The design of a garden depends on the choice of plants: if the first criterion for selecting plants is the spread of flowering from spring to the end of summer, it would be a pity to overlook the colors that it provides in autumn.
A few appropriately chosen species can make for an aesthetically pleasing garden in spring and summer, but also colorful in the fall.
Among the plants of autumn interest, we find trees, shrubs, grasses or perennials that will bring a touch of color, not only by their leaves but also by the berries, inflorescences (grasses) or trunks (shrubs).
Examples of trees with decorative fall foliage
- Viburnum opulus 'Roseum': commonly called the Snowball, it is a classic element of hedges. It produces large balls of white flowers in spring and fall while the leaves turn purple.
- Acer ginnala, the maple of the Amur river: maples are part of the beautiful autumn trees. We know the Japanese maples but not much about the Acer ginala, interesting for its small orange-yellow to scarlet-red leaves less lobed than those of the classic maples, its pretty flowers, its fruits (samaras), as well as its small size (6 to 8 meters high), ideal for small gardens.
Examples of plants of autumnal interest by their bloom
The heathers, some of which are still in bloom in autumn:
- Heather 'Marlies: carmine flowering from August to December' ;
- Heather 'Winter Chocolate' : purple bloom from August to October and fire color foliage in autumn.
Grasses, very easy to maintain, that mark the seasons and bring a lot of lightness to the whole garden:
- Pennisetum villosum (Swabby Grass), a small, light grass that grows to 80 cm tall and is covered with white spikes. It looks great in combination with roses.
- Miscanthus (Eulalie, Elephant grass), variety 'kleine fontaine': it has very vaporous spikes, from 1,50 to 2 m high and can be integrated into a shrubbery or even a hedge.
- Carex testacea (Orange sedge): small grass of 60 to 80 cm in height, of color green olive tinged with orange copper.
