Beautyberry- Callicarpa americana
Bayscape Blog 10/7/11
The Fall Garden
by Judy DeFiglio
No one can argue that the flowers of spring and summer are gorgeous and plentiful, but if you think that your garden is done when summer ends, boy are you wrong! There is so much to see and enjoy in the fall garden, and if you’ve been including native plants in your landscape you will really get a beautiful autumn spectacular.
Many of our native perennials are bursting with colorful flowers. Deep, rich shades of purple, pink and yellow can light up your landscape. New England Aster (Aster novae-angliae) not only gives your garden beautiful late season color but also provides food for butterflies. Goldenrod (Solidago) add sprays of bright yellow to the scene. Another yellow fall bloomer with a unique blossom is Sneezeweed (Helenium autumnale. For a wetter site, chose pink Joe-Pye Weed (Eupatorium fistulosum). These tall natives are a real focal point and also attract butterflies.
You can leave the seed heads of spent summer blooms to give additional texture and create interest to your garden bed. This will also attract a wide variety of birds to your yard. They are fun to watch and provide extra color. For instance, goldfinches absolutely love the seeds of purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea). The sight of these bright yellow birds perched on the black seed heads makes your garden pop with color.
Don’t forget the autumn leaves. Fall color is an important part of your landscape design. Be sure to include leaf color when you plan your landscape. Lots of people know the leaf color of their trees, but, you can really extend your fall season of interest if you also include shrubs and perennials that have interesting leaf color.
While on the subject of leaves, don’t forget the evergreens. An evergreen tree or shrub will provide a green background for blooms all year long. It also gives you something colorful and interesting to look at when all the rest of the leaves are gone. A good choice for a versatile native, evergreen shrub is Inkberry Holly (Ilex glabra). Unlike traditional holly, the leaves are small and smooth. It is more “user friendly” no need to worry about getting stabbed by sharp leaves. Inkberry can be pruned or sheared to keep it more compact, or even shaped, if that’s your style. No flashy flowers, but it has interesting black berries in fall. It blends well with all other plant material in your garden and helps create winter interest.
Many native shrubs deliver a bonus to the fall garden with their berry displays. The American beautyberry (Callicarpa Americana) has dense clusters of violet berries, while the Red Chokeberry (Aronia arbutifolia) has abundant red berries that last throughout the winter. Winterberry Holly (Ilex verticillata) is not an evergreen holly. It loses its leaves, the better to see its dense bright red berries. The elderberries, black elderberry (Sambucus canadensis) with its purple-black fruit or red elderberry (Sambucus racemosa) are a worthy addition to the fall garden. These shrubs do tend to get large but if you have the space they make quite an impact.
No discussion on fall gardens would be complete without including ornamental grasses. This is certainly when they look their best. As may be expected, I recommend planting some of the great native ornamental grasses. If you want a large, impressive display, try Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), a 3 to 4 foot tall blue-green grass with attractive fall and winter color. If space is an issue, plant Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) and elegant bunch grass that grows 18 to 36 inches tall and turns a rich shade of red in the fall.
Fall is a beautiful time in the garden. In addition, all of these natives I’ve suggested not only add color and interest to your landscape, but also are low maintenance and good for the environment. You don’t need to fertilize them so there is no fertilizer run- off to pollute our waterways. Isn’t it great when everyone wins!
Remember to become a Shore Steward. You don’t have to live on the shore to make a difference in the quality of the water flowing into Barnegat Bay. Don’t landscape, Bayscape. Choosing native plants will give you a beautiful landscape that requires no fertilization, so there will be much less pollution flowing into the waterways. Go to www.littoralsociety.org for more information.
