by Pam Erikson/Special to the Langley Advance
While this time of year usually indicates a lot of yard work – raking leaves, trimming back perennials, winterizing the lawn, etc – it is also the time when we are stopped in our tracks at the variety of colours that other plants display, especially certain trees.
Planning our gardens to offer year-round interest is always important, so the addition of some that produce fall colour is crucial.
Most commonly, maples in particular offer a beautiful range of pink, orange, yellow, and red.
People always talk about the beauty of fall colour on the East Coast of Canada. But look around, as there is also a wide range of fascinating colour being produced here, albeit for a short time, in both our maples and in other areas of the garden.
Peonies – for instance – are wonderful spring plants, but have you noticed the fall colour on some varieties?
Peony ‘Bowl of Love’ is one that comes to mind, presenting us with a flush of beautiful electric pink leaves right now.
The seed heads on roses produce hips in colours of deep oranges and reds; and ornamental grasses, while majestic and elegant throughout the summer, now have bloom heads and a more rustic red glow to the leaves.
Euonymus alata, commonly known as burning bush, is also a great fall colour shrub, but I have to say, in my opinion, that the maples, especially the more dwarf Japanese forms, produce the best colors in our garden and for a generous amount of time.
It used to be that you could only find the typical strains like Bloodgood. But, thanks to talented propogators, there are now a myriad of beautiful varieties – and they can also be grown beautifully in containers, so no matter the size of your garden you can enjoy the beauty of them.
Acer palmatum Shaina, with her deep cranberry shaded leaves, becomes even more fluorescent in fall, and Orange Sunset deepens to match her name, just to name two.
Give ornamental maples more thought next time you are looking to add colour for this time of year!
As for the rest of the garden, that never-ending task of raking up leaves seems to be more prevalent right now, but also remember that this is a good time to divide any perennials that are getting too big, plant your spring bulbs and bring in any of the more tender tropicals.
Dahlias are beautiful right now, but the tubers should be dug, dried and stored before we get hard frost. Hopefully winter will be short this year and we can get back to working outside again and looking forward to a fresh garden in spring.
In the meantime, browse magazines and catalogues throughout the winter looking for new and exciting plants to try!While this time of year usually indicates a lot of yard work – raking leaves, trimming back perennials, winterizing the lawn, etc – it is also the time when we are stopped in our tracks at the variety of colours that other plants display, especially certain trees.
Planning our gardens to offer year-round interest is always important, so the addition of some that produce fall colour is crucial.
Most commonly, maples in particular offer a beautiful range of pink, orange, yellow, and red.
People always talk about the beauty of fall colour on the East Coast of Canada. But look around, as there is also a wide range of fascinating colour being produced here, albeit for a short time, in both our maples and in other areas of the garden.
Peonies – for instance – are wonderful spring plants, but have you noticed the fall colour on some varieties?
Peony ‘Bowl of Love’ is one that comes to mind, presenting us with a flush of beautiful electric pink leaves right now.
The seed heads on roses produce hips in colours of deep oranges and reds; and ornamental grasses, while majestic and elegant throughout the summer, now have bloom heads and a more rustic red glow to the leaves.
Euonymus alata, commonly known as burning bush, is also a great fall colour shrub, but I have to say, in my opinion, that the maples, especially the more dwarf Japanese forms, produce the best colors in our garden and for a generous amount of time.
It used to be that you could only find the typical strains like Bloodgood. But, thanks to talented propogators, there are now a myriad of beautiful varieties – and they can also be grown beautifully in containers, so no matter the size of your garden you can enjoy the beauty of them.
Acer palmatum Shaina, with her deep cranberry shaded leaves, becomes even more fluorescent in fall, and Orange Sunset deepens to match her name, just to name two.
Give ornamental maples more thought next time you are looking to add colour for this time of year!
As for the rest of the garden, that never-ending task of raking up leaves seems to be more prevalent right now, but also remember that this is a good time to divide any perennials that are getting too big, plant your spring bulbs and bring in any of the more tender tropicals.
Dahlias are beautiful right now, but the tubers should be dug, dried and stored before we get hard frost. Hopefully winter will be short this year and we can get back to working outside again and looking forward to a fresh garden in spring.
In the meantime, browse magazines and catalogues throughout the winter looking for new and exciting plants to try!
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– Pam Erikson is owner of Erikson’s Daylily Gardens and Perennials and president of the Langley Garden Club
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