Common garden sage, Salvia officinalis, is a staple in the herb garden and a plant for all seasons.

On today's Focus on Flowers, read the words of John Keats... "Ode to Autumn."

The smaller alliums bloom later than the giants. Try the ‘drumstick', a dark purple, which blooms in July and naturalizes well, or Allium ‘Moly Jeannine', which throws up 2 inch umbels of bright yellow florets in May. There are so many to choose from, and the more you have the more you will want.

If you garden in zones 5 through 9 and are looking for a small to medium shrub that has fall color, Itea virginica, commonly called Virginia Sweetspire, may be a good candidate. It has white flowers and grows well in shade or shine.

Winterberry produces a grand display of bright red berries that persist and light up its branches long after all of the leaves have fallen.

There are some perennials that provide an added bonus of foliage that changes color in the fall. For example, some species of Amsonia feature brilliant yellow foliage.

In Autumn, not only do the colors in the garden seem richer and more mellow, but textures also assume a more dominant role in plantings. The tall sedums become focal points in the perennial beds with their intricate flower heads and fleshy leaves.

Take a good long look at your garden and think about how you want it to be next year. For example, do you need to reduce, increase, or alternate specific colors?

The autumnal equinox occurs during the third week of September. It is the time when the sun crosses the equator making day and night of equal length on all points of the earth. After the equinox in Autumn, the days grow shorter.

Chrysanthemums went to Japan in the fourth century and became its national flower. They were introduced to Europe in 1688 and arrived in America in 1798.