It's finally looking like October here at Squirrelhaven. We still haven't got the First Frost of the season yet, so that 80F we got on Sunday can't be considered "Indian Summer."
Northern Illinois is not a tourist's destination for Autumn color, even in a good year, unlike New England, Canada, or Idaho. The dominant tree on the property, a Cottonwood, lost all its leaves by the end of September. The other trees in the woodland garden are boxelders ('nuff said). That is why I depend so much on perennials for color.This is the native Spikenard (Aralia racemosa).
Its berries are gone, but its last hurrah is not too bad. Smilacina racemosa is good in Spring and Summer, but in Autumn it really shines with its red berries and yellow-tinged foliage.
They looked better before the big wind bent them over last week.Similarly, Polyganatum biflorum also turns a good yellow.
The hosta next to it will turn yellow also, but by then the Polyganatum will have dried out and collapsed. Another plant with yellow foliage is a wild grape growing on the chainlink fence.
This is truly a wild plant that I've allowed to stay because of the Autumn show.I didn't know that the foliage of Lobelia 'Sparkle deVine' turned burgundy.
I raved about this plant in "Love for Lobelias." Now there's one more reason to love it. By contrast, my other Lobelias' foliage turns yellow. Other burgundy, red or bronze Autumn foliage plants in the garden include:
Epimedium grandiflorum 'Lilafee,'
Hepatica acutiloba,
Geranium maculatum,
and Hydrangea macrophylla 'Penny Mac.' Only a few of the woody plants have turned so far. Cornus alternifolia isn't looking so good this year,
but the crabapple (Malus 'Prairiefire') is putting on a pretty good show.
The best foliage color this year so far belongs to the 'Snow Queen' Oakleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia 'Snow Queen').
I hope we get that first frost soon so the other plants can color up before their leaves fall.
9 comments:
Lovely fall colors. We are mostly drying up without fall color. However it has rained the past couple of days so color may get here before the frost.
Except for the boxelders (known here as Manitoba maples, as you know already - tee hee) I approve of all the plants in your gardens. NOT that you need my approval. ;-)
Frost is due here early Monday, according to Environment Canada. Oh well, it (the unusually long growing season) was fun while it lasted.
I really like the wooden arbour!
Thanks for linking to my blog post!
No frost for us here yet...but is expected soon, so I spent the afternoon picking in tomatoes and peppers. I have a lot of fall chores left undone because of waiting for frost.
That Oakleaf hydrangea foliage is so beautiful!
What a delicious fall foliage fest you're having. I'm a bit disgruntled with our yard's foliage this year, because it hasn't been cold enough to trigger much frost, and the wind has taken off many leaves from shrubs before they could get really going. Sadly, the maples out front are all the tiresome Norways, so they just turn blah yellow (and tarspot, of course)...I didn't plant them and they're getting a good size so I can't bear to cut them down--I'll just add red and sugar maples instead.
Oh, and I LOVE that hepatica--different from the species I have here. Is it native to you?
Wow... lovely colors there! I really want some of that epimedium. My oakleaf hydrangea turned a beautiful deep red last year, but so far this year it's more of a purplish green. All of our reds seem to be lacking, but the oranges and yellows are doing well. Still a lot of green in general here, though.
I am so glad that you mentioned the wild grape, by the way. I have a newly planted 'Himrod White' grapevine, and that the leaves were turning yellow was vexing me--my 'Concord' (or whatever it is that my grandma grows and gave me) doesn't have much in the way of fall color. I really thought 'Himrod' was yellowing because I was overwatering it, strange as that seemed with my dry soil and erratic watering. Now I know it probably just has a yellow fall color... whew. :)
MMD: Thanks for that link and I love your fall colors! That reminds me that I have to go out and check out the oak leaf hydrangea! Wherever one lives, fall has its' own special touches! We have that bright blue sky in common though today it is raining!
Lisa - Thanks for the compliment about the Fall colors. I have on what Kim at A Study in Contrast calls my "Gardener's Glasses," which allow me to see the best aspects of my garden. Maybe you Hoosiers will get a lot of snow this winter to make up for your drought. Mixed blessing?
Dirty Knees - I put up the arbor just a couple of weeks ago, & now I can't imagine why I waited so long to get 1. It makes a natural frame for composing pics, & I get to grow more clematis.
Connie & Layanee - I'm glad you liked the Oakleaf Hydrangea. I got it before I saw it hyped in a garden catalogue as "The finest shrub for American gardens!" Ordinarily, I would dismiss that as hyperbole, but it really has performed well even under adverse conditions (drought, being broken by a baseball, being broken by a Borzoi, being broken by the power company tree trimmers...).
Jodi - I have both Hepatica acutiloba & H. americana. They are both native here. I don't have a pic of americana now because the plants are lost under a Forsythia.
Blackswamp Girl - isn't it fun to find unexpected Fall color? I hope your new grape is as productive as it is ornamental.
You have a lovely garden. I so relate to the vampire tree from hell post...in my case the dreaded lilly pilly hedge : )
Hi, Blueblue - thanks for the compliment! I have no clue what is a "lilly pilly hedge," but it definitely sounds like something I don't want.
Post a Comment