Autumn's Brilliance

Enjoy a walk through the autumn landscape and look for new and existing sources of fall color. Many trees and shrubs provide a last colorful show before winter sets in. The ornamental grasses reach their peak this time of year, but many other perennials provide a colorful show with fall flowers or fall colored foliage. Then make a note to add a few of your favorites to your fall containers or garden beds.Enjoy the color, fragrance and sounds of fall and find ways to incorporate the plants that provide them into your landscape.

Click on the larger photo just below to expand the gallery.

Picture perfect autumn day for a walk! Korean Sun Pear – Pyrus fauriei ‘Westwood’ - Compact, fine textured ornamental pear, round crown grows 12’ tall and 15’ wide, white flowers, small fruit, yellow-red fall color earlier than other callery pears, A favorite of Dave Wanninger Boerner’s new Botanical Supervisor, zones 4 to 8 Korean Sun Pear – Pyrus fauriei ‘Westwood’ Autumn Blaze® Freeman Maple – Acer x freemanii ‘Jeffersred’ Cultivar of the red and silver hybrid maples. Upright oval, fast growing and more tolerant to alkaline soil and other harsh conditions like the silver maple and better form and fall color like red maple. Suppose to be seedless but I have observed some on mature trees, plant in spring for best results, zones 3b to 8 Grey Dogwood – Cornus racemosa – Four seasons interest (white flowers in spring, bluish white fruit many birds prefer, purplish red fall color, gray bark in winter), 10 to 15 feet tall and wide, tolerates wet and dry soil but prefers moist well-drained, sun or part shade, colonizes and can be overly aggressive, zones 3 to 8 Three-flower Maple – Acer triflorum – Small scale (20-30 feet tall and wide) maple with attractive ash-brown, amber exfoliating bark, interesting foliage, good yellow-red fall color, hardier than paperbark maple (Acer griseum) for northern gardeners looking for small maple with interesting bark, zones 5 to 7 (mature specimen at MN Landscape Arboretum zone 4) Musclewood (Carpinus caroliniana) – Understory tree 20-30 feet tall and wide, tolerates heavy shade and temporary flooding, smooth gray bark, yellow, orange or red fall color, attractive papery fruit, zones 3 to 9 Firespire™ Musclewood (Carpinus caroliniana ‘J.N. Upright’) – 7 feet tall by 3 ½ feet wide at age 10, introduced by Johnson Nursery Moor Grass - Molinia litoralis Blackhaw Viburnum – Viburnum prunifolium – 12 to 15 feet tall and 8 to 12 feet wide, white flowers in spring, edible bluish black fruit, good for birds, reddish-purple fall color, sun or shade, moist and dry tolerant, zones 3 to 9 Toad Lily - Trycyrtis 'Dark Beauty' Vista – Fall Color – Borrowed views can expand the boundaries of your landscape – look for interesting combinations like the Colorado Blue Spruce backed by deciduous trees with brilliant fall color Monkshood - Aconitum 'Spark's Variety' Semi-double White Balloon Flower – Platycodon grandiflorus – Many perennials including this semi-double balloon flower have great fall color. Enjoy the semi-double white blooms on this 2 to 4 feet tall perennial, grows well in sun or partial shade, zones 3 to 8 Hosta – Hosta ‘Tardiflora’ – Fall blooming, small hosta forming 12 inch tall and wide clumps. Covered with lavender flowers in early fall. Makes a nice edger. Grow in shade, zones 3 to 8 Hosta – Hosta ‘Tardiflora’ Korean Mountain Ash – Sorbus alnifolia – 40 to 50 feet tall and 20 to 30 feet wide, simple leaves like a beech not pinnate like European mountainash, nice 4 season tree with smooth gray bark, white flowers in spring, hot pink to brilliant orange-red fruit and yellow with orange bronze tinged fall color, more tolerant of urban conditions than other mountainashes, zones 4 to 7 Hedge Maple – Acer campestre – 25 to 35 feet tall and wide, tolerates alkaline, compacted and dry soils, air pollution, full sun to light shade, yellow fall color (colors up late ), can be used as tall hedge, zones 4 to 8 Hedge Maple – Acer campestre Annual Herb Planting – Annual Herb Planting – Bali Swiss Chard (Betula vulgaris subsp. cicla ‘Bali’) , Ornamental Pepper (Capsicum), Extra Tripled Curled Parsley (Petroselinum crispum ‘Extra Tripled Curled’), Signet Marigold (Tagetes tenuifolia ‘Golden Gem’), Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus), Broad Leaf Chives (Allium schoenoprasum), Lemon Grass (Cymbopogon citratus) Click Here for the summer walk handout to get more details on these plants Golden Delicious Pineapple Sage – Salvia elegans ‘Golden Delicious’ – 12 to 24 or more inches tall, Heat and drought tolerant herb that attracts birds, hummingbirds and butterflies to your garden, the red flowers contrast nicely against the pineapple-scented chartreuse foliage, best flowering in full sun, annual in all but zones 8 to 10 Mexican Bush Sage – Salvia leucantha – 2 to 4 feet tall, grow in full sun and will tolerate a bit of afternoon shade, this sage is another butterfly attractant. The soft gray foliage is a nice backdrop for the unique flowers. The colorful purple calyces are the showy part and provide a nice contrast to the small white flowers they hold, use in dried flower arrangements, deadhead to reduce weight on stems and droopiness, provide support, or prune the plants back in early summer to promote more compact growth, annual in all but zones 8 to 10 Peony – Paeonia – A three season perennial with spring blooms, attractive foliage throughout summer (if not infected with phytophthora and botrytis blight), and good fall color reddish purple. Some are fragrant, stake or select varieties with sturdy stems, zones 4 to 7 Peony – Paeonia Common Persimmon – Diospyros virginiana – 35 to 60 feet tall and 20 to 35 feet wide, upright oval crown, will sucker and form colonies, fragrant blueberry-like flowers, male or female trees though some have both sex flowers on same tree, harvest fruit after frost (otherwise astringent) though some cultivars are edible without frost, animals like the fruit though excess 10 or more can kill a horse, yellow, red to purple fall color, zones 4 to 9 Witchhazel – Hamamelis virginiana – Treated as a small tree or large shrub 20 to 30 feet tall and wide, prefers moist soil though will tolerate some dry shade, yellow fragrant flowers in fall and early winter, yellow fall color, seeds ripen and are discharged in 12 months, zone 3 to 9 Larch – Larix – Graceful, Deciduous conifer with green needles that turn yellow with orange or brownish tinge in fall and drop for winter, small cones, American (Larix laricina)– pyramidal often forming groves) zones 1 to 5 , Japanese larch (Larix kaempferi –zones 4 to 7) and European Larch (Larix decidua – zones 3 to 6) – are a bit more open with graceful branchlets), moist soils, sun to light shade Honeylocust – Gleditsia triacanthos inermis – 50 to 70 feet tall and 40 to 50 feet wide, fine texture creates filtered shade, fast growing, urban tolerant, avoid females to eliminate messy fruit, nectria canker, leafhopper, aphids and other pest problems, zones 4 to 9 Kentucky Coffeetree – Gymnocladus dioicus – 60 to 75 feet tall and 40 to 50 feet wide, females produce 5 to 10 inch pods (Espresso is male clone), coarse scaly light gray bark, large bipinnately compound leaves, Medium texture in summer, coarse in winter, slow to establish branch structure but I think worth the wait, more pest resistant than Honeylocust, zones 3 to 8 Monkhood Vine – Ampelopsis aconitifolia – 15 to 25 feet, Fast growing vine with 5 parted foliage that adds fine texture to the landscape. Grow on arbors, fences or over rocks. Non showy flowers in summer followed by small orangish-red fruit in the fall, attracts birds. It’s close relative Ampelopsis brevipedunculata is considered invasive in about 12 states in the Northeast United States, full to part sun, zones 4 to 7 Geranium – Geranium spp. – 12 to 18 inches tall and wide or wider, Great perennial for the mixed border or flower beds, the spring blooms and fall color provide several seasons of interest, The colorful leaves often persist through winter even in my zone 5 garden adding color before and after the snow graces my landscape, full sun or partial shade (especially in areas with extremely hot summers), select long blooming varieties like ‘Rozanne’ or big root that maintain good foliage throughout the season or cut back ratty foliage in summer as new growth emerges, zones 3 or 4 to 8 Rose Shelters – Northern gardeners need to provide winter care for grafted and other less-than-hardy roses, Boerner has long used rose shelters (tall cold frames) with a high percent success of wintering roses. Japanese Aster – Kalimeris pinnatifida – About 20 inches tall this slow spreading perennial adds creamy white flowers to the fall garden. It resembles Boltonia and blends nicely with other perennials and as Tony Avent of Plant Delights says, “works to soften dramatic color contrasts”. Grow in full to part sun, Growing here in zone 5 often rated hardy zone 6 to 9 - The cultivar ‘Hortensis’ is 2 to 3 feet tall and hardy in zones 4 to 9 Osage Orange – Maclura pomifera – 20 to 40 feet tall and wide, short trunk with low round crown, dark orange-brown bark, large grapefruit size fruit that many gardeners believe repel spiders, planted during dust bowl for windbreaks and erosion control, not for just any landscape, zones 4 to 9 Osage Orange – Maclura pomifera Ginkgo – Ginkgo biloba – 50 to 80 feet tall and variable widths, variable picturesque form, great yellow fall color, all fall leaves drop within a day or two, select male clones to avoid edible but very smelly fruit, full sun, tolerates wide range of growing conditions, pest resistant, zones 4 to 8 or 9 Iochroma cyaneum 'Purple Queen' Calamint – Calamentha nepeta subsp. nepeta – 20 inches tall and wide this is a well behaved member of the mint family, white or mauve/lilac flowers, the airy foliage and flowers combine nicely with roses and other perennials, long bloom, low maintenance and tolerates moist and dry soils, good as cut flower and for attracting butterflies, full sun to partial shade, zones 4 to 9 Gayfeather - Liatris spicata Leopard Plant - Ligularia dentata

Picture perfect autumn day for a walk! Korean Sun Pear – Pyrus fauriei ‘Westwood’ - Compact, fine textured ornamental pear, round crown grows 12’ tall and 15’ wide, white flowers, small fruit, yellow-red fall color earlier than other callery pears, A favorite of Dave Wanninger Boerner’s new Botanical Supervisor, zones 4 to 8 Korean Sun Pear – Pyrus fauriei ‘Westwood’ Autumn Blaze® Freeman Maple – Acer x freemanii ‘Jeffersred’ Cultivar of the red and silver hybrid maples. Upright oval, fast growing and more tolerant to alkaline soil and other harsh conditions like the silver maple and better form and fall color like red maple. Suppose to be seedless but I have observed some on mature trees, plant in spring for best results, zones 3b to 8 Grey Dogwood – Cornus racemosa – Four seasons interest (white flowers in spring, bluish white fruit many birds prefer, purplish red fall color, gray bark in winter), 10 to 15 feet tall and wide, tolerates wet and dry soil but prefers moist well-drained, sun or part shade, colonizes and can be overly aggressive, zones 3 to 8 Three-flower Maple – Acer triflorum – Small scale (20-30 feet tall and wide) maple with attractive ash-brown, amber exfoliating bark, interesting foliage, good yellow-red fall color, hardier than paperbark maple (Acer griseum) for northern gardeners looking for small maple with interesting bark, zones 5 to 7 (mature specimen at MN Landscape Arboretum zone 4) Musclewood (Carpinus caroliniana) – Understory tree 20-30 feet tall and wide, tolerates heavy shade and temporary flooding, smooth gray bark, yellow, orange or red fall color, attractive papery fruit, zones 3 to 9 Firespire™ Musclewood (Carpinus caroliniana ‘J.N. Upright’) – 7 feet tall by 3 ½ feet wide at age 10, introduced by Johnson Nursery Moor Grass - Molinia litoralis Blackhaw Viburnum – Viburnum prunifolium – 12 to 15 feet tall and 8 to 12 feet wide, white flowers in spring, edible bluish black fruit, good for birds, reddish-purple fall color, sun or shade, moist and dry tolerant, zones 3 to 9 Toad Lily - Trycyrtis 'Dark Beauty' Vista – Fall Color – Borrowed views can expand the boundaries of your landscape – look for interesting combinations like the Colorado Blue Spruce backed by deciduous trees with brilliant fall color Monkshood - Aconitum 'Spark's Variety' Semi-double White Balloon Flower – Platycodon grandiflorus – Many perennials including this semi-double balloon flower have great fall color. Enjoy the semi-double white blooms on this 2 to 4 feet tall perennial, grows well in sun or partial shade, zones 3 to 8 Hosta – Hosta ‘Tardiflora’ – Fall blooming, small hosta forming 12 inch tall and wide clumps. Covered with lavender flowers in early fall. Makes a nice edger. Grow in shade, zones 3 to 8 Hosta – Hosta ‘Tardiflora’ Korean Mountain Ash – Sorbus alnifolia – 40 to 50 feet tall and 20 to 30 feet wide, simple leaves like a beech not pinnate like European mountainash, nice 4 season tree with smooth gray bark, white flowers in spring, hot pink to brilliant orange-red fruit and yellow with orange bronze tinged fall color, more tolerant of urban conditions than other mountainashes, zones 4 to 7 Hedge Maple – Acer campestre – 25 to 35 feet tall and wide, tolerates alkaline, compacted and dry soils, air pollution, full sun to light shade, yellow fall color (colors up late ), can be used as tall hedge, zones 4 to 8 Hedge Maple – Acer campestre Annual Herb Planting – Annual Herb Planting – Bali Swiss Chard (Betula vulgaris subsp. cicla ‘Bali’) , Ornamental Pepper (Capsicum), Extra Tripled Curled Parsley (Petroselinum crispum ‘Extra Tripled Curled’), Signet Marigold (Tagetes tenuifolia ‘Golden Gem’), Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus), Broad Leaf Chives (Allium schoenoprasum), Lemon Grass (Cymbopogon citratus) Click Here for the summer walk handout to get more details on these plants Golden Delicious Pineapple Sage – Salvia elegans ‘Golden Delicious’ – 12 to 24 or more inches tall, Heat and drought tolerant herb that attracts birds, hummingbirds and butterflies to your garden, the red flowers contrast nicely against the pineapple-scented chartreuse foliage, best flowering in full sun, annual in all but zones 8 to 10 Mexican Bush Sage – Salvia leucantha – 2 to 4 feet tall, grow in full sun and will tolerate a bit of afternoon shade, this sage is another butterfly attractant. The soft gray foliage is a nice backdrop for the unique flowers. The colorful purple calyces are the showy part and provide a nice contrast to the small white flowers they hold, use in dried flower arrangements, deadhead to reduce weight on stems and droopiness, provide support, or prune the plants back in early summer to promote more compact growth, annual in all but zones 8 to 10 Peony – Paeonia – A three season perennial with spring blooms, attractive foliage throughout summer (if not infected with phytophthora and botrytis blight), and good fall color reddish purple. Some are fragrant, stake or select varieties with sturdy stems, zones 4 to 7 Peony – Paeonia Common Persimmon – Diospyros virginiana – 35 to 60 feet tall and 20 to 35 feet wide, upright oval crown, will sucker and form colonies, fragrant blueberry-like flowers, male or female trees though some have both sex flowers on same tree, harvest fruit after frost (otherwise astringent) though some cultivars are edible without frost, animals like the fruit though excess 10 or more can kill a horse, yellow, red to purple fall color, zones 4 to 9 Witchhazel – Hamamelis virginiana – Treated as a small tree or large shrub 20 to 30 feet tall and wide, prefers moist soil though will tolerate some dry shade, yellow fragrant flowers in fall and early winter, yellow fall color, seeds ripen and are discharged in 12 months, zone 3 to 9 Larch – Larix – Graceful, Deciduous conifer with green needles that turn yellow with orange or brownish tinge in fall and drop for winter, small cones, American (Larix laricina)– pyramidal often forming groves) zones 1 to 5 , Japanese larch (Larix kaempferi –zones 4 to 7) and European Larch (Larix decidua – zones 3 to 6) – are a bit more open with graceful branchlets), moist soils, sun to light shade Honeylocust – Gleditsia triacanthos inermis – 50 to 70 feet tall and 40 to 50 feet wide, fine texture creates filtered shade, fast growing, urban tolerant, avoid females to eliminate messy fruit, nectria canker, leafhopper, aphids and other pest problems, zones 4 to 9 Kentucky Coffeetree – Gymnocladus dioicus – 60 to 75 feet tall and 40 to 50 feet wide, females produce 5 to 10 inch pods (Espresso is male clone), coarse scaly light gray bark, large bipinnately compound leaves, Medium texture in summer, coarse in winter, slow to establish branch structure but I think worth the wait, more pest resistant than Honeylocust, zones 3 to 8 Monkhood Vine – Ampelopsis aconitifolia – 15 to 25 feet, Fast growing vine with 5 parted foliage that adds fine texture to the landscape. Grow on arbors, fences or over rocks. Non showy flowers in summer followed by small orangish-red fruit in the fall, attracts birds. It’s close relative Ampelopsis brevipedunculata is considered invasive in about 12 states in the Northeast United States, full to part sun, zones 4 to 7 Geranium – Geranium spp. – 12 to 18 inches tall and wide or wider, Great perennial for the mixed border or flower beds, the spring blooms and fall color provide several seasons of interest, The colorful leaves often persist through winter even in my zone 5 garden adding color before and after the snow graces my landscape, full sun or partial shade (especially in areas with extremely hot summers), select long blooming varieties like ‘Rozanne’ or big root that maintain good foliage throughout the season or cut back ratty foliage in summer as new growth emerges, zones 3 or 4 to 8 Rose Shelters – Northern gardeners need to provide winter care for grafted and other less-than-hardy roses, Boerner has long used rose shelters (tall cold frames) with a high percent success of wintering roses. Japanese Aster – Kalimeris pinnatifida – About 20 inches tall this slow spreading perennial adds creamy white flowers to the fall garden. It resembles Boltonia and blends nicely with other perennials and as Tony Avent of Plant Delights says, “works to soften dramatic color contrasts”. Grow in full to part sun, Growing here in zone 5 often rated hardy zone 6 to 9 - The cultivar ‘Hortensis’ is 2 to 3 feet tall and hardy in zones 4 to 9 Osage Orange – Maclura pomifera – 20 to 40 feet tall and wide, short trunk with low round crown, dark orange-brown bark, large grapefruit size fruit that many gardeners believe repel spiders, planted during dust bowl for windbreaks and erosion control, not for just any landscape, zones 4 to 9 Osage Orange – Maclura pomifera Ginkgo – Ginkgo biloba – 50 to 80 feet tall and variable widths, variable picturesque form, great yellow fall color, all fall leaves drop within a day or two, select male clones to avoid edible but very smelly fruit, full sun, tolerates wide range of growing conditions, pest resistant, zones 4 to 8 or 9 Iochroma cyaneum 'Purple Queen' Calamint – Calamentha nepeta subsp. nepeta – 20 inches tall and wide this is a well behaved member of the mint family, white or mauve/lilac flowers, the airy foliage and flowers combine nicely with roses and other perennials, long bloom, low maintenance and tolerates moist and dry soils, good as cut flower and for attracting butterflies, full sun to partial shade, zones 4 to 9 Gayfeather - Liatris spicata Leopard Plant - Ligularia dentata