by Cheryl Harrison, Master Gardener

Fall is a wonderful time of year!  The leaves are changing, often it is still warm, and gardening is winding down.  However, there can still be some beautiful colour and texture in your garden.

Fall tree and shrub leaf colour is caused by less sunlight and longer nights.  Chlorophyll production, which gives leaves their green colour, slows down and then stops. Eventually all the chlorophyll is destroyed. The carotenoids and anthocyanin that are present in the leaf then show their true colours….ranging from yellow to orange to red. 

Many garden plants are known for their fall colour.  We are all familiar with maple trees especially the sugar maple (Acer saccharum).  However, sugar maple trees grow to be large trees so what might be some other options?

Evergreens

Evergreens, as their name indicates, stay green year-round.  They can add rich colour in the fall and some winter interest in the garden.  Birds love evergreens because they provide shelter from predators and from bad weather as well as nesting sites and, in some cases, food.

Some evergreen examples, in my garden, include false cypress (Chamaecyparis).  This shrub grows slowly and needs little to no pruning.  Others to consider would be the various species of dwarf spruce (Picea) shrubs.  Perhaps a dwarf blue spruce for its small stature, slow growth and beautiful blue colour or a dwarf green spruce would work.  The dwarf shrubs take up less space than a full sized shrub so are great in a small, or any size, garden.

Flowers for Fall

We still had annual zinnias blooming in mid-October.  This may be an old-fashioned flower but there are so many sizes, shapes and colours that it is well worthwhile.  A couple of perennials might include peonies…..not for their flowers (long gone, of course) but for their foliage.  Many develop a reddish colour in the fall.  One perennial that blooms late summer or in the fall, is monkshood (Aconitum).  Mine bloomed in October this year but note that monkshood is a poisonous plant (all parts) so this one may not be for you if you have small children or pets who visit your garden.  The perennial stonecrop (Sedum) or houseleek (Sempervivum species) and annual straw flowers (Xerochrysum bracteatum) never disappoint in fall.  Certainly, the native asters (Symphyotrichum species) and goldenrod (Solidago species), especially when grown side by side, are beautiful as they bloom in the fall garden.

Grasses

I love the grasses, particularly in the fall. Their gold, bronze, copper, red or blue foliage and seed heads, are beautiful as they sway in the breeze.  Blue fescue grass (Festuca glauca) remains a pretty blue year-round which is welcome as the gardening season winds down.  This grass may be short lived but reseeds well.

Blue switch grass ‘Heavy Metal’ (Panicum virgatum) is a taller grass which is good for the back of the border or as a focal point.  It has metallic blue leaves that turn bright yellow in the fall and is accompanied by delicate pink panicles (loose, branching cluster of flowers).

Fall is a good time of year to walk through your garden.  Look at what catches your eye.  If you decide that more colour is needed, perhaps consider some of the choices suggested above for spring planting then texture and colour next fall.   For more information on fall colour in the garden, check here.