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Fall in Its Entire Splendor |
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Fall, with the leaves turning vibrant hues seems to be a dramatic exit by Mother Nature before taking her winters nap. When I drive by other yards and see the vibrant colors of their trees and shrubs, it makes me wish for a larger yard to add more color. Most of us plant for spring and summer color when purchasing plants shrubs and trees, but if you are thinking of adding something in your yard for a fall splash here are some ideas.
If you're looking for reds, magentas and orange colors, Maple trees are an obvious and popular choice, so is Mountain Ash with their bright orange berries. The berries attract birds, which is a plus but can also be messy so you might want to consider where you are planning to plant and see if that would be a problem. Sumac also have a lovely fall display, both Staghorn and smooth Sumac are very hardy. Katsura and dogwood have red fall color, and bald cypress has bronze. Ginko, paper birch and tulip trees have foliage in vibrant shades of yellow in the fall.
I have seen some really lovely displays of Virginia Creeper, it appears to be a rather ordinary vine in spring and summer but the vibrant splash it makes in the fall makes up for the fact that it doesn't have any showy flowers.
Some really great shrubs to consider are, Oakleaf Hydrangea, Red Chokeberry and Viking Black Chokeberry, 'Tor' Spirea, Blackhaw Vibernum and of course Burning Bush. Most varieties of Vibernum have good fall color. Burning Bush is nearly self explanatory; this lovely shrub almost looks on fire this time of year. 'Rudy Haag' is a wonderful dwarf variety; about 3.5 feet by 3.5 feet and it holds its shape well.
My favorite, and the shrub I would add to my garden, given the room is Fothergilla. The cultivar Mt Airy Fothergilla, also called bottlebush plant or Witch Alder is truly awesome with vibrant multicolored autumn foliage in yellow, orange and red, the bonus being the large white flower spikes that look like bottlebrushes, with a sweet honey fragrance in late April to early May. Fothergilla is a slow growing upright multi-stemmed shrub with lovely textured blue green foliage. A definite plus in any landscape either singly or planted in groupings for more effect. Its probably a good thing that I don't have a larger garden, some people simply don't know when to quit, and my over-planted yard shows it, but when you come across a plant or shrub that you just love it really is hard to say no to yourself. Unfortunately my husband thinks he should be able to stand upright and maneuver when he mows the lawn. Go Figure!
Lindi Karmason for Lake Country Gardens 2005-11 |
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