How to have a knock-out garden in the fall? Let’s count the ways.
The Most Important Steps
1. Foliage colors – it’s not just trees that are strutting their stuff in the fall
2. Fading flowers can be lovely, too
Hydrangea blossom in November.
Sedum Autumn Joy in November
3. Ornamental grasses!
Photo taken in late September.
The large ornamental grass shown above (probably a Miscanthus) will look good until late winter, ya know (barring a heavy, heavy snow that would knock it down). And the fabulous pines surrounding it look great every day of the year.
4. Every perennial border needs some asters.
Asters at their October best.
5. Include plenty of plants that always look good.
Japanese Forest Grass
Who doesn’t love Japanese Forest Grass, the rare ornamental grass that’s happy in shade? Though not evergreen, it even looks lovely when its leaves are gone tan in the winter.
6. And deciduous trees with glorious fall color. Of course!
Japanese Maple with fading Solomon’s Seal and an Arborvitae
7. For extra color, just add mums.
How easy is this?
Bonus Photo!
This last photo brings together several of the ideas listed above – the fading leaves of Dogwoods and a Serviceberry, fading (yellow) leaves of Bottlebrush Buckeye, and lots of evergreens – the Japanese Cedar in the center, Nandina in the foreground and Cherry Laurels at the base of the oak tree.
Hydrangea foliage. Hydrangea flower. Sedum with grass. Mums.