If you haven’t already given your pots a fall makeover, consider a low-cost alternative to mums and kale. Check out the action in your landscape. You’d be pleasantly surprised, I think, at the bounty you’ll find. Why not start with a base of hydrangeas and grasses, adding branches of oak and burning bush. Hops or bittersweet trailing over the pots add a relaxed touch. Tuck in some stems of monkshood, sedum, sumac, Solomon’s seal and russet-hued peony foliage and you’ve got a captivating display that you won’t find anywhere else in your neighborhood. Before you shut off the outside water for another year, make the rounds one last time to give shrubs and perennials a much-deserved soak. We haven’t had appreciable rain for several months, It’s dry in spots. Take time to enjoy the season!
Baby, its cold outside, but isn’t the sun welcome whenever it pops out. Doesn’t it always take us a while to get adjusted to the change of seasons? For fall going into winter, gotta get out the fleece, rummage through the junk drawer in search of the windshield scraper, get the chimney swept in anticipation of that first welcome fire, and the gardens – well, there’s a real difference of opinion on how much cleanup to do just now. We’ve finally had that first killing frost, so may as well yank out the annuals and empty the pots to make ready for the next season’s decor. I know, you’ve probably taken care of all that weeks ago and likely think that we’re slouchers around here. Beyond that, it’s up to you. Some folks prefer a clean garden slate and cut all perennials down to cart them away. We, on the other hand, and not out of laziness, prefer to leave attractive foliage and seed heads standing. Fall can be an interesting month or two in the garden – grasses and hydrangeas are at their best, all manner of trees and shrubs glow with color, and seed heads of coneflowers, sedum, Joe Pye weed and snakeroot add a happy charm. Even foliage of hosta, astilbe, epimedium and ferns contribute a dash of color and textural interest. Though it may be too chilly to enjoy the landscape close up, the view from the window evokes a smile. We love the fall garden.