|
GARDENER'S
READING ROOM
The Art of Gardening
Trees
& Shrubs
Autumn
Glories
As
summer wanes, opportunity knocks. Remember driving home one
crisp fall evening and being stunned by the glorious foliage
in a neighbor’s yard? Why not select some autumn glories
for yourself, now, when you can see them?
Let’s
start with trees. All of the Japanese
maples put on a wonderful show. Autumn
Moon (Acer shirasawanum) stands out for its
summer foliage of orange and yellow. Its fall show starts
early (September) with a transformation to burgundy red that
can hold up to 2 months. Spindle
tree (Euonymus europaeus) offers a double
feature. The leaves turn pinkish, followed by showy pink fruits
that split to show bright orange seeds. Wow!
If
you’d rather have blinding yellow, try gingko
or larch. Different
gingko varieties grow to different heights, so you can choose
one for any yard. For a tight spot, try weeping larch (Larix
decidua pendula). Two other notable fall foliage
trees are sweet gum (Liquidambar)
and Persian ironwood (Parrotia
persica). Pick your sweet gum in the fall
to choose your color - various ones are red, yellow, or even
purple. Each Parrotia, in contrast, changes color, transitioning
from golden yellow to orange to rosy pink and finally to scarlet.
 Now
let’s talk shrubs. Witch
hazel (Hamamelis) is very unusual, as the
leaves first attain a band of red/orange before turning completely
orange, red, and scarlet. (And don’t forget the fragrant
February flowers!) All of the deciduous viburnums
have excellent fall color. My personal favorite is dwarf
European cranberry (V. opulus compactum) because
it gives so much: snowball flowers in the spring, attractive
glossy foliage, and a fall show of beautiful red accompanied
by bright red “cranberries”. Finally, fothergilla
is sadly underutilized. Fragrant white flowers in early spring
are followed by great foliage (often bluish). Its true reward
comes now, however, as the leaves turn intense yellow to orange
to scarlet - often all three colors on the same leaf!
 Two
vines I must mention are Japanese
climbing hydrangea (Schizophragma hydrangeoides)
and the Boston ivy/Virginia
creeper group (Parthenocissus).
Schizophragma ‘Moonlight’
lights up that shady spot with silvery leaves and white flowers.
What’s truly unusual is to find a plant coloring up
well in the shade - ‘Moonlight’s’ burgundy
fall color is sure to please. Parthenocissus needs full sun
to color up well. It’s available with small delicate
leaves, larger waxy green leaves, or even variegated foliage.
All of them, however, greet fall with a full blast of red.
Join the Ivy League!
There
are a plethora of grasses that provide fall interest in the
form of airy flower heads. Let’s talk color here - ‘The
Blues’ bluestem (Schizachyrium) is a
handsome bluish grass that transforms to an intense red by
winter. Pheasant Grass (Anemanthele)
carries an autumnal color year-round, a hint of orange mingling
with its attractive green. Autumn itself brings a blast of
orange, which holds until new growth appears in spring.
So
many plants reward us with their transition to winter…
and then there’s winter interest too, in the form of
berries, bark, seed pods, flowers or buds! Let us help you
add interest to your fall and winter borders!
By Bill Bloomfield, CPH
Skylights Autumn 2004 Vol. 18, No. 3
Other
articles on the art of gardening
Other
articles on trees & shrubs
|
