- Chartreuse on the Loose: As you evaluate your late summer garden and get ready for fall planting, target those dull areas that can use some bright foliage. Chartreuse is a combination of green and yellow that can look electric. Some might feel the hue looks anemic but for others the color makes a gorgeous contrast plant and allows us to expand our color palette. Pictured here is Aralia cordata ‘Sun King’ a hardy, deer resistant favorite that loves shade but has brighter color with some sun. It can serve as a good substitute for hostas. Other perennial favorites are Twist of Lime heuchera, with its chartreuse, bright ruffled foliage, Gold Heart bleeding heart and ‘Aureola’ hakone grass. Some shrubs that also pop but need more sun are Tiger Eyes sumac, Lemon Candy ninebark, Lemony Lace elderberry and Golden Spirit smokebush. Think about having your next plant on the rocks with a twist of lime.
- Dogwoods that Dazzle in Winter: These easy-care shrubs bring vibrant stem color to the garden long after faithful perennials have faded and the look of winter desolation arrives. Arctic Fire, Cardinal and Bailey are great red-twig dogwoods for bright red stem color. Arctic Sun is more coral, orange and yellow. The yellow twig dogwood, Flaviramea, is a bright yellow green. Prune older wood in the spring to encourage new brightly colored growth. A background of evergreens and snow makes a breathtaking winter display. Be aware some of these shrubs can get large and spread by underground rhizomes to form dense colonies. These colorful branches can be found in the evergreen packets during the winterberry sale sponsored by the Friends of Secrest Arboretum in November.
- Drying Hydrangeas: While you can dry any type of hydrangea bloom, mophead and panicle varieties with tighter flowers are best. Early fall is the perfect time to try this simple vase drying method. Cut the hydrangea stems at an angle above a leaf node for best water uptake. Strip off all the leaves and put in a container containing one to two inches of water making sure the stems rest on the bottom. Place in a cool spot and wait for water to evaporate which takes about two weeks. Remove and cut stems to the desired length, arrange and enjoy all year long. Pictured here is the Fire Light® panicle hydrangea.
- Soft Landings: A great fall project is to create or expand a “soft landing.” The term originated in ecological landscape design and refers to the use of layered native plant understories that support insects and other wildlife popularized by entomologist Doug Tallamy. Keystone trees are native species that critically support an entire ecosystem such as oaks that host more than 940 types of caterpillars. Native willows, cherries, birches and poplars are also among the most productive keystone trees. Usually when caterpillars fall from trees in residential areas to the ground to pupate, they are met with compact ground, sterile mulch volcanoes and lawnmowers. This can change by providing a soft landing below using shade tolerant natives like ferns, sedges, woodland phlox, Jacob’s ladder, and bellwort. Add leaf litter, twigs and logs to provide much needed shelter for pupating caterpillars and overwintering bee larvae and many other small creatures. Do not add soil as it will smother tree roots. Instead, use plugs or small cell-pack plants and a hand trowel to gently tuck plants in around the roots instead of cutting through them. In the fall, leave the leaves to decompose to build healthy soil to mimic a natural woodland floor. Only remove leaves that might smother your plants being careful not to step into the area. Plant it and they will come. Learn more about developing soft landings here. I Planted a Soft Landing...Now I Have Eight of Them -Homegrown National Park
–Sue Cook, Master Gardener Volunteer