Late Fall Blooming Plants | Accent on Natural Landscaping

I have many favorite wildflowers — actually maybe all native plants are my favorite when it comes right down to it. But Common Sneezeweed (Helenium autumnale) and Tall Ironweed (Vernonia altissima) are definitely two of my favorite late fall blooming plants. And then, of course, there are all the asters.

Note: Click on the gallery photos a second time to enlarge them.

This tattered Sneezeweed likes wet mesic conditions and can grow as tall as the Joe Pye Weed in the right conditions. And, as you can see, it is a favorite of insects. It gets its name from its historical use as a snuff which when inhaled would cause sneezing and “rid the body of evil spirits.”

I love the bright yellow of the Sneezeweed’s wedge-shaped flower petals. It also has a square stem, which is unique from the other late flowering plants. It provides a great landing space for pollinators. Photo by Robert Carlson

This Tall Ironweed (left mid-photo) in my raingarden area was a rescued plant from along the Hwy 29 expansion in Waupaca County. I worked most of the morning just to sever a small sliver of the humongous parent plant which was growing along a stream. My heart nearly broke as I finally had to give up and trust that the little piece I had cut away would be its legacy forever.

I love the bright fuscia color of the blossoms and so do the insects. This plant is always buzzing with a huge variety of insects including monarchs and other butterflies. It easily competes in growth with the Sawtooth Sunflower (Helianthus grosseserratus) and Cupplant (Silphium perfoliatum).

Last year I wrote often about the Calico Aster (Symphyotrichum lateriflorum fna Aster lateriflorus) — that tiny little white aster with a pink smile. But the New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae) is by far the more hardy of the bunch.

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