what to plant in the Fall....from Arlene and Neal Van Hine from Century 21

2. Layers of foliage and flowers. Tiers of fall foliage, ornamental grasses and late-blooming flowers create a rich tapestry of color in this Seattle garden. In the back and tallest tier, the deep red peeling bark of paperbark maple picks up the deep foliage color of ‘Rose Glow’ Japanese barberry and complements the pale brown seed heads of ‘Karl Foerster’ feather reed grass. A dusty green-pink smoke bush brings large-leaf texture to the midlayer, while yellow-petaled, dark-centered black-eyed Susan and orange crocosmia add mounds of color to the lowest tier.

Plant combination:

• Paperbark maple (Acer griseum, zones 4 to 8)
• ‘Rose Glow’ Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii f. atropurpurea ‘Rose Glow’, zones 4 to 8)
• Crocosmia (Crocosmia sp.)
• Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta, zones 3 to 9)
• ‘Old Fashioned’ smoke bush (Cotinus coggygria ‘Old Fashioned’, zones 5 to 10)
• ‘Karl Foerster’ feather reed grass (Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’, zones 4 to 9)

Water requirement: Moderate
Light requirement: Full sun

Caution: Japanese barberry can be invasive in some areas (branches that touch the ground often root). Check with your local nursery before planting.

3. Fiery foliage. Fall leaves steal the show in this foliage-forward garden on Bainbridge Island, Washington. To the left, a rare Japanese maple cultivar called ‘Iijima Sunago’ turns from dark copper to bright orange in fall, while a second Japanese maple, ‘Hogyoku’, set farther back, changes from apple green to gold. Other border plants, such as burgundy Japanese barberry, a trio of ‘Gulf Stream’ heavenly bamboo with green leaves tipped with red, and pale yellow grasslike ‘Evergold’ sedge, add to the richness of foliage color.

Plant combination:

• ‘‘Iijima Sunago’ Japanese maple (Acer palmatum ‘Iijima Sunago’, zones 5 to 8)
• ‘Hogyoku’ Japanese maple (A. palmatum ‘Hogyoku’, zones 5 to 8)
• ‘Gulf Stream’ heavenly bamboo (Nandina domestica ‘Gulf Stream’, zones 6 to 9)
• Royal Burgundy Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii f. atropurpurea ‘Gentry’, zones 4 to 8)
• ‘Evergold’ sedge (Carex oshimensis ‘Evergold’, zones 5 to 9)
• Woolly thyme (Thymus pseudolanuginosus, zones 5 to 8)

Water requirement: Moderate
Light requirement: Full sun

Caution: Japanese barberry can be invasive in some areas. Check with your local nursery before planting.

5. Dynamic duo. A single standout fall foliage tree, Japanese stewartia, along with a tousled underplanting of golden Japanese forest grass, proves that less is more in this Massachusetts garden. Japanese stewartia offers four seasons of interest with bright green leaves in spring, white camellia-like blossoms in summer, a spectacular fall show and rich reddish-brown flaking bark in winter.

Plant combination:

• Japanese stewartia (Stewartia pseudocamellia, zones 5 to 9)
• Golden Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’, zones 4 to 9)

Water requirement: Moderate
Light requirement: Full sun

8. Patio show. This colorful Milwaukee garden features standout fall color from a mix of trees chosen for their fall foliage, plus ornamental grasses and colorful pots of mums placed around the patio for the season. At the back of the patio, a group of paper birch trees turn vivid gold in fall, forming a luminous backdrop for a fiery red Japanese stewartia tree, at the center.

Plant combination:

• Japanese stewartia (Stewartia pseudocamellia, zones 5 to 9)
• Renaissance Reflection paper birch (Betula papyrifera ‘Renci’, zones 2 to 6)
• Ornamental grasses
• Mums (Chrysanthemum sp.)

Water requirement: Moderate
Light requirement: Full sun

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