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Perennial Sunflowers are Fall Gold

Perennial Sunflowers are Fall Gold Featured Image
The tall hybrid sunflower ‘Lemon Queen’ offers lots of starry yellow flowers in early fall.

Fall is for gold: golden trees, golden grasses, and golden sunflowers glowing in the fading sun of the season. The many sunflowers of fall are especially glorious, and unlike the common annual sunflowers of summer, they are perennials that come back year after year. Their numerous species are also American natives that deserve a place in our gardens for reasons beyond simple beauty.

Native perennials tend to be tough and easy, and their habitat value is nearly unmatched. Their profuse, daisy flowers draw hundreds of different insect pollinators and they mature to brown, crackling seedheads packed with nutritious seeds for winter birds and other wildlife. There are also lots of different species and cultivated varieties to choose from of varying heights, textures and colors.

Table Mountain Plant Haven
Table Mountain’ is a sweet, low-growing perennial sunflower perfect for smaller garden spaces. Image care of Plant Haven

Willowleaf Sunflower

Of the tall native sunflowers, the willowleaf sunflower (Helianthus salicifolius) is a particularly elegant charmer. Its fine, slender leaves and upright habit provide architectural interest through summer when plants are not in bloom. Then from September through October its stems elongate and become topped with starry, clear yellow flowers. The plants are very large, reaching 8 to 10 feet in height. If gardeners cut them back to 3 feet in early summer, they will be more compact and floriferous by fall. Another option is to choose the popular cultivar ‘First Light’, which only reaches 3 to 4 feet in height. This compact variety looks stunning when planted with the red-hued ornamental switchgrass ‘Shenandoah’. (Read more about ornamental grasses here!) For low, tidy flower borders gardeners can also choose from the super dwarf varieties ‘Table Mountain’ (16-18″ in height) and ‘Low Down’ (1–12″ in height).

Maximilian’s Sunflower

Another tall, prolific sunflower is Maximilian’s sunflower (Helianthus maximiliani), which has strap-like foliage and has upright stems that reach heights between 4 and 10 feet. Flowers appear from late summer to early fall. In the wild, plants are commonly found in prairies as well as limestone-rich soils. As with the willowleaf sunflower, plants can be cut back in June to maintain shorter, denser growth. Otherwise, plants may require staking by bloom time.

Golden daisies
Golden daisies top the Jerusalem artichoke and edible tubers are produced at the roots.

Jerusalem Artichoke

The edible tubers of Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus) make this tall, attractive sunflower a vegetable crop as well. This is a huge sunflower that spreads and needs lots of space, so it truly is better suited to the veggie patch. Stems commonly reach between 6 and 8 feet and become topped with pretty golden flowers by early fall. Thick, tuberous roots are produced by the plants that are crunchy and taste somewhat like a nutty artichoke (another sunflower relative). The tubers can be eaten raw or steamed.

Hybrid Sunflowers

A favorite hybrid sunflower found in garden centers and nurseries is ‘Lemon Queen’, which is a cross between the Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus) and stiff sunflower (Helianthus pauciflorus ssp. subrhomboideus). Its tall stems reach 5 to 8 feet and bloom in late summer to early fall. Plant with feather reed grass (Calamagrostis x acutifloraKarl Foerster’) and New England aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae) for an impressive fall combination.

'Capenoch Star' sunflower
Distinctive, large, golden centers distinguish the flowers of ‘Capenoch Star’ sunflower.


Another garden-worthy perennial sunflower with a more manageable height is Helianthus ‘Capenoch Star’It bears beautiful single flowers of rich gold from September to October atop 4- to 5-foot plants. Though a hybrid, this variety can self-sow, so expect some seedlings. It looks great planted alongside blue-hued grasses, like ‘Heavy Metal’ switch grass. 

Other Species Sunflowers

Many sunflower species are a little wild for the garden and best planted in urban meadows, roadsides or pollinator strips. The airy purple disk sunflower (Helianthus atrorubens) and super tall giant sunflower (Helianthus giganteus) fall into this category. 

Growing Perennial Sunflowers

Most sunflowers are meadow plants adapted to bright sunlight. Their soil needs vary from plant to plant, but most grow best in load with average to good drainage. The addition of some rich Fafard Premium Natural & Organic Compost Blend upon planting will help ensure plants get a good head start. High organic matter is especially important for Jerusalem artichoke yields.

Sunflower blooms attract a wide variety of insects including many bees, Syrphid flies, beetles, butterflies, and other insects. The seeds are eaten by many bird species, such as mourning doves, eastern goldfinches, chickadees, and nuthatches as well as rodents. Whitetail deer are even known to browse the foliage.

It’s not too late to add a little gold to your fall landscape. There are so many rewards to reap for such little investment, and with so much variety there’s practically a sunflower for every garden.

Helianthus atrurubens
The airy stems of purpledisk sunflower look best in a managed meadow setting.

Happy Garden Soil is Rich in Microbes

Garden with mainly soilBehind (or rather, below) every happy garden is a thriving population of bacteria (and fungi and other microbes). Every ounce of productive garden soil contains hundreds of millions of these microscopic critters, which are its very life. Feed the soil with organic matter (think compost), and the soil’s micro-life will respond in kind, converting nitrogen-containing compounds and other nutrients into forms available to plants (and humans).

Conversely, a soil without microbes is barren. That sweet juicy ruby-red tomato; those amber waves of grain; the gardens at Versailles; civilization itself – they all owe their existence to these humblest of organisms.

Soil Food Web

The soil food web comprises countless species interacting in a myriad of mind-numbingly complex ways. Fungi often take the lead, feeding on larger, tougher plant debris (such as wood) and breaking it down into smaller particles. Many fungi, in turn, require nutrients (such as amino acids) synthesized by other microbes. Bacteria – the most abundant soil micro-organisms – consume all manner of organic substances including each other. Protozoa roam the soil’s watery pores, gobbling up bacteria and releasing their nutrients. It’s a jungle down there.

Soil in hand
Every ounce of productive soil contains hundreds of millions of these microscopic critters.

Ultimately, this complex bustle of microbial activity feeds the plants that fed it. Bacteria release the nitrogen locked up in organic matter by converting it into nitrates and other inorganic forms required by plants. Beneficial fungi (known as mycorrhizae) thread their way around and into roots, exchanging nutrients from the soil for sugars synthesized in the plants’ leaves. Symbiotic nitrogen-fixing microbes (such as the bacteria that inhabit the roots of beans and other legumes) pluck nitrogen molecules from the air and split them into individual atoms, making them available to their plant partners. And humus – organic matter that’s been fully broken down by the microbial food web – bonds soil particles into fluffy, moist, well-aerated, nutrient-holding clumps, creating that enviable texture known as good tilth. This is the sort of soil that avid gardeners prize.

Soil Organic Matter

Organic matter is the key to a healthy, happy soil microbial community, and to the fertility and good tilth that come with it. For gardens blessed with good soil, annually apply enough compost or other organic matter to compensate for what the garden produces during a growing season. A relatively light, rapidly decaying compost such as Fafard Premium Natural & Organic Compost Blend is best for short-lived plants (e.g., annuals and vegetables). Trees and shrubs, on the other hand, benefit most from a coarser compost with a higher bark content such as Fafard Ultra Organic Planting Mix.

Fafard Premium Natural & Organic Compost Blend packHeavy, sandy, or sterile soils can use all the organic matter they can get. Top dress as often as possible with suitable materials: leafy mulches for herbaceous plants; more woody mulches for shrubs and trees.

Fertilizing Soil

Fertilizers – especially fast-acting chemical fertilizers – are never a substitute for adequate organic matter and a healthy microbe community. Soils low in organic matter have little nutrient-holding capacity, resulting in rapid fertilizer nutrient loss (and likely runoff into neighboring bodies of water). Additionally, too much nitrogen can reduce the amount of organic matter by stimulating soil microbes to consume more carbon. Likewise, avoid the use of fungicides and other chemicals that are potentially toxic to soil microbes. Their health is critical to your garden’s (and the planet’s) health!

Ornamental Grasses for Fall

Soft switchgrass
Soft switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) clumps and fall composites mingle beautifully in this late-season bed.

Fall has emerged as a full-blown “third season” for gardeners, with as much color and interest as spring and summer.  Cooler temperatures make it easier to work outside and the fall garden renaissance has created an array of new plants to join the old standbys.  Among those new and newly rediscovered plants are many ornamental grasses that are at their best in the fall, flowering boldly in containers, beds, and borders.  Some, like members of the eulalia (Miscanthus spp.) clan, grow high and wide and need generous amounts of garden space.  Others, including smaller varieties of fountain grass genus (Pennisetum spp.) fit nicely in containers.  Many ornamental grasses are on display right now at garden centers and nurseries.

The foxtail-like plumes of Pennisetums are striking in the fall garden.
The foxtail-like plumes of Pennisetums are striking in the fall garden.

Colorful Foxtail Grass

Fountain grass (Pennisetum spp.) is characterized by colorful fall flower heads that resemble fox tails or small bottle brushes.  Borne on supple stems, the flower heads arch outward from the foliage clump like the spray from a fountain.  The alopecuroides species is one of the best-known fountain grasses, with long, slender foliage forming rounded clumps that may grow up to 5 feet high and wide.  About the time the pinkish white flower heads reach their peak in fall, the foliage changes from green to gold, or even red, in the case of the ‘Burgundy Bunny’ variety.  Depending on the variety, fountain grass flower heads may be shades of white, rosy pink or even purple. Sun-loving pennisetums will tolerate both wet and dry soil conditions, making them perfect for rain gardens, bioswales or low spots in the landscape.  Smaller varieties, like the white-flowered ‘Little Bunny,’ make excellent container plants, topping out at 18 inches tall.  

Pink Muhly Grass

Muhlenbergia capillaris is a daunting name for a grass that shines in the early fall garden.  Better known as “pink muhly grass,” the plants grow up to 3 feet tall and wide, forming a mound.  As fall approaches, muhly grass undergoes a Cinderella-like transformation, bursting forth into a cloud of soft pink flowers that persist on the plant into the winter.  Though the color fades as the cold sets in, the cloud effect creates continuing garden interest.  All muhly grass is undemanding, asking only a sunny or lightly shaded situation and an annual pruning in early spring.  The grass is tolerant of a wide variety of conditions but thrives best in acid soil.  If your soil is neutral or alkaline, add an acidic soil amendment, like Fafard Sphagnum Peat Moss, for best results.

Shenandoah switchgrass
The purple-hued foliage and airy plumes of ‘Shenandoah’ switchgrass blend well with many other fall ornamentals.

Hakone Grass

Petite, eye-catching Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra) has long been a favorite of shade lovers and container gardeners.  Growing between 8 and 16 inches tall and equally wide, depending on variety, Hakone mounds neatly with graceful, cascading fronds.  The plants spread by underground rhizomes, with the potential to create a tough, but well-mannered ground cover.  The species features distinctive, bright green foliage in every season, but for fall interest, it is hard to beat ‘Naomi,’ a variegated variety that sports white stripes on each golden-green leaf.  Cool weather turns the green to purple, adding a new color dimension to the garden scheme.

Switchgrass

Feather reed grass
Feather reed grass has vertical plumes that are easily identified.

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) is a strong, vertical garden accent any time, growing 3 to 6 feet tall and half as wide in sunny or partly shady conditions.  Many varieties of this refined grass feature green or blue-green foliage that turns golden beige in the fall, but some also offer added color.  Cultivars like ‘Shenandoah’ bear foliage that emerges blue-green, turns red in summer and is complemented by delicate red flower spikes that mature to gold in the fall and persist into winter.  Foliage color and the rate at which that color changes in the fall varies according to the amount of sun exposure the plants receive.

Other Great Ornamental Grasses

The universe of ornamental grasses grows larger every year, with many types, from little ‘Elijah Blue’ fescue (Festuca cinerea) to tall ‘Karl Foerster’ feather reed grass (Calamagrostis spp.), offering strong statements from spring through the end of the growing season.  Space and imagination are the gardener’s only limitations.