have a 'blotch' in the center of each red or orange flower. The Matrix series has superior branching resulting in better flowering with and without 'blotches' in shades of blue, purple, orange and yellow.

Cabbage and kale

Ornamental cabbage and kale are the next group of plants to consider. They provide long-lasting color in the fall landscape. In fact, they must have cool temperatures to reach their color potential. Large rosettes of gray-green foliage are marked with cream, pink or purple centers that become more intense as the weather turns cooler. Use ornamental cabbage or kale to brighten up gardens, window boxes and containers. They have looked beautiful in my garden as family arrived on Christmas morning.

How can you tell the difference between cabbage and kale? Plants with smooth leaf margins are considered types of cabbage; those with fringed or divided leaf margins are kale. Both are becoming classics in the fall garden.

Black-Eyed Susans

Annual black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia) are the quintessential flowers for fall. Indian summer produces large golden blooms with dark button centers on long, straight stems. I love the green-centered flowers of Prairie Sun. Their petals begin a soft orange and fade to yellow at the tips. Tiger Eye Gold offers masses of blooms with golden petals surrounding a brown eye. The flowers of a newer variety, Cappuccino, are huge compared to its cousins and look like miniature sunflowers. They sport petals divided into golden-yellow and mahogany-red surrounding a dark brown center. And last but not least, Cherokee Sunset has a

spectacular range of harvest colors of golden yellow, orange, bronze and mahogany. Flowers are semi to fully double on long, sturdy stems.

All black-eyed Susans attract butterflies by the dozens to your landscape. Plant these 24-inch-tall beauties in mixed borders or in large containers. They also make excellent cut flowers.

Million Bells

Million bells (Calibrachoa) is another flower we often choose in spring, but this cool weather-loving annual is also a charming pick for fall. The Cabaret series is a good choice for trailing over the edge of fall containers. They bloom heaviest in cool weather in shades of peach, purple, red, white and yellow. The only request million bells make of their gardener is to be careful of over watering and provide good drainage.

Wormwood

Plants with gray foliage are nice blenders in fall containers. Two ideal candidates are Powis Castle and Silver Brocade Wormwood (Artemesia). Although these are not annuals, but perennials, they are especially beautiful with blues, pinks and purples flowers in containers. Powis Castle offers fine-textured, feathery soft foliage. It grows about 18 inches tall and looks great when planted to contrast dark foliage. Silver Brocade has wider, larger silvery-white leaves.

All you need to complete the fall scene are some pumpkins and gourds to nestle among the fabulous fall bloomers.

•Diana Stoll is a master gardener and the retail manager at The Planter's Palette, 28W571 Roosevelt Road, Winfield, IL 60190. Call (630) 293-1040 or visit planterspalette.com.