Adding Fall Colour with Shrubs
11 Oct 2017
Just because the gardening season is winding down, doesn't mean our gardens have to look drab and boring. Add colour and structure with shrubs!
With the gardening season coming to a close, that doesn't mean our gardens have to look drab and boring.We can add more colour (besides our outfits) to our fall displays by choosing some showy fall shrubs. Fall is the perfect time to move, change and add new perennials, trees and shrubs to the gardens. The cooler temperatures prevent transplant shock, and means they also require less water. It will allow them to set their roots going into the winter months, so come the spring your gardens are ready to perform for you!
Burning Bush is the most common fall foliage, burning a brilliant red throughout the fall months followed by an orange berry. Burning bush are easy to keep at a certain height if you don't want it to overtake your space. They can grow up to 15' tall. Easy to grow, loving full sun or part sun. One word of caution with burning bush is that the deer and rabbits love it in the winter months. We recommend putting chicken wire around the base to protect the trunk, and also spraying it with a product called 'Bobbex.' This is a deer, rabbit, and squirrel repellant that is very effective and one application lasts up to 28 days. Just be sure to apply when it is dry.
'Mount Airy' Fothergilla is beginning to turn it's vibrant fall colour! Growing approximately 6' high by 5' wide it is great for general use in your garden or even hedging. This shrub has been gaining popularity among towns and cities as the animals don't like to eat it in the winter, like it's friend the Burning Bush. It is very easy to care for, grows in full sun to part sun and it not prone to bugs and insects. They have bottle brush white fragrant blooms in the spring, followed by nice shape and foliage in the summer, and most importantly fall. Don't want it to grow that big? You can keep it pruned to whatever size you like for your particular place. Prune after flowering.
Heptacodium, commonly called 'Seven Son' is another staple shrub in the fall landscape. Long, glossy gorgeous green leaves cover this shrub during the summer months, and late summer fragrant white dainty flowers emerge. Changing to pink, and crimson red as the temperatures drop. This shrub is another easy to care for addition to your garden. Growing in sun to part sun, it can grow 15-20' tall, and 8-10' wide if you have a large space for it. Otherwise you can prune it each fall after blooming or early winter to maintain the size you would like. It has incredible shape, and even the trunk and bark is attractive as it ages.
Clethra, commonly called 'Summersweet' is another fragrant late blooming shrub that deserves a good home. It grows 4-6' tall by 3-5' wide at maturity, and likes full sun to part shade. It blooms in July-August and when fall hits, it's foliage turns a vibrant yellow. This showy shrub can be perfect as a specimen plant by a front door, or planted as a hedge. Wherever you plant it, the butterflies love it!