Flowers continue, even though fall approaches

I try to make it sweeter with plants that hang on and don't bloom until the very end of the season. I have my favorites.

Let's start with the so-called "Oriental lilies." I purchased these from a local box store in mass quantities and scattered them around the property in late spring. I know they are not reliably hardy, but what a display they give right before the cold weather. I can't think of anything, save the annual sweet peas, with as much fragrance this time of year.

Mulched properly -- that is with lots of leaves, say six inches or more -- they might just make it through the winter. Make sure you mark their location and remove that mulch only after the last frost.

Next, Monarda didyma, also known as "Oswego tea," "bee balm" and "bergamot" can put on a real display this time of year. This two-foot-tall "plant" is actually several individual plants clumped together, each with extremely fragrant leaves and wonderful red to purple flowers held a few inches over their tops.

Monarda is often touted as stone hardy here, but it isn't reliable. It pays to plant a few new plants every couple of years, just in case. Again, mulch yours heavily after the first frost and be very careful not to pull the crowns out in the spring because they look so dead. By the way, they are in bloom at the Alaska Botanical Garden right now.

Thalictrum usually flowers in July. Aphids are out and about then and often they congregate on one or two plants in Guinness-record numbers. If you are lucky, you can have some "meadow rue," aka Thalictrum, bloom this late. The one sold in local nurseries is a tall growing variety that can reach six feet or more. These very delicate looking plants with quarter-sized leaves produce what are often described as foamy or frothy displays of tiny flowers with anthers of bright yellowish/orange color surrounded by purple peddles. Diminutive little things and beautiful.

Meadow rue throw off lots of seeds and often some will germinate late and won't flower until the fall. No aphids at this time of year make these a suitable cut flower in the fall.

Veronicas are very are easy to grow perennials but they can spread a bit. Nothing wrong with this in my book. I give them some grace because they flower in the fall. There are a whole bunch of Veronicas that flower late. Each plant has tiny, tiny flowers growing up 8-inch spires. The flowers start opening from the bottom and move up (as do the bumble bees that delight in them).

You might be able to still find some Veronica for sale at local nurseries, but they will appear next spring for sure. Look for reds, whites and purple as well as them more traditional blues. And buy lots of them.

Monkshood is another must-have plant for fall flowering. There are white and blue flowering varieties and once established they put on quite a display. Plants are two- to four-feet tall and spread out about two feet. That is a lot of space to give a plant that doesn't flower until the end of the year, but it is worth every inch to have the display.

Finally, on the annual side, is there anything better than a beautiful sweet pea blossom this time of year? They may not smell much outdoors, but given a chance in the warmth of the house, the familiar smell of summer can truly linger. Your sweet peas will flower until a good frost, but only if you have continued to cut flowers and not let them form pods and go to seed, as so many do. This stops the flowering process. Pick them now. Who knows, this year we may see a really late frost

Jeff Lowenfels is a member of the Garden Writers Hall of Fame. You can reach him at teamingwithmicrobes.com or by calling 274-5297 during "The Garden Party" radio show from 10 a.m. to noon Saturdays on KBYR AM-700.