news&views Autumn 2020 | Page 20

Gardening Gerald Filipski Fall Containers I want to lay to bed the myth that the gardening season stops at the end of August. Although many new and experienced gardeners alike put away their containers at the beginning of the fall, there is still more colour and adventure to be had. Fall containers can extend the enjoyment of the growing season. While it is true that by the end of the summer many plants are looking less than their best, many other plants are just starting to sing at the arrival of the fall. Some fall stars include pansies, mums, and asters; but why stop there? Many other plants are often overlooked when it comes to creating fall containers, and I think the fall is a great time to experiment with colours and textures. Flowering kale, sometimes referred to as flowering cabbage, is an underused plant for the fall. Over the last few years, plant breeders have introduced new varieties of flowering kale. The new colours are stunning, and since the plants are very coldtolerant, they make for an excellent fall plant. The plant itself looks like a giant multi-petaled flower. The leaves range in colour from shades of pink, rose, magenta, and white to creamy-yellow. The outer leaves often come in shades of bluegrey-green to bronze. There are also twotoned varieties that are particularly stunning. The leaves are often wrinkled along the edges giving a ruffled appearance, although there are varieties with smooth edges as well. One interesting thing about these beauties is that a light frost actually intensifies the colours. Now, I ask you, could there be a better plant for the fall? When growing kale, you should offer the plants the same conditions as when growing any cabbage. Use a good quality potting soil with added organic matter such as well-rotted manure or compost. Keep the plants well-watered and use a liquid fertilizer such as Miracle Gro every second week. Many greenhouses carry flowering kale at this time of year, and this is a great time to buy plants with your favourite leaf colours. The great thing about flowering kale is that a single plant can stand on its own as a focal point, or it can be combined with other similar or different plants in a larger display. Remember those pansies that seemed to go into hiding when the hot weather arrived? You know, the ones that you did not have the heart to throw out even though they looked like yesterday’s dinner salad? Well, bring them out now because the fall is the time for the pansies to shine. These plants prefer cooler days, and the fall suits them to a T. Purple pansies planted with purple and green kale is a winning combination. Try this grouping in front of a large bright yellow mum for a true “wow factor.” The next two of my favourite fall container plants are not annuals at all, but perennials. Sedum and 20 | arta.net