It’s hard to believe that it’s already mid-October. A look out the window confirms it, though. Whidbey Island gardens are ablaze with the colors of autumn. We gardeners, busy with fall cleanup, as often as not must do our chores in mud boots and rain gear.

Nurseries, supermarkets and even hardware stores are well stocked with spring-flowering bulbs, winter pansies, ornamental cabbages and potted mums, not to mention piles of glowing orange pumpkins and gourds in wonderful color combinations.

This is the best time of year to visit local nurseries to see for yourself which perennials, shrubs and trees are the best late-season superstars. There are so many plants that offer great fall color that it would take a book (and there are many available) to cover them all. In this column, I’ve selected a favorite perennial that’s not only beautiful, but also easy to grow and maintain.

Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ may just be the perfect perennial. Always a dependable choice, its succulent foliage and large, dramatic, flower heads give color and texture to the garden from early summer through November. A low-maintenance plant, it does well in most soils, and is rarely bothered by insects or disease. Butterflies love it. Rabbits don’t. (I’ve read that deer don’t, either, but some deer will eat almost anything green).

The best time to introduce ‘Autumn Joy’ to your garden is spring, but you may plant now if you wish. If you do plant in fall, don’t add fertilizer. Put your sedum in the sunniest spot in your garden or it can get leggy. Overfertilization also promotes leggy stems. Pinch back in June if stems seem floppy. ‘Autumn Joy” prefers well-drained soil, but will make do if yours is less than perfect.

The nursery tags may tell you that this sedum grows to two feet in height and width, but in some settings, Joy is more exuberant. It can be cut back to keep it compact. This should result in a bushier plant with more stems and flower heads. The cuttings will root easily to produce even more Joy!

Flower heads usually appear in late June as pale green palettes composed of many tiny flowerets. A very young visitor to my garden once asked me if they were “flat broccoli,” and that’s just what they resemble in the green stage. As temperatures rise, the flower color successively warms to cream, pastel pink, deep cherry, russet, copper, and after a few frosty nights, mahogany brown. Even when brown, the flowers add sculptural interest and texture to the winter garden, especially with a sprinkling of snow.

There’s a hybrid of “Autumn Joy” available with variegated pale green and white leaves and pale pink flowers. In my opinion, it doesn’t have the “oomph” of its colorful cousin and easily fades into the background. If you like variegated plants (as do I) try it planted in front of or next to the “regular” Autumn Joy. The pastel flower of the variegated plant stands out against the deeper colors.

There you have it; an attractive, perennial plant that’s well behaved, easy to care for, is content with most soil types, is drought tolerant, disease and pest resistant. It has excellent texture and form and can be used in the border, in containers, massed, or as a specimen plant. The colorful flowers can be cut for bouquets and even dried. Does this sound like the perfect perennial? Why not bring some Autumn Joy into your life?

Mariana Graham writes this column as an Island County-WSU Master Gardener volunteer. Contact her at artsnflowers @hotmail.com.