Bayscape Blog 11/5/10
Fall for Natives
By Judy DeFiglio
I’ve always wondered why people travel all the way to New England to enjoy the autumn leaves yet overlook the gorgeous possibilities in their own front yard. Fall color is an important component of every garden. Spring and summer flowers are beautiful, the stars of the show, but by this time of year they are faded and gone. You can still have an interesting, colorful garden by including plants that have good fall color.
I make it a firm rule that before I select any plant material for my garden I learn what color the leaves will turn in autumn. Some people do consider this when purchasing trees but this rule goes for trees, shrubs and flowers. There are so many perennials to choose from so why not choose one that gives you an extra season of color.
Not surprising, many of our native plants provide the most dazzling fall color. As you travel the countryside, enjoying the fall foliage, realize how many of those gorgeous trees are provided by nature. Native plants are adapted to the climate and conditions of the area. They are healthier and less stressed then the exotics that need extra water, fertilizers and pesticides to exist here. The more stressed a plant is, the sooner it will lose its leaves, providing less colorful foliage. By careful selection of native plants you can duplicate nature’s array of brilliant color in your own landscape.
Some native plants recommended for great fall color are:
Red Fall Color-
Amelanchier (Serviceberry), Aronia (Chokeberry), Eupatorium (Joe Pye weed), Hydrangea quercifolia (Oakleaf Hydrangea) , Itea virginica (Sweetspire), Rhus copallina (wingedsumac),Vaccinium corymbosum ( Highbush blueberry),
Viburnum dentatum (arrowwood)
Fall for Natives
By Judy DeFiglio
I’ve always wondered why people travel all the way to New England to enjoy the autumn leaves yet overlook the gorgeous possibilities in their own front yard. Fall color is an important component of every garden. Spring and summer flowers are beautiful, the stars of the show, but by this time of year they are faded and gone. You can still have an interesting, colorful garden by including plants that have good fall color.
I make it a firm rule that before I select any plant material for my garden I learn what color the leaves will turn in autumn. Some people do consider this when purchasing trees but this rule goes for trees, shrubs and flowers. There are so many perennials to choose from so why not choose one that gives you an extra season of color.
Not surprising, many of our native plants provide the most dazzling fall color. As you travel the countryside, enjoying the fall foliage, realize how many of those gorgeous trees are provided by nature. Native plants are adapted to the climate and conditions of the area. They are healthier and less stressed then the exotics that need extra water, fertilizers and pesticides to exist here. The more stressed a plant is, the sooner it will lose its leaves, providing less colorful foliage. By careful selection of native plants you can duplicate nature’s array of brilliant color in your own landscape.
Some native plants recommended for great fall color are:
Red Fall Color-
Amelanchier (Serviceberry), Aronia (Chokeberry), Eupatorium (Joe Pye weed), Hydrangea quercifolia (Oakleaf Hydrangea) , Itea virginica (Sweetspire), Rhus copallina (wingedsumac),Vaccinium corymbosum ( Highbush blueberry),
Viburnum dentatum (arrowwood)
Yellow Fall Color-
Amsonia tabernaemontana ( bluestar),Cephalanthus occidentalis (buttonbush), Cercis Canadensis (Eastern Redbud), Chionanthus virginicus (Fringetree) , Clethra alnifolia( Summersweet)
Amsonia tabernaemontana ( bluestar),Cephalanthus occidentalis (buttonbush), Cercis Canadensis (Eastern Redbud), Chionanthus virginicus (Fringetree) , Clethra alnifolia( Summersweet)
Orange Fall Color
Fothergilla (bottlebrush)
Try some of these native plants then sit back and enjoy the fall foliage in your own back yard.
Fothergilla (bottlebrush)
Try some of these native plants then sit back and enjoy the fall foliage in your own back yard.
This is a great opportunity to learn more about native plants
Bringing Nature Home—How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants
Date: Sunday, November 21
Time: 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Cost: $25
Location: The Frelinghuysen Arboretum
53 E. Hanover Ave.
Morristown, NJ
Dr. Douglas Tallamy is Professor and Chair of the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware in Newark, Delaware, where he has authored 69 research articles and taught for 28 years. Dr. Tallamy’s book “Bringing Nature Home” has sparked a national conversation about the link between healthy local ecosystems and human well-being. Learn about the key role native plants play in the restoration of our denuded landscapes and how we must change our approach to gardening and landscaping if we hope to share the spaces in which we live and work with other living things.
Bringing Nature Home—How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants
Date: Sunday, November 21
Time: 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Cost: $25
Location: The Frelinghuysen Arboretum
53 E. Hanover Ave.
Morristown, NJ
Dr. Douglas Tallamy is Professor and Chair of the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware in Newark, Delaware, where he has authored 69 research articles and taught for 28 years. Dr. Tallamy’s book “Bringing Nature Home” has sparked a national conversation about the link between healthy local ecosystems and human well-being. Learn about the key role native plants play in the restoration of our denuded landscapes and how we must change our approach to gardening and landscaping if we hope to share the spaces in which we live and work with other living things.
No comments:
Post a Comment