Much attention is given to flowering perennials and annuals in the Fall — and though I understand why, if we only focus on those types of plants, we’re selling our autumn gardens short. Why? Because there’s a bevy of plants and shrubs that truly shine during the harvest season, with brilliant leaf color, textural Bark, and flowering shrubs. As a landscape designer, I always look for these types of plants to add to gardens as well, because they contribute a richness that simply cannot be had by fleeting annuals. Here are our top picks.
FOLIAGE: I adore autumn leaves, don’t you? So let’s add some into our gardens. One of my favorites is Croton (Codiaeum variegatum), with its jellybean-colored leaves of yellow, orange, red, and green. This traditional houseplant is perfect for fall container plantings — when the weather turns, just bring it inside. Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus spp.) is a noteworthy vine with green leaves that turn bright red in the fall. Itea spp. is another underutilized shrub with stunning orange-red fall foliage — opt for ‘Little Henry’ for a more manageable size. Looking for something a bit more rich? Reach for Viburnum nudum ‘Brandywine’ with its glossy dark maroon-red leaves. And for that quintessential fall leaf color? It’s hard to beat maples (Acer spp.), from red maples to sugar, silver, and Norway maple trees, you’ll be delighted with the blaze of leaf color that sets the whole landscape on fire.
FLOWERS: Even though we’re still talking about flowers, it’s the flowering shrubs that grab the attention here. Caryopteris starts with its blue to purple flowers in the summer, and continues on into the fall — plant ‘Sunshine Blue’ to add golden yellow foliage to the mix! And who doesn’t love a good hydrangea? If you plant ‘Limelight,’ you’ll be treated with lime green flowers in the summer which fade to deep rose/cinnamon brown in the fall. Truly drool-worthy. And don’t forget about Weigela ‘Ghost’ — if you give it a light pruning early in the growing season, you’ll get a second heavy bloom of deep reddish-pink flowers in the fall in addition to its buttery-hued leaves.
BARK: The bark on tree trunks and branches is nothing to downplay — and they especially shine when leaves have fallen, exposing all the gorgeous textures. Try a trident maple (Acer buergerianum) with its gray/orange/brown exfoliating bark, paperbark maple (Acer griseum) with its peeling bark in shades of orange to cinnamon, river birch (Betula nigra) for its peeling salmon-white bark, and paper birch (Betula papyrifera) with chalk white bark. Other great options include shagbark hickory (Carya ovata) with its gray bark in long, curling strips, and crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia spp.) with cinnamon brown exfoliating bark. Plant these beauties in front of evergreen trees or shrubs to let them truly shine.
Honorable Mentions: Don’t forget about berries! Plants like beautyberry (Callicarpa bodinieri), strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo), harlequin glorybower (Clerodendrum trichotomum), and Himalayan honeysuckle (Leycesteria formosa) offer fall berries that shine like jewels in the garden.
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