A Fresh Take on Fall Foliage
In South Mississippi, we love to decorate our porches and patios for the holidays. The fall decorating can be exceptionally pretty as many plants are still available with our mild autumns and winters.
There are many alternatives to using chrysanthemums in our décor for Thanksgiving. Pumpkins large and small are wonderful additions as well as the following:
ORNAMENTAL PEPPERS:
Peppers are among the best performing plants for the hot, humid weather in South Mississippi. The traditional colors of autumn can be found in ornamental peppers, which can be planted into any sunny landscape, including containers, to spice up an area.
Ornamental peppers keep producing through the fall. They seem to continually flower, which means it’s very common to have multitudes of peppers in various stages of coloration on the same plant.
These peppers prefer to grow in consistently moist soil. They look beautiful in containers on your porches or patios and not only look fabulous, but they give you “fruit” for your meals. Regardless of the variety of ornamental peppers you select, you won’t be disappointed growing ornamental peppers!
TYPES OF ORNAMENTAL PEPPERS
- Midnight Fire: A compact, bushy choice showcasing distinct, dark-black foliage accented by abundant small, dark-purple fruits that mature to bright red.
- Black Hawk: Produces sharp, conical-shaped peppers that transition from pitch black to a stunning, brilliant red against near-black summer foliage.
- Sangria: Highly recommended for Gulf Coast landscapes. Its non-stop clusters of slender, upward-pointing fruit display an ever-changing parade of lavender, orange, and crimson red simultaneously.
- NuMex Twilight: A heavy-producing heirloom that grows into a small, three-foot shrub covered in hundreds of upright, one-inch peppers. Fruits create a “rainbow of fire” effect by shifting through shades of purple, yellow, orange, and red.
- NuMex Easter: A very compact, dwarf plant (six to eight inches tall) that works beautifully in patio containers. Tapered fruits run the gamut of soft lavender, cream, yellow, orange, and red.
- Sedona Sun: Known for massive, bright displays. This bushy plant produces upright, cone-shaped peppers ranging from lemon-yellow to deep apricot-orange.
CHILD/PET-SAFE (MILD/NO HEAT) VARIETIES
Most ornamental peppers are intensely, overwhelmingly spicy. If you have pets or curious children, these low-heat varieties are ideal.
- Chilly Chili: A former All-America Selections winner that easily handles hot and humid Mississippi summers. The long, flame-like peppers carry almost no heat and transition beautifully from yellow-green to orange and bright red.
- Medusa: Similar to Chilly Chili, this dwarf plant features mild, non-pungent, upward-facing fruits that look like twisted snakes, transitioning through ivory, yellow, and red.
COLEUS:
Coleus makes a great addition for fall in the south! Many modern coleus varieties thrive in full sun and hold their vibrant leaf colors without fading in the heat which makes them perfect for autumn in South Mississippi.
TYPES OF COLEUS
- Coral Candy: Produces narrow, serrated, multicolored draping leaves that perform reliably in sunny containers.
- Wasabi: Displays bright, glowing chartreuse-green leaves that add high-contrast pops of color to sunny garden beds.
- Color Blaze Torchlight: Offers a striking mix of fuchsia, maroon, and green with a full, bushy growth habit.
- Color Blaze Golden Dreams: Shows off multicolored golden-yellow and orange foliage that handles all-day sun.
- Redhead: Features solid, deep wine-colored red leaves that keep their rich tone in intense sunlight.
- Chocolate Covered Cherry: Highlights a deep rose-pink center wrapped in rich chocolate-burgundy and edged in lime green.
ORNAMENTAL GRASSES:
Zebra Grass does well with full sun in the South. In the fall, this grass forms flowers with stunning pinkish-copper plumes. These eight- to 10-inch-long plumes even persist into the winter.
In the spring, cut the grass back to the ground so new green growth will not be covered by last year’s brown foliage. Zebra Grass adds elegance and texture when mass-planted in a large landscape; they are great for container gardening to add height.
Strawberries and Cream Ribbon Grass are not picky about soil or sun conditions. This is a great plant for the “what do I plant here?” places!
This is a great perennial that regrows from the base each spring. This ornamental grass usually has long green-and-white-striped blades that cast a beautiful rosy hue and offer three seasons of color to your garden.
Strawberries and Cream ribbon grass is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. It works best as a thriller in the “spiller-thriller-filler” container combination. Plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges.
Gulf Muhly Grass need full sun and plenty of space as these plants can get to three feet tall and wide. This native plant is showy in the fall and winter months. In the fall, it produces billowy masses called inflorescences, which resemble pink clouds in the landscape.
Ornamental grasses can make a great addition to your porch/patio containers, so consider them when looking for a new plant to add interest.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING & HAPPY GARDENING!
Gaye Winter, Ph.D., teaches English at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College and is currently serving as President and Historian of the Biloxi Garden Club. Reach her at gaye.winter@mgccc.edu.
