Before I go any further about the most amazing autumn flowering plant ever, I want to make it perfectly clear this isn’t an article to knock on mums.
Mums, or Chrysanthemums as they are officially named, are indeed wonderful choices for fall baskets and planters.
They are available in a wide range of beautiful colors. They bloom big, bright, and for weeks on end. And, when correctly timed for blooming, flower during the peak of autumn.
Mums are the traditional choice for fall flower color
We have always loved using mums every fall to add instant color all around the farm. But many visitors to the farm are often surprised when we tell them they are not our favorite autumn flowering plant. In fact, for us, they are a distant second.
As pretty as they are, there are a few drawbacks to Chrysanthemums.
For one, they seem to be about the only choice available for fall flowering plants at nurseries and garden centers. They can also be quite expensive to purchase, especially for medium to large size plants.
In addition, when you consider you only get to enjoy them for a few weeks of the fall season, and that they can be difficult to keep from year to year, mums begin to lose a bit of their allure.
Beyond Mums – The Most Amazing Autumn Flowering Plant Ever!
Yes indeed there is another great option. And even better, this amazing flowering plant adds brilliant fall color to pots, planters, and hanging baskets all spring and summer long too. But in the fall, it goes to another level.
Ornamental peppers peak in the fall, and are a great choice for fall color!
And unlike a mum, which can be difficult to grow and manage for fall blooming, this autumn flowering plant can be re-grown easily each year from seed.
So what is this most incredible autumn flowering plant we love so much? The ornamental pepper plant.
Ornamental peppers are simply amazing. They are available in so many varieties, and in all kinds of shapes, colors and sizes. And although they are spectacular from late spring to late summer, when autumn arrives, they become stunning. Incredibly stunning!
Ornamental Peppers – Spring, Summer and Fall Beauty!
We first started growing ornamental peppers at the farm 8 years ago. I happened to be strolling through a local garden center and noticed a few 3″ pots of Sangria ornamental peppers.
As soon as I spotted them, I remembered them instantly from a few years prior. I had been out west on a trip and found the most unusual and yet beautiful planting to the entrance of a hotel I had ever seen. And it was made from Sangria ornamental peppers.
They had planted them everywhere! Hundreds of thousands of gorgeous tiny colorful peppers in beds, hanging baskets, planters and pots as far as the eye could see.
It was overwhelmingly beautiful and stunning. In fact, so much so, that I remember tracking down a hotel employee to find out exactly what they were.
Bringing Ornamental Peppers At The Farm
And so on that fateful day, I purchased the few pots that were available, and our love affair with ornamental peppers began.
Ornamental peppers are by far the most drought and pest-resistant annual flowering plants you can grow. They provide beautiful dark-green foliage and a massive range of tiny colored peppers from late spring all the way through late summer. See : 6 great varieties to grow
But as fall approaches, the magic really happens.
Ornamental peppers can be used in pots, planters, hanging baskets for incredible fall color
While petunias, begonias and other traditional summer annuals fade away, ornamental pepper plants stay healthy and vibrant. And they begin to turn all of their peppers to deep, fiery shades of orange and red. Color that blends beautifully with the turning shades of an autumn landscape!
They really are the most amazing fall flowering plant!
Although the Sangria peppers remain one of our favorites. we continue to find more ornamental pepper varieties to plant every year.
We now grow over 15 varieties, all of which provide incredible spring, summer and fall beauty. See : 6 Great Ornamental Peppers To Grow
Easy To Grow From Seed, And Economical Too!
Ornamental peppers are one of the easiest seeds to save and grow each year. Each fall, in addition to saving seeds from varieties we have grown, we order a packet or two of a new variety to try next spring as well. Seed Links : Sangria Ornamental Pepper Seeds, Chili-Chili Ornamental Pepper Seeds, Alladin Ornamental Pepper Seeds
And apparently, the secret about using fall ornamental peppers for fall color is out. Just yesterday, as we walked out of a local store, there were huge large pots of ornamental peppers for sale as fall plants! Who know, maybe in a few more years they will be the new mum!
Happy Autumn! Jim and Mary.
Here’s to using a little metal in your next home DIY project! Jim and Mary. To receive our 3 Home, Garden, Recipe and Simple Life articles each week, sign up below for our free email list. You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram. This article may contain affiliate links.