As Garden Girls, we love planting flowers, and fall is one of our favorite times to do it. The weather is cooling down, which means our beautiful flowers won’t have to work as hard to survive the heat! We plant flowers primarily for their beauty and to attract pollinators. While it’s true that some annuals aren’t particularly attractive to bees and butterflies, many are. I’ve definitely seen bees and butterflies enjoying our petunias and pansies!
We believe a garden should be a thing of beauty! That’s why we build tall raised beds using high-quality steel and fill them with pretty, colorful flowers that bring joy. We like to say we’re gardeners, not farmers. Of course, we want a productive garden that provides plenty of fresh food for us and our families, but there’s something special about looking outside at a lush, colorful garden. It makes us happy, and it creates a space that feels welcoming and inviting. A well-planted and maintained garden can truly be a work of art.
So, this fall, we’re planting some of our favorite flowers in our own gardens and our clients’ gardens. Our favorites for both raised beds and in-ground planting are dianthus, marigolds, pansies, petunias, and snapdragons!
Dianthus
Hot pink Amazon Dianthus stand nice and tall above surrounding plants. These make great cut flowers because they give you a long stem with a cluster of flowers at the top.
Marigolds
The perfect flower to provide the orange and yellow to any fall palette, with an added bonus of repelling some soil-dwelling pests.
Pansies
Who doesn’t love a sweet little pansy? They come in a range of colors; some multi-colored, others solid. Pansies are a lovely little flower to tuck in almost anywhere in your garden for a pop of color. Plus, most of them are edible!
Petunias
Petunias are a little controversial amongst the Garden Girls. Some of us love them and some of us don’t. It’s true that petunias can get a little leggy if they don’t get just the right combo of sun and water, but when they are thriving, they make the most beautiful, colorful, lush, sweet-smelling small shrubs. If your petunias get leggy, just cut them back by about 1/3 and they’ll just keep on trucking.
Snapdragons
Everyone’s favorite. These come in tall Rocket Snaps that are perfect for the back of the bed and for cut flowers because of their tall stems. Or you can find little tiny Snaptini’s that add spires of color and texture to the front of your beds. Not only do we love snapdragons, but so do the bees! They tuck themselves right in the “mouth” opening of the petals to get their pollen.
Snaps come in a large variety of colors, so you’re sure to find your favorite.