Trending
The summer containers have been emptied and stored, and the garden is almost put to bed, but there is still color to be seen in our fall landscape.
Over the 30 years we have lived in our home, I gradually have added shrubs, most of them native, to the landscape. Many continue to shine into fall and some throughout the winter. These are some of my favorites.
Fothergilla, witch alder, is a four-season beauty. In spring, it produces white, brush-like spikes of bloom before leaves appear. Blooms are pleasantly scented and attractive to pollinators. Oval, blue-green leaves follow bloom. By fall, the leaves turn a bright mix of orange, yellow, burgundy and red. Planting in full sun encourages bloom and fall color. Next to it is a winterberry. Its bright red berries, which persist throughout winter, accent the red in fothergilla's leaves.
The creamy-white panicle blooms of oak leaf hydrangea are lovely enough, but the autumn show of red to purple foliage is what I look forward to. The shrubs can get large, 6 to 8 feet tall and wide, so the color is visible from a distance. Peeling bark keeps it interesting throughout the winter.
Another fall beauty is Virginia Sweetspire (Itea). In June, hanging racemes of white, sweet-smelling bloom cover the shrub. The leaves turn a warm purple-red in fall and last long into the season. Behind the sweetspire is a summersweet (Clethra). Its response to fall's changing temperatures is golden yellow foliage, so it contrasts nicely with the shorter, red sweetspire. This summersweet blooms pink in mid-summer and is very fragrant. Both prefer moist soil and thrive planted next to a downspout.
The view from the kitchen window includes more fall favorites. Witch hazels turn a pretty gold in fall, but their real attraction is the November bloom that appears after the leaves drop. The pleasant-smelling, yellow flowers have four spindly petals and form along the branches. The brown seed capsules that come next are interesting in that they can shoot seeds up to 12 feet when they pop.
Don't forget the berry-producing shrubs. One of my favorites is beautyberry (Callicarpa). Its leaves have fallen leaving purple berries visible along the length of the stems. Behind it is the gold foliage of a spicebush (Lindera). If both a male and female shrub are planted, red drupes (fruits) form in late summer.
Chokeberry (Aronia) is bright reddish-orange in fall and produces dark red berries. The backyard cardinals are often seen feeding on both the chokeberries and beautyberries.
Don't overlook the green. In the same bed, a blue-green ornamental white pine and the gold-green of an arborvitae contrast with the fall color and provide winter interest.
With all the options for fall color, burning bush should never be considered. It is invasive as birds eat and disperse the seeds into nearby woodlands. Several states now ban its sale or will do so in the near future. We removed ours years ago. Oakleaf hydrangea is the perfect replacement plant with flowers in June/July and that same beautiful color in fall.
Steffen is an Ohio State University Extension Master Gardener Volunteer in Mahoning County.