At a time when most of the garden is beginning to wind down, there are several plants that really shine through. Whether it's fall leaf color, late flowers, seed heads, fruit or just persistent attractive foliage; they continue to provide visual interest late into the season. Here are just a few of my heroes:
Eupatorium coelestinum
'Wayside Variety'
The soft blue of this hardy ageratum is a cool compliment to the warm, golden hues more common in August through October. This plant is a little over-eager for some people's taste, but I find it easy enough pull it out where I don't want it. A mid-summer pinch might reduce some of the flopping it can be prone to, as well. O.K., so it's not perfect! Still, I haven't found anything that can take its place.
Belamcanda chinensis
(in seed)
Looking at the inch long fruit, it's easy to see how this plant got the nickname blackberry lily. These "berries" follow delicate, orange speckled flowers (see inset) and the tidy, iris-like foliage stays neat and clean until frost.
Heuchera
'Venus'
I am nutty about this genus that is more commonly called coral bells. This plant is prized for its foliage which, thanks to excessive cultivation, is now available in a HUGE variety of colors, shapes, textures and even patterns. A few strategically placed Heuchera can easily break up the monotony of green that occurs so readily in gardens. (Of course, they are also available in green for you monotonists.) Many of the species continue to look good until they're under several inches of snow, perhaps appearing a little the worse for the wear by late winter, just in time to rejuvenate in the spring.
Grasses, grasses, grasses...where would we be this time of year without ornamental grasses?
Pennisetum orientale 'Karley Rose'
(fountain grass)
Chasmanthium latifolium
(northern sea oats)
Miscanthus sinensis 'Dixieland'
(variegated maiden grass)
and
Rudbeckia 'Goldsturm' seed heads in foreground
Miscanthus sinensis 'Silberfeder'
(Also note the glow in the background - see next entry)
Hydrangea anomala ssp. petiolaris
With just a touch of sunlight, this climbing hydrangea can absolutely illuminate a shady area with its fall color.
Callicarpa dichotoma 'Issai'
PURPLE!!!
Unbelievably purple fruit clusters adorn this beautyberry shrub in September-October.
Even the wildlife has to come and admire it.
Waning Rudbeckia 'Goldsturm' (black-eyed Susan) and seed heads in the background
and in the foreground
Sedum
They didn't name it 'Autumn Joy' for nothing.