The Best Zone 6 Plants For Fall

Locals in NJ look forward to fall every year. We love the cooler weather, and so do many plants! By incorporating these flowering plants into your landscape design you can enjoy beautiful color and blooms when your neighbors’ are beginning to wilt.

Or do you love a homegrown salad or vegetable side dish? Fall is the ideal time to harvest some of nature’s healthiest creations. Here you’ll find information on some of the best vegetables for you that are also easy to grow in your backyard vegetable garden.

Fall Flowering Plants

People often think that spring and summer are the only times that flowers bloom—not true! The fall has its own portfolio of blooming plants that add extra color to this already colorful season, many of which are perennials. Choose these plants to add some fun to your backyard or some curb appeal to your front lawn.

Sunflower

A close-up of Sunflowers in a cluster

There are few plants as iconic to fall as the Sunflower. Believe it or not, these tall, graceful plants don’t get their name from their classic halo of yellow petals. It’s because they turn throughout the day to follow the sun’s track in the sky. Sunflowers have evolved to have several different varieties, but all of them are exceptionally hardy plants. Best of all, you don’t have to travel to the countryside (and certainly not to Tuscany to enjoy the blooms. You can plant them right in your back yard for a natural, perennial fall decoration.

Garden Mums (Chrysanthemums)

A group of yellow Garden Mums

Everyone in NJ has seen these classic fall blooms. What looks like a mound of one giant flower is actually a small bush of hundreds of tiny flowers. Chill-hardy, these plants thrive in autumn, and what’s more their colors are naturally fall-festive. Ranging from gold and rust to white and purple, mums are the perfect front porch potted plant and look gorgeous lining bluestone paved patios and walkways!

Russian Sage

A bush of purple Russian Sage with an orange butterfly

Russian Sage, AKA: Rocketman, is not to be confused with lavender. This pale purple plant grows exceptionally tall with its delicate blossoms reaching towards the sky. It’s color and durability makes it a favorite to incorporate in landscape design. Extremely hardy, this plant will do well throughout most of the year, which means that in the fall, you can still enjoy the pastel hues of warmer months. Just give this plant at least 6 hours of direct sun each day and watch it thrive in your landscaping!

Purple Dome (New England Aster)

A cluster of Purple Dome (New England Aster) flowers

Unlike the Russian Sage that grows to great heights, Purple Dome grows low to the ground. It’s short height makes it great for a colorful lining pathways and patios. So long as this plant has full sun, it will thrive in your Hillsborough, NJ landscape in fall. Since it attracts pollinators, you won’t just see lovely color in your landscape design, you’ll be entertained all season by butterflies and bees. Another added pro is that this flower is deer resistant, meaning that you won’t wake up to find it’s been dinner!

 

Fall Vegetables

a close up of a bunch of Basil

If you prefer to harvest your own vegetables and herbs for cooking your kitchen, then you’re in luck! Fall is an excellent time to harvest some of nature’s most vitamin-packed veggies! Here are some of the many vegetables that you can easily grow in your NJ garden to use in delicious meals.

Kale

A bundle of Kale in the sunlight

People can’t stop talking about kale and its incredible health benefits. You won’t have to pay steep grocery store prices for these organic greens when you can grow them in your own vegetable garden. Not only is kale cold-hardy, but cooler temperatures actually make the leaves sweeter! So long as you plant them in full-sun to partial-shade, kale will thrive all autumn-long.

Spinach

A macro Spinach leaf

If spinach is your dark, leafy green of choice, then you’ll love how easy it is to grow spinach in your backyard. Make sure this vegetable gets full-sun to partial-shade to ensure maximum health. Although spinach is readily available in your local grocery store all year round, you can harvest it all fall and winter long. Yup! So long as the plant is mature, it will easily endure below-freezing temperatures, making it great for NJ vegetable gardens.

Broccoli

Chopped green broccoli in a wooden bowl on a wooden cutting board

Despite being such a staple green and looking like a little tree, broccoli isn’t as resilient as real trees. In fact, it hates the heat. Temperatures over 70˚F aren’t good for the plant, which is why it loves fall weather! Remember: you must give your broccoli plant a lot of water. If you do, then you’ll have a delicious and nutritious side dish to your autumn recipes.

Cauliflower

Cauliflower close up with leaves

Cauliflower is the Goldilocks of vegetables: it can’t be too hot or too cold; temperatures must be just right. This is why fall is a great time to plant and harvest cauliflower. The warm days with cool breezes are in cauliflower’s sweet spot and keep the plant comfortable. Just think about how delicious Thanksgiving’s cauliflower casserole will be with fresh-grown ingredients!

At Hillsborough Irrigation & Landscape Services, we pride ourselves on understanding all there is to know about our climate, Zone and the plants that will transform your yard from ordinary to extraordinary. At your request we will gladly give you a quote for landscape design and any other service you might want to enhance and maintain your yards beauty and aesthetic.

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