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 Garden's Golden Season: How to Achieve a Spectacular Fall Finale



From this Oregon garden's mix of vibrant foliage, green grasses, and late-blooming flowers, see a landscape that comes to life as the weather cools. In their 2-acre sloping yard in St. Helens, Oregon, longtime gardeners Tamara Poulet and David Pinson wanted to create a landscape that's as colorful in fall as it is in spring and summer. "It's easy to push the fall cleaning, but I wanted more," says Ballad. With that in mind, they chose plants and trees that do best late in the season, including Japanese maples, goldenrods, and flowering perennials. They take a laissez-faire approach to feeding birds, rarely deadheading or pruning, and leaving most of the seeds over winter. Lush shrubs and large grasses ensure the planting beds look beautiful all year round.



Fall Garden Design Tips


In addition to planting for fall color, Ballad and Pinson focus on texture and patterns. The contrasting foliage creates a very interesting composition. Using upright plants with short grasses creates a variety of levels in the garden, creating a more dynamic landscape than having everything at the same height. For example, the couple planted low-growing sedums paired with small grasses along the sides of the path. Behind these plants, rounded gray-green sage, spiky variegated yucca, and wispy deer grass grow tall.


A densely planted yard like this needs some structure to break up the foliage. Poulet and Pinson used a series of trellises to do the trick. They planted again and again in groups to help hold the garden together. In autumn, certain plants with brightly colored foliage act as focal points, leading the eye to places in the garden. One of the most eye-catching is the flaming orange foliage of the 'Sango-kaku' Japanese maple, which highlights the fire pit and sitting area.

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Garden Design Strategy: Water Smart



Ballad and Pinson don't water often; Instead, they designed the yard to make the most of rainwater. Berms and swales on their property help channel rainwater directly to plants that need it.


Berms: These mounds or raised areas provide well-drained planting areas. They help direct water away from plants that need more drainage.


Swales: Depressed areas of land, swales strategically hold water at the base of slopes and direct it to plant roots.


Plant amazing fall color


As summer's flush of green fades and autumn's cool crisp air blows in, spectacular colors transform New England landscapes into the other side of spring. "Have you seen Maples this week?" Fall is a conversation starter. The oranges, yellows, and reds of maple (Acer species), sagebrush (Occidentrum arboretum), and sassafras (Sassafras alpidum) leave glow in sharp-angled light with the browns of oak trees. Millions of leaves crunch underfoot, evocative of past autumns -- annual passages that mark decay and the rebirth of color.

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'Fireworks' Goldenrod


'Fireworks' goldenrod (Solidago rugosa) is an award-winning classic for almost any fall garden. It's a reliable, hardy plant, and pollinators love it. Goldenrod can grow up to 8 feet tall and is an eye-catching fall perennial in the open landscape. Additionally, this fall-flowering perennial is deer-resistant and drought-tolerant. The best part is that it won't make your allergies worse (goldenrod pollen is often wrongly blamed for your seasonal sniffles, due to ragweed pollen that blooms at the same time).


Growing Conditions: Full sun to partial shade and well-drained soil

Size: Up to 8 feet tall

Zones: 4-8


'Adagio' Maiden Grass



Fall is the time when many brilliant ornamental types of grass shine. Although there are wide varieties of maiden grass (Miscanthus Sinensis), one of the most popular in modern gardens is 'Adagio' due to its dwarf habit. It is a sterile cultivar, so it will not repopulate and become invasive throughout the garden.


Growing Conditions: Full sun to partial shade and well-drained soil

Size: Up to 5 feet tall

Zones: 5-9

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'Standing Ovation' Little Bluestem


This popular native warm-season grass often fails unless grown closely with other plants. But 'Standing Ovation' is not the little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) that stands tall in the fall garden. Additionally, it is deer-resistant and handles drought well.


Growing Conditions: Full sun and moist, well-drained soil

Size: Up to 4 feet tall

Zones: 3-9


Leadwort



Also known as Hardy Plumbago Leadwort (Ceratostigma plumbaginoides). Its bright blue flowers provide an unexpected pop of color in the fall when the rest of nature has faded. It's a drought-tolerant ground cover that can fill dry, bare spots in your landscape.


Growing Conditions: Full sun to partial shade and well-drained soil

Size: Up to 12 inches tall

Zones: 5-9

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Pitcher Sage


Pitcher sage (Salvia azurea) is a North American native that provides an alternative to Russian sage. This deer- and drought-resistant fall-flowering perennial attracts birds with its beautiful blue flowers. (Unlike other species of salvia, pitcher sage is not an edible herb.)


Growing Conditions: Part sun and well-drained soil

Size: Up to 5 feet tall

Zones: 5-9


'Lidakense' Sedum


Hard-working, drought-tolerant sedums come in a variety of sizes, from upright perennials to ground-covering varieties called 'Lidakense'. These low-growing succulents have small pink flowers, contrasting beautifully with blue-gray foliage with hints of purple.


Growing Conditions: Full sun to partial shade and well-drained soil

Size: Up to 6 inches tall

Zones: 2-9


'Honorine Jobert' Windflower


Windflowers (Anemone x Hybrida) come in shades of white, lavender, and pink. They've been popular perennials in American gardens for over a century, and for good reason. They are easy to grow, even in shade, and will bloom after many plants have faded. 'Honorine Joubert' is a particularly popular variety that produces yellow-to-white flowers on long slender stems that dance in the breeze.


Growing Conditions: Full sun to partial shade and well-drained soil

Size: Up to 3 feet tall

Zones: 4-8

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Mexican bush sage



Hitting its peak bloom when cooler temperatures set in, Mexican bush sage (Salvia lucantha) produces profuse panicles of beautiful pinkish-purple flowers. They attract lots of hummingbirds and butterflies.


Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil

Size: Up to 3 feet tall

Zones: 8-10



Location: United States

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