Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Fall color
I love the fall garden. So much so, that I created a huge swath of new garden two years ago to accommodate more fall bloomers as well as a large iris patch.
One of my all time favorite fall bloomers is the 'sheffield' mum. This mum, pictured above, will bloom into the frost, and is one of those last flowers to be a nectar source for butterflies. It has larger flowers than the tightly budded mums you buy at nurseries come fall; and they are held on long wiry stems and make for fine bouquets. And, as I discovered last year, are fragrant. I had a bunch by my desk and they emitted a baby powder like scent.
These mums are described as a warm coral pink, or salmon, but their color alone isn't the reason I plant them. I use them to punch up fall foliage that has turned fiery burgundy, and the two look magical together. In particular, I have planted the mums near grasses that turn sunset shades, as well as the itea shrub that also has a fall blush.
They brighten up darker foliage, such as the leaves of a small Joe Pye Weed, the Eupatorium Rugosum, 'chocolate.' The flower of this plant is white - a great color in general to accent the warm tones of autumn.
Other fall favorites are flowering kale interspersed, sweet autumn clematis (blooming now) and 'autumn joy' sedum. Asters, grasses, liatris, goldenrod, and anemone, are also fine choices to infuse the ailing August garden beyond summer. One of my favorite asters is 'purple dome' which is a dwarf, doesn't need to be pinched back, and is a rich, royal purple. This dramatic aster is beautiful with 'autumn joy' and especially striking with flowering kale.
Continue to spray plants afflicted by powdery mildex, like phlox, lilac, and bee balm. And do be afraid to chop off powdery mildew (except lilacs, you don't want to lob off spring bloomers).
Annuals can extend your fall garden, as well. Snapdragons, pansies, bachelor's buttons, lobelia, petunias, and nasturiums all get a burst of energy in the cool weather.
With fall color in the outlaying shrubs that do a double duty as spring bloomers, like viburnum, itea, or even 'wine and roses' weigelia, and you have the bones already in place by the time fall arrives. Trees such as 'satomi' dogwoods also offer stunning displays of fall foliage, as well as spring flowers.
Also consider the colorful ruffles of heuchera for the fall - with a rainbow of colors, this foliage plant is a sure hit for all seasons. And the tiny bell shaped blooms do attract the hummmers!
Remember that perennial mums, true investments like the 'sheffield' mum are best planted in the spring. Mums are also divided well in the spring. But the time to enjoy them are now.
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Thank you for a very informative article. I love the Sheffield Mums as well. You have such an artistic sense of color.
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