We often hear from Cherry Ong when she’s traveling to visit a marvelous public garden, but today she’s letting us in to see her home garden in Richmond, British Columbia. She says that she’s learned to love fall and is sharing the beauty of her shade garden with pictures she took in early October.
Cherry uses foliage to great effect. Here a warm Heuchera (Zones 5–9) is paired with the bright yellow foliage of Mexican orange (Choisya ternata ‘Sundance’, Zones 7–10). The yellow foliage effect is backed up by a big clump of Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa macra ‘Aurea’, Zones 5–9).
How is THAT for foliage effect? A variegated skimmia (Skimmia japonica, Zones 7–9) looks amazing with its contrast of pink flower buds against the leaves.
A perfect foliage combination: The divided leaves of the hellebore (Helleborus hybrid, Zones 4–9) contrast beautifully in both texture and color with the broad, silver leaves of Siberian bugloss (Brunnera macrophylla, Zones 3–8).
This dark Japanese maple (Acer palmatum, Zones 5–9) looks all the darker with a sunny Japanese forest grass as a backdrop.
I love the dark, glossy foliage of this begonia (Begonia hybrid, hardiness varies by cultivar, usually grown as annuals)
Toad lily (Tricyrtis formosana, Zones 4–9) is a quiet presence in the shade garden until it explodes into bloom each fall.
Each toad lily flower is beautifully speckled with purple.
Cheerful pots full of foliage
A look out into the garden reveals a beautyberry (Callicarpa sp., Zones 5–9) loaded down with purple berries.
This beautyberry is living up to its name.
A final view of Cherry’s garden
How has fall looked in your garden? Send pictures to [email protected]! We’d love to see and share them.
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Comments
Beautiful garden. I love the beautyberry and the tradition lilies. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you. The beautyberry is about 14 years old and amazingly thrives beside a cedar hedge.
Oh an exciting post to see Cherry Ong's personal garden, and it's beautiful!
I love how graceful it is with the winding grass path area and the arching Beautyberry- and it's the biggest and best Beautyberry I've ever seen!
Great selection of foliage textures and colors- interesting and well designed!
Thanks for sharing your personal garden and also for all of your public garden tours!
Thank you very much. It’s a DIY small space garden we carved out and planted 14 years ago. Had a submission to GPOD many years ago when the garden was 3 and showed the before photos. The beautyberry is an original planting then.
Fabulous as usual Cherry! That Beauty bush is fabulous adding an unusual colour to the fall scape resembling a spring blooming tree.
Keith
Thanks. Hope you can add one to your garden. This one is Profusion.
Awesome colors and textures!!!! Your garden is as lovely as your photography is great.
Awww, thank you.
That skimmia and beautyberry - gorgeous! Your garden looks just as I would have expected - lovely!
Thank you very much. Hope you’re enjoying your fall garden yourself.
I am always so happy when the gardener for the daily GPOD answers or responds- especially happy to learn that your beautiful beautyberry is 14 years old! Now I feel better about mine, going into perhaps it's 3rd year, looking so paltry compared to yours. And I am always happy to see something from Cherry, whether on the road, or something from her home garden. Thanks!
Here’s to the Callicarpa! It’s low maintenance and takes to pruning very well. Beautiful when most the garden is winding down. Quite an uplift when the robins come to feast in winter. (Except for the💩 but it’s nutrients for the garden). Hope yours grows old with you! Thank you.
Gorgeous as always, Cherry. I especially love the Beauty Berry. First time I saw it was by Ivar’s in a little pocket park. So pretty. Thank you for sharing your wonderful garden.
Chris
Thank you for your kind words Chris. I haven’t met anyone who doesn’t like the beautyberry.
Cherry, your garden is as wonderful as all of the botanical gardens you show to us!!! Thank you for sharing!!!
Thank you for your kind words.
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