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Christa's Garden Corner - Great Plants for Fall Color
                                                                       by Christa Kenefick (Store Manager)

The key to having an interesting landscape is to have a variety of plant material that can give spring color (such as spring flowering bulbs), summer, fall and even some winter interest. Creating a “Four Season Landscape” is not difficult, but does require some planning and the fall is the perfect time to start . Fall color in landscapes can come from flowers, leaf color and even fruit. Here are some great suggestions for increasing the color into the fall and even winter months.

Ornamental Grasses

Ornamental Grasses come in different shapes, colors and sizes from 2’ tall to 10’ tall. Flower plumes usually start in summer and fall foliage colors range from purple-red to warm honey tones. A couple of my favorites are Miscanthus ‘Adiago’ and Pennisetum ‘Red Head’.

Mums and Pansies are colorful replacements for the worn out summer annuals in the ground and containers. Pansies will come back for your enjoyment early next spring. Planting Bulbs in the fall will give you great enjoyment for next year’s early spring color.

Golden Variegated Hakone Grass

Golden Variegated Hakone Grass - This is a great choice for the shade to part-shade garden. This perennial is a low growing cascading grass with yellow and green variegated leaves that compliment many shade loving perennials. The 2009 Perennial Plant of the Year.

Black Eyed Susan

Henry Eilers is a tall variety with unique, tubular yellow flowers around brown cones in late summer - early fall. A great addition to the back of the sunny perennial border.

Lo & Behold Butterfly Bush

Hardy Fall Asters

This is the first “miniature” Butterfly Bush reaching 2-3’ tall; long blooming and frost tolerant. Lo & Behold begins blooming in early summer and continues thru the fall with purplish blue flowers that are fragrant and as the name implies, attract butterflies. An ideal choice for small landscapes or for the front of the border.

‘October Skies’, ‘Vibrant Dome’, ‘Raydon’s Favorite’, ‘Lady in Black’, - All are great sources of late summer and fall color with daisy-like blooms ranging from smoky-pink, raspberry-pink, pale lavender and deep purple.

September Beauty Summersweet

Heavenly Bamboo (Nandina)

This new Clethra is the latest flowering variety, beginning in late summer and extending into September. The flowers are white and very fragrant; the leaves are a glossy dark green that turn to a nice yellow in fall. A great choice for extending color in the landscape.

An underused shrub in this area that provides four season interest. Blooming white in the spring atop lacey blue-green foliage, the flowers lead to red berries in the summer-fall and the foliage turns a brilliant red in the fall and persists thru the winter. Excellent used as a focal point or a small hedge.

First Editions Standing Ovation Serviceberry

New for Spring 2010 but Bloomin Garden will have them this fall! This tree is perfect vertical accent plant, reaching 15’ tall and only 4’ wide. It has white flowers in the spring giving edible fruit in June and finally the fall color show of yellow and oranges. Standing Ovation is excellent as a hedge or used as an accent plant in the smaller landscape.

Limelight Hydrangea

A paniculata variety, loving full sun. The limelight has buds that start chartreuse green and gradually open to a bright white and can be over 12” long! As the summer progresses, the blooms fade to pink and last into the fall.

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