By Haley Chapman and Keiko Zellner
As summer transitions to fall, we see a lot of changes in our environment, from the color of the leaves to the plants that grow. The season of fall is known best for its harvest times, cooling temperatures, changing leaves, and darkening nights, but many flowers thrive during this season. In this article, we will tell you about four of the best flowers that grow in Oregon during the fall!
The first flower on our list is the Victoria saliva. It's a perennial flower and blooms throughout summer to mid-late fall. This flower thrives in full sun to light shade with evenly moist well-drained soil. The flower is highly popular in gardens because of its hardy nature. It's very easy to grow with little to no maintenance besides watering in the summer. They also attract butterflies and hummingbirds. They grow in thick clumps with having pale blue color and are perfect for fall.
The second flower is the Japanese anemone. These flowers love light shade to partial sun, as well as moist but well-drained soil. They often take 1-2 years to establish, but once they do they can spread very rapidly which makes it a gorgeous filler plant. They don't like the winter as much as fall, so it's good to plan for that. This plant is native to China and has a pinkish-white color. The structure of this plant is like a delicate spider web but don't be fooled; they can withstand a whole lot.
The third flower is the aster flower. These flowers have a daisy-like appearance and come in many different colors. Those colors include pink, purple, blue, and white. Different varieties that grow in Oregon are the New England aster and the smooth aster. The New England aster has a striking purple color while the smooth aster has a more blue color to it. They attract pollinators which help support local ecosystems. They are also pretty low-maintenance so they're great for beginner gardeners! Aster flowers add a bright color to the fall season.
Our final flower is chrysanthemum. Chrysanthemums are very vibrant flowers coming in a variety of colors like red, orange, yellow, purple, and white. Different types that live in Oregon are hardy garden mums and spider mums. These flowers are also great low-maintenance flowers as well as great for attracting pollinators. Chrysanthemums have been used to symbolize friendship, happiness, and well-being in the United States. They are one of the most popular flowers for this season.
Oregon has an assortment of beautiful flowers that grow during the fall and these were some of our favorites. Victoria salvias, Japanese anemones, asters, and chrysanthemums are all wonderful flowers that are relatively easy to maintain and can withstand the fall weather. Look out for these flowers as we continue to transition into fall or grow your own!
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