Costa Farms Offers These Tips to Boost Late-Season Gardens

Aug. 26, 2014 - PRLog -- As summer comes to close, gardeners across the country are delighting in every blossom before the change in seasons.

Fortunately, homeowners can plant now to ensure another burst of color in the garden before the trees turn color and the mums come out.

“Even though we’re in late August, you can invigorate your yard,” advises Doug Jimerson, a garden editor and expert from Costa Farms. “The key to late-season planting is to cover all your bases, from color to structure, restoring your wonderland of color."

Below, Jimerson recommends the best way to integrate late-summer and fall color into gardens.

Late-Blooming Perennials Add Color

As fall approaches, plant late-blooming perennials now to help carry the color show into the next season. Jimerson picks his favorite perennials for August and September bloom:

New England aster
Sedum
Russian sage
Hyssop
Black-eyed Susan
Daylily
Butterfly bush
Phlox

Ornamental Grasses Add Structure

“Ornamental grasses are ideal candidates for late-season planting,” Jimerson says. These tough beauties are at their best at this time of year. They bloom with spectacular flower spikes that stand all season long for winter interest.

Some top grasses to plant now include:

Switch grass
Fountain grass
Muhly grass
Maiden grass

Groundcovers Solve Problems

Perk up a hard-to-plant location with groundcovers. These low-growing charmers are a snap to grow, and, over time, spread and beautify barren areas of your yard.

For quick-coverage results, plant groundcovers 6 to 10 inches apart. Jimerson recommends the following groundcovers:

Hens-and-chicks
Creeping phlox
Creeping sedum
Ice plant
Mondo grass

Plan for Your Location

Before purchasing any plant, read the label first to ensure you can accommodate it. Sun lovers prefer a spot that receives at least 6 hours of direct sun each day. If there's less light than that, consider perennials that prefer or tolerate partial sun.

Water, Mulch, and Enjoy

Once the perennials are in the ground, water them every few days -- especially if the weather is hot and dry, as it so often is in August.

Also, spread a thick mulch of shredded bark around the base of the new plants to cut back on weeds and help the soil hold moisture better while they adjust to their new home. Now revel in the final days and colors of summer.

For more gardening tips, visit http://www.CostaFarms.com.

About Costa Farms:
Costa Farms is the largest producer of ornamental plants in the world. Founded in 1961 by Jose Costa, Costa Farms is a third-generation, family-owned business that globally stretches over 3,500 acres and employs 4,000 people. Along with thriving indoor and bedding plant divisions, Costa Farms operates merchandising and young-plant production divisions as part of its infrastructure, with operations domestically in South Florida and North and South Carolina, and abroad in the Dominican Republic and Far East.