It’s difficult to imagine tearing out those summer annuals that are doing so well and will last up until we have a hard freeze, but now is the time to consider pulling out the old summer color and replacing it with some new fall color that will last through the fall and winter. Pansies and Violas are great plants that will bloom off and on throughout the cooler months. If planted now, they will have enough size to produce an abundance of flowers through the fall and winter.

Other plants for fall and winter color should include the ornamental varieties of cabbage and kale that will hold their color through the winter, until the temperatures rise enough to signal them to bolt (elongate the flowering stem and produce flower). Swiss Chard is another vegetable crop that produce beautifully colored petioles (stems) and mid-veins on the leaves that come from the crown of the plant. Not only does Swiss Chard add color to the landscape, but it can also be harvested and cooked to add color to the dinner table.

Take sometime this fall to enjoy the beauty of nature. The colors of the leaves and the flowers along the roadside may bring a smile as they brighten the world we live in.