Garden Tip 200

It is mid-October. The last of the fall flowering perennials are nodding their heads and annuals are drooping and setting seed. Mother Nature has one more gift for us however, fall foliage. Beautiful colors surround us. Forests, fields, marshes and gardens all contribute to the show. It is this simple but beautiful thing, the greens changing to hues of red, orange, yellow and purple that tells us that the earth is turning to its rest.

There are many ornamental flowering shrubs with spectacular fall foliage, making them valuable additions to the garden from spring to fall. To mention just a few; Fothergilla has bottlebrush shaped white flowers in late spring and yellow, orange and red foliage in the fall. The summer flowering Oakleaf Hydrangea has late season glossy foliage of deep red and bronze. Hamamelis, witch hazel, flowers winter into spring and its foliage turns to rich shades of reds and oranges. Clethra, a favorite in the summer garden stands now in bright shades of yellow and gold. Ninebark, Physocarpus, is a fall standout with hues of gold, orange and red.

Fall foliage, make the time to take in its magic!