Fall Color in the Garden with Native Plants

Fall is a wonderful time of the year for a gardener. Cool, crisp temperatures make outdoor work actually enjoyable. As I drove through the country this week, I couldn't help but love all the changing foliage colors along the roadside. Natural landscapes just come alive when temperatures drop.

What can we do to bring some of that color to our home garden? Many gardeners rush out to the garden center to purchase popular choices, but many of the available plants are so invasive that they should not be planted at all! We all should do a little research prior to purchasing new plants for the garden.

Native plants are superior to exotics in many ways, but the most important asset is that native plants will not overpopulate themselves to take over and choke out other plants. We should all choose native plants whenever possible.

I know I say it all the time, but my favorite of all plants is our native Oakleaf Hydrangea. Just as spectular in fall as in other seasons, Hydrangea quercifolia's large oak-shaped leaves change to a brilliant burgundy wine when autumn's cooler temperatures arrive.

Another native shrub guaranteed to attract attention is Virginia Sweetspire. Itea virginica is a native American plant that is available in several forms--all display vibrant foliage colors of wine, burgundy, or red in fall. Spring blooms are fragrant and loved by pollinators, but the foliage is usually the main reason this shrub is planted--it is simply breathtaking! (Moist soil is a requirement for this plant to thrive.)

Native Aster: Drought Tolerant Fall Blooming Perennials

Every year with the onset of cooler weather, gardeners in our area flock to the nearest garden center to purchase fall mums for our gardens. Why do we do that again, year after year? Because although perennials, mums don't always survive our tough summers. Some chrysanthemums planted in previous years are still around, but if every mum I'd ever planted was still alive, I'd have no room for anything else!

So, what's an alternative? Something that'll provide eye-catching fall color every single year without replanting every fall? (You know I have one, Honey!) Asters! Asters come in many colors and sizes, so there's one that's perfect for your garden.

My favorite right now is Aster oblongifolius 'Raydon's Favorite.' Bright lavender daisy-like flowers with yellow centers show off in our roadside garden although we're still experiencing drought conditions. I'll be planting more this weekend. Asters grow very well in our climate, loving hot, summer sun, and not minding our inconsistent winters.

Hardiness: USDA Zones 3-7.

Deer Resistant - Deer do not like the aromatic foliage!

Soil Requirement: Asters do well in just about any soil as long as well-drained.

Attracts butterflies.

Great cut flower.

With attributes like that, one might find it hard to believe that it's a native plant, but Aster oblongifolius is found on hillsides and cliffs here in the United States. You can't beat it for an easy care, drought tolerant plant in full sun.

American Euonymus - Strawberry Bush - Hearts A Bustin

Another very unusual native plant is the American Euonymus. Most commonly referred to as Strawberry Bush or Hearts-A-Bustin, Euonymus Americanus goes unnoticed most of the year. Green stems are attractive in winter, especially to deer. Small greenish yellow flowers in spring are lovely, although inconspicuous, but in late summer the American Strawberry Bush begins to show off.

The common name 'Strawberry Bush' comes from the dark red seed capsules that look much like strawberries. The seed pods are showy, especially once the plant is large enough to display a large number of the pods. But when the seed capsules burst open, that's when they really capture some attention. The pods open to reveal bright orange fruits that are a sharp contrast to the dark red outer shell. Breathtaking, really. That's where the plant gets its other common name, Hearts-A-Bustin.

And, like many of our native plants, Euonymus Americanus is very easy to grow. Requiring only a little shade and regular water to get established, the American Euonymus is drought tolerant. Unlike other forms of Euonymus, American Euonymus is not invasive.

Found in the woods in the Southeast, the American Strawberry Bush is hardy in USDA Zones 5-9.

If you like unusual plants, try American Euonymus, or Strawberry Bush. Not usually found in nurseries, but available by mailorder or online at specialty native plant nurseries such as Shady Gardens Nursery.

American Beautyberry: Callicarpa Americana

One of my very favorite plants of all is the American Beautyberry. One of the showiest of all native plants, Callicarpa americana, displays vibrant purple berry clusters all along the stems at a time when few plants are blooming in the garden.

Insignificant tiny blossoms appear in early summer, berries develop later in summer, beginning to change from green to purple in late August.

The bright purple berries are held tightly in clusters along the stems and between the leaves. The berries really begin to show off as they remain on the stems long after all leaves have fallen from the plant. Although we don't get snow here, I've seen breathtakingly beautiful photos of American Beautyberry with snow and icycles. Wow!

Easy to grow and very drought-tolerant, Callicarpa Americana will grow quite large--up to 10 feet tall and wide, but it is easy to contain as a smaller specimen with just one pruning per year at the end of winter or early spring. Since the plant blooms and forms berries on new growth, you can conveniently prune when your climate begins warming up without sacrificing your berry production in fall.

American Beautyberry makes a lovely specimen shrub but is even more spectacular when massed in groups of 3 or more.

An added bonus is that songbirds like the berries, once they begin to shrivel. I suppose they sweeten a bit as they age.

Foliage is large, bright green leaves that are attractive even without blooms or berries. Deciduous leaves fall at onset of cold weather, leaving the bright purple very showy berries to remain well into winter, often as late as January, depending on climate.

One of the most showy American native plants that I know of, the American Beautyberry is worthy to be planted in every garden. Find one for your garden at Shady Gardens Nursery.

Native Plants for Georgia Publication Released by University of Georgia is a Valuable Resource!

I've just been made aware of a new very valuable resource on Georgia native plants, and I think you should take a look!

'Native Plants for Georgia, Part I: Trees, Shrubs, and Woody Vines' is the newest publication released by the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension and the UGA Department of Horticulture.

This free publication includes photographs and is available in a printer-friendly version for free download. The images take awhile to download, but they're definitely worth waiting for.

I'm sure I'll be referring to this publication often, whether I'm searching for new native plants for our garden, needing help growing something we already have, trying to identify a mystery plant, or writing plant descriptions for my articles and mail order nursery website.

If you love native plants as I do, take a moment to download this publication or at least save it in your favorites for future reference:

http://pubs.caes.uga.edu/caespubs/pubcd/B987/Vines.htm.