The Small Town Gardener

Fall colors: still
 
Marianne Willburn

(10/2019) October and all is mums and asters. Or not.

I am constantly pushing gardeners towards good foliage plants and combinations for the simple reason that blooms, however lovely, are fleeting. If you are lucky, you get both in one package (such as ‘Autumn Glow’ toad lily with its strong variegated foliage and exquisite fall flowers), but that’s not always the case. Like it or not, foliage takes up more space – if it’s dull, it’s hard to mask. So, it pays to work with good (and easy) foliage plants that stand the rigors of a three – maybe even four – season garden.

Fall is the season to plant. ‘Nuff said.

Fall Color for Shady Sites

Dryopteris erythrosora (Autumn Fern) – The beauty of this vigorous, evergreen fern does not hinge, surprisingly, on those first two adjectives. The newest fronds unfurl in shades of orange-yellow, and whether it’s spring or autumn, those colorful fronds just keep coming.

Mahonia spp (Oregon grape) – I didn’t fall in love with evergreen mahonia (aquifolium) until M. eurybracteata came to my attention in the form of the Southern Living Collection selection ‘Soft Caress.’ Now suddenly I’m finding a great deal to love. However, protected from wind, the former does deserve a space in shadier gardens with adequate moisture. Grown well, it’s imposing and unusual (even though it really isn’t), and makes a terrific backdrop for other textures such as a golden false cypress (which also copes quite well with light shade).

Carex oshimensis ‘Everillo’ (Golden sedge) – What happens when the first freeze crumples all the Sun Power hosta upon whose collective back you based your front planting schemes? Those who planted ‘Everillo’ carex instead (another Southern Living offering) will still have foliage, color and all the attendant joys thereof. This really is a superb sedge for part shade and still grows fairly well as the shade gets deeper. Light, texturally fine, and eye-popping color.

Hydrangea quercifolia (Oakleaf hydrangea) – This remarkably beautiful native hydrangea is one grown for it’s large, oak-like leaves as much as its cream-to-pink panicles of flowers in mid-summer. If mildew hasn’t taken its toll in a wet season, most are still holding onto dried versions of those flowers by autumn and begin to frame them with foliage turning glorious shades of red, orange and sometimes yellow. I grow the species, ‘Little Honey’ (a chartreuse cultivar), ‘Snow Queen’ and ‘Pee-Wee.’

Fall Color for Sunny Sites

Miscanthus sinensis ‘Morning Light’ (Maiden grass) – My only criticism of this stunning grass is the fact that it is so lovely I want to use it too much, thus undermining the effect of using it as a specimen elsewhere. Each 3-5mm white-margined blade is also striped with creamy white – which catches and reflects light – so important as the daylight hours dwindle. If that’s not enough for you (and it should be), in autumn it’s topped with russet-red flowering plumes. I have yet to see a seedling.

Itea virginica ‘Henry’s Garnet’ (Virginia sweetspire) – Sweetspire has sweet smelling panicles of bloom that droop lazily from strong stems in early summer, but the word ‘garnet’ in this particular cultivar should give you an idea of what’s in store foliage-wise come autumn.

Amsonia hubrichtii (Bluestar) – I almost feel like this one is a given, as it has been so popularized in the last few years, not least of all by the National Arboretum when it used this and native asters in a stunning planting scheme around the National Capitol Columns. There are many amsonias (I originally fell in love with A. tabernaemontana), but I defy most of them to come up with the color goods like this one. It can get a little pushy, and is hell on wheels to dig up and divide, but if you find it a good situation with good drainage in full sun, it will last a remarkably long time and reward you every year with lovely blue flowers in spring. Great for meadows if you’re formulating a plan.

Stachys byzantina ‘Helene von Stein’ (Lamb’s ear) – Just before the end of the season, I am usually cutting my standard lamb’s ear to the crown to allow for some new growth and to clean up the shabby mess of rotting leaves. ‘Helene von Stein’ – a cultivar with larger leaves and almost no awkward flowering to speak of, is still looking good and can be minimally tidied without losing too much bulk in the autumn garden. A terrific ground cover around roses, particularly those with bright scarlet blooms.

Using strong foliage possibilities in your fall garden is the best way of supporting your fall blooms, whether those blooms come in the form of asters or something more exotic.

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