Once you’ve added a fence around your property, it’s time to ensure the rest of your yard looks great year-round. Georgia’s moderate weather in fall and winter makes it easy to have a flourishing garden, even as other parts of the country start experiencing weather that’s too cool for outdoor plants.
Georgia does have its share of frosty fall temperatures, though, so cultivate plants that will either thrive in the environment or that you can bring inside for an autumn indoor garden.
Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana)
This is a classic Georgia yard plant that does very well in fall. Bushy green leaves frame clusters of pink and purple flowers in summer that turn into bright magenta-to-purple berries in fall. White-berry cultivars are available as well. Hardy beautyberry plants are excellent for filling in spaces in a fence where you want part of the ornamental fence to be covered for privacy. You can grow beautyberry in a container inside if you want, too, but keep temperature levels moderate and keep the bushes pruned well. But if you can manage it, keep the plants outside. The berries provide food for birds and local wildlife.
While there are Asian varieties that are a bit more cold-tolerant than American Beautyberry, the American cultivar is native to Georgia. The Asian varieties also have the potential to become invasive.
Pansies (Viola tricolor subsp. tricolor or Viola wittrockiana)
Provide a low border at the base of your fence or home with pansies, which love the cooler temperatures in fall and winter. These small flowers — always suitable as a counter top plant inside your home, too — are available in most colors. You might see a bit of wilting as fall turns into winter, but the plants will usually come back once temperatures warm up. If you live in an area where winters tend to bring icy, frozen soil, though, either mulch around the plants with straw, or bring any container plants inside.
Ferns (various genera and species)
This may be one of the few plants that is better off outside, though indoor ferns are quite common in households that can provide the right temperature and humidity levels. Hang these prehistoric plants around your fence or plant them as central accents in your yard. Ferns love humidity and shade, and the lessening sunlight in autumn is perfect for them.
Clematis (Clematis spp.)
If you want an elegant vine twisting and turning its way through your fence, you want a clematis cultivar in your yard. Several climbing varieties are available for Georgia gardens, though you can find trailing as well. Clematis blooms in several colors, including blue, purple, red, and white. Blossoms can be star-shaped or full, almost fluffy affairs. If you plan to grow some clematis indoors, provide a sturdy trellis so the vines don’t take over your furniture.
These plants are designed to thrive in the cooling months that fall brings. It’s just an added bonus that they look so good in your gorgeous backyard, wrapped around your beautiful fence.
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