Design

End the Season with Style

These combinations ensure your designs stay hot as the season cools down

Fine Gardening – Issue 171
Hot yellow and orange sneezeweed and red-hot poker paired with the cool pastels of asters

It happens every year. When summer’s heat and humidity ease up and I can think about getting back into the garden, I realize that I haven’t done enough to take advantage of autumn. I have enough plants that strut their stuff from September on, but I haven’t put them in situations where they can shine. I take hope from the combinations and plantings in this article. The designs are doable and involve plants that add to the garden in multiple seasons. So this is the year my garden will be awesome in autumn, once the heat and humidity wane.

Start in late summer

Hot yellow and orange sneezeweed and red-hot poker paired with the cool pastels of asters

The heat of summer is embodied in the hot yellows and oranges of the sneezeweed and red-hot poker. Start the transition to fall with the cool pastels of the asters, which will keep blooming when their hot neighbors have burned out.

1. ‘Nobilis’ red-hot poker (Kniphofia ‘Nobilis’, USDA Hardiness Zones 6–9)

2. ‘Monch’ aster (Aster  frikartii ‘Monch’, Zones 5–9)

3. ‘Moerheim Beauty’ sneezeweed (Helenium ‘Moerheim Beauty, Zones 4–8)

 

Ground your grasses

Ornamental grasses with ligularia
Photo: Richard Bloom

Fall is the time when ornamental grasses look their best. To provide a contrast to their airy plumes, add a heavy, ground-hugging mass like this ligularia. And if you like the fluffy inflorescence of miscanthus, but it is invasive in your area, try one of the many native grasses that has a similar look.

1. ‘Skyracer’ purple moor grass (Molinia caerulea subsp. arundinacea ‘Skyracer’, Zones 5–9)

2. ‘Yakushima Dwarf’ miscanthus (Miscanthus sinensis* ‘Yakushima Dwarf’, Zones 4–9)

3. ‘Desdemona’ ligularia (Ligularia dentata ‘Desdemona’, Zones 3–9)

4. Blue fescue (Festuca glauca and cvs., Zones 4–8)

5. ‘Kaskade’ miscanthus (Miscanthus sinensis* ‘Kaskade’, Zones 4–9)

6. Heuchera (Heuchera cv., Zones 4–9)

 

Red still pops

Leatherleaf sedge and 'skittles' lantana
Photo: Michelle Gervais

Not all autumn colors need to be muted or faded. The bright blossoms of the lantana provide spark against the soft green and muted orange surrounding them.

1. Leatherleaf sedge (Carex buchanii, Zones 6–9)

2. ‘Skittles’ lantana (Lantana ‘Skittles’, Zones 8–10)

 

Yellow foliage isn’t always a bad thing

Birch, sedum and purple moor grass
Photo: Richard Bloom

We expect a tree’s leaves to turn, so why not pair it with something that will turn a similar color, as the foliage of purple moor grass does for the leaves of the birch? The aging blooms of the sedum add a welcome touch of darkness. Even better is that this scene surely looked good from midsummer on.

1. Birch (Betula spp. and cvs., Zones 3–9)

2. ‘Autumn Joy’ sedum (Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’, Zones 3–11)

3. ‘Zuneigung’ purple moor grass (Molinia caerulea subsp. arundinacea ‘Zuneigung’, Zones 5–9)

 

Patience will be rewarded

Joe Pye Weed, salvia and false Queen Anne's Lace
Photo: Michelle Gervais

Plants like false Queen Anne’s lace and Joe Pye weed make you wait, but when they bloom, you know it was worth it. Their fluffy, fine textures make a perfect pairing, while the salvia flowers add visual weight with their dark color.

1. ‘Gateway’ Joe Pye weed (Eutrochium maculatum ‘Gateway’, Zones 3–8)

2. ‘Paul’ salvia (Salvia splendens ‘Van Houttei Paul’, Zones 10-11)

3. False Queen Anne’s lace (Ammi majus, annual)

 

Everything is looking up

switchgrass, sedum and corkbark fir
Photo: Richard Bloom

The verticality of the grass dominates this scene. The sedum stems echo this feature, and their foliage complements that of their large neighbor. The conifer has some vertical branches, too, but its squat habit and cool color provide a grounding touch of contrast.

1. ‘Heavy Metal’ switchgrass (Panicum virgatum ‘Heavy Metal’, Zones 4–9)

2. ‘Matrona’ sedum (Sedum ‘Matrona’, Zones 3–9)

3. ‘Compacta’ corkbark fir (Abies lasiocarpa var. arizonica ‘Compacta’, Zones 4–8)


Top Plants for Fall

Many plants look great after Labor Day. Here are some worth building combinations around.

Beautyberry
Photo: Carol Collins

Threadleaf bluestar
Photo: Steve Aitken

‘Fireworks’ goldenrod
Photo: Jennifer Benner

Tartarian aster
Photo: Jennifer Benner
Beautyberry

Callicarpa dichotoma

Zones: 5–8

Threadleaf bluestar

Amsonia hubrichtii

Zones: 5–8

‘Fireworks’ goldenrod

Solidago rugosa ‘Fireworks’

Zones: 4–9

Tartarian aster

Aster tartaricus and cvs.

Zones: 4–8

'Grace’ smoke bush
Photo: Steve Aitken

‘Matrona’ sedum
Photo: Stephanie Fagan

Oakleaf hydrangea
Photo: Steve Aitken

Little bluestem
Photo: Steve Aitken
‘Grace’ smoke bush

Cotinus × ‘Grace’

Zones: 5–8

‘Matrona’ sedum

Sedum ‘Matrona’

Zones: 3–9

Oakleaf hydrangea

Hydrangea quercifolia and cvs.

Zones: 5–9

Little bluestem

Schizachyrium scoparium and cvs.

Zones: 2–9


Steve Aitken is the editor.

Photos, except where noted: Marianne Marjerus/Marianne Marjerus Garden Images

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