The Gardener's Eden

 On the Terrace: Dahlia ‘Karma Choc’ and Angelonia angustifolia ‘Angelface Dark Violet’

Out watering containers this morning —listening to the chorus of crickets in the meadow and cedar waxwings in the viburnum— I found myself lost in a late summer reverie. With Dahlias, Summersweet, fragrant Lilies, Garden Phlox and Hydrangea in bloom, ornamental grasses sending up tinted blades and silken tassels, and many other favorites just coming into bud or forming ripe, colorful fruit, August is glorious month in my garden. Sometimes it can be hard to leave here!

 August’s Green Corn Moon, Through Swaying Blades of Maiden Grass (Miscanthus sinensis ‘Variegatus’)

For many gardeners, late summer is a time of winding down, cutting back, and dreaming of next spring. But why turn away from garden pleasures so soon? The second act is just getting started! The Turtle Head (Chelone lyonii), Yellow Waxbells (Kirengeshoma palmata), Fairy Candles (Actaea simplex), Monkshood (Aconitum), Windflower (Anemone hybrids), Bushclover (Lespedeza thunbergii) and Asters are just loaded with buds and the Beautyberry (Callicarpa), Dogwood (Cornus species), Cotoneaster, Juniper, Viburnum and Winterberry (Ilex verticillata) are laden with ripening fruit and colorful, shiny berries.  The big summer party’s just warming up… Won’t you stick around and keep me company? Here are a few of my late-season favorites —currently blooming or covered with berries— to whet your whistle . . .

 In the Wildflower Meadow Border: Ruby Spice Summersweet (Clethra alnifolia ‘Ruby Spice’)

 Henry Eilers Sweet Coneflower and Flickering Tips of Flame Grass at Meadow’s Edge (Rudbeckia subtomentosa’Henry Eilers’ & Miscanthus sinensis purpurascens)

Garden Phlox (Phlox paniculata), is a great plant for late season fragrance, color and attracting pollinators like butterflies, hummingbirds and bees. Control powdery mildew by choosing mildew-resistant cultivars (‘Jeana’, shown above in bud, ‘David’, increasing soil moisture (add compost and a thick layer of mulch), alkalinity (adding lime to the soil in early spring or autumn), air circulation (divide clumps in late summer or early autumn and thin in early spring), and treating foliage with horticultural oil or homemade anti-fungal remedy (click here). 

 A Lovely, Late-Season Selection, the Obedient Plant (Physostegia virginians), Can Actually Get a Bit Aggressive in a Perennial Border. Although it is a Beautiful, North American Native Flower —Popular with Pollinators as Well— I Recommend Thoughtful, Wild-Garden Positioning. Pretty in the Landscape and Vase, Obedience is Not One of Her Virtues!

 Smaller in Stature, Hummingbird Summersweet (Clethra alnifolia ‘Hummingbird’), Sits Pretty Beside the Studio Door, Filling the August Air with Fragrance

 Nearby, the Doublefile Viburnum —Laden with Glistening Red Fruit— Draws Cedar Waxwings and Other Songbirds by the Flock (V. plicatum var. tomentosum ‘Shasta’)

The Honey-Hued Beauty of Goldenrod Lights up Ninebark’s Maroon Foliage an Old Vase: Solidago, Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Diablo’ and Miscanthus sinensis ‘Strictus’. Goldenrod is Often Erroneously Blamed for Allergies. Ragweed (Similar Bloom Time and Color) is the Wind-Pollinated Culprit.

 Ripening Cornus kousa Fruits are Every Bit as Pretty as the Blossoms, and Don’t Even Get Me Started on the Fall Foliage Color!

 Cutleaf Coneflower (Rudbeckia laciniata), is a Tall, Back-of-the-Border Plant. A North American Native, it is a Favorite of Monarch and Swallowtail Butterflies, Bees and Many Other Pollinators. It Also Makes a Beautiful & Stately Cut Flower.

 I’ve Never Been One for Blue Hydrangea —Color Never Looks True to My Eye— But I’m Mad for the Rest. The Late-Summer Blush and Autumn Foliage of the Oakleaf Species Make it One of My All-Time Favorites (Hydrangea quercifolia)

 Common Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare), Yarrow-Leaf Tansy (Tanacetum achilleifolium) & Yarrow (Achille millefolium) Offer Late-Season Blooms and Make Great Additions to Bouquets and Dried Arrangements

 Variegated Maiden Grass in the Moonlight

Photography & Text â“’ Michaela Medina Harlow/The Gardener’s Eden. All images, articles and content on this site (with noted exceptions), are the original, copyrighted property of The Gardener’s Eden and may not be reposted, reproduced or used in any way without prior written consent. Contact information is in the left side bar. Please do not take my photographs without asking first. Thank you! 

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Viburnum plicatum var. tomentosum ‘Shasta’ Fruits in the Garden – A Cedar Waxwing Favorite

Late in summer, when tall grass sways in golden light and crickets sing long into morning, the garden begins to ripen in shades of red, orange, violet and plum. In August, migratory birds —making their way to exotic, tropical destinations— flock to my garden like jet-setters pausing for a gourmet meal and quick rest at a hip, mountain-top resort. Cedar Waxwings, with their high whistling calls, are the happening crowd this week; flitting about and flashing their glorious plumage and dark masks in fruity Viburnums …

Cedar Waxwing â“’ Bill Thompson/USFWS

Beautiful birds are as important to my garden as any of the plants growing within it. In order to attract and support birds, I’ve planted a wide variety of fruiting trees, shrubs and seed-producing perennials in the landscape. The Viburnum genus is especially attractive to songbirds, and with so many species and cultivars to choose from, it’s easy to find more than one to fit in any garden. Viburnum plicatum var. tomentosum (featured previously here) is a beautiful shrub that provides season-spanning support for wildlife. In addition to Viburnums, I grow a number of Dogwood (Cornus) species, Ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius), Winterberry (Ilex verticillata), Juniper, Spicebush (Lindera benzoin), Ornamental Sumac (Rhus typhina), Elderberry (Sambucus), Buckeye (Aesculus) and many other fruit-bearing shrubs.

Nannyberry Viburnum (V. lentago) Fruits Ripen from Citrusy Hues to Blueish Black. The Coral Colored Stems Make a Stunning Contrast to the Dark-Hued Berries. Although Birds Eventually will Pick the Shrub Clean, There’s Plenty of Time to Enjoy the Visual Feast as Well…

Creating a bird-friendly habitat also means providing water —fresh, clean birdbath or water feature— and shelter. Conifers and shrubs with dense branching patterns offer excellent cover and protection from predators and the elements. Hemlock (Tsuga), Spruce (Picea), Fir (Abies) and Cedar (Thuja) are important sources of both food and shelter for birds throughout the seasons. For more information on attracting birds, visit Cornell-University’s Lab of Ornithology here. And for additional photos and berry-good planting ideas, click back to my earlier post —Oh Tutti-Fruitti— here.

Kousa Dogwood (Cornus kousa) Berries Provide Sustenance to a Variety of Birds and Squirrels From Late Summer through Early Winter

Magical Callicarpa dichotoma ‘Issi’ is Not Only a Beautiful Ornamental, but a Magnet for Feathered Garden Guests as Well!

Cedar Waxwing Photo is ⓒ Bill Thompson/USFWS  – Courtesy of the Photographer, via Flickr Creative Commons 

All Other Photographs and Text â“’ Michaela Medina/The Gardener’s Eden. All images, articles and content on this site (with noted exceptions), are the original, copyrighted property of The Gardener’s Eden and may not be reposted, reproduced or used in any way without prior written consent. Contact information is in the left side bar. Please do not take my photographs without asking first. Thank you! 

Do you enjoy The Gardener’s Eden? You can help support this site by shopping through affiliate links. A small percentage of each sale will be paid to this site, helping to cover web hosting and maintenance costs. Thank you so much for your support!

Circus-like baubles on candy-coral stems, literally cover this (Viburnum lentago) nannyberry viburnum in my garden

Red twig dogwood berries (Cornus alba ‘Sibirica’) bring to mind mini marshmallow bits and and rainbow jimmies

Just like orange-flavored Tic-Tacs – The sight of these Chinese-orange berries on my tea viburnum (V. setigerum ) always gives me a little lift

Oh goody gum drops! Would you look at the garden? Why it’s a living Candy Land out there! Just like an old-fashioned sweet-shop —penny-jars filled with confections— my shrubs are overflowing with orange candy, red candy and purple candy galore. Yes, it’s that time of the year when the woody-plants at Ferncliff go all tutti frutti. And the birds? What a racket they make! If I had an avian translator on hand, I wonder what phrases I would hear?  “Jay, come over here and try some of this grape fizz candy”. “Wait a second Goldie… Get a load of the gob-stoppers this year”.  The autumn garden is a sweet feast for my eyes and, more important, for the bellies of my feathered friends.

With one variety of ornamental fruit ripening right after the other, this confectionary show will go on in the garden for months. September, October and November are always bird-berrilicious in the garden, and later on in winter —when ice and snow coat the remaining branches of fruit— my hilltop turns into a virtual Rock-Candy Mountain. After the heavy freezes in December and January, the crystal-covered red and orange berries sparkle just like sweets in glass jars…

Gummy Gobs – Viburnum trilobum, ‘J.N. Select Redwing’

Callicarpa dichotoma ‘Issai’ – grape fizz candy meets honey-wafer foliage. Read more about this favorite shrub and other autumn beauties here.

Viburnum carlesii – Looks Like Licorice Drops and Hot Balls

Some of my favorite spring blooming trees and shrubs —including Malus species, Prunus, Aronia arbutifolia (red chokeberry), the entire Viburnum genus (especially V. carlesii, V. lantana, V. nudum, V. plicatum, V. setigerum,V. trilobum) and others too numerous to list— are also prolific producers of colorful, bird-attracting ornamental fruit in late-summer, autumn and early winter. Hip-producing roses, such as R. rubrifolia (redleaf rose), R. rugosa, and R. virginiana, provide fruit for wildlife or for human-consumption (usually in the form of jelly or tea). And elderberries, some of which produce both spectacular year-round foliage, are also worth including in a gardens for their berries; both for birds and humans.

When considering berry-producing shrubs for the garden, keep in mind that some of the less-stellar spring bloomers —particularly Pyracantha (firethorn), Callicarpa (purple beautyberry), Ilex verticillata (winterberry holly), Cotoneaster, Cornus alba (red and yellowtwig dogwood), and Rhus— produce some of the most vibrant late-season fruit. (For more information about purple beautyberry — the Callicarpa pictured above— click back to this post here). Always research the cultural requirements of each genus and species carefully before planting, and remember that some shrubs —especially the hollies (Ilex)— will require that you plant both male and female specimens in order to produce fruit…

Juniper Berry – Blueberry Bombs

Cornus kousa… or ch,ch,ch, ch, ch,ch, ch,ch Cherry Bomb?

The berries of  my Variegated Wayfaring Viburnum (V. lantana) could be topping a mint-swirl sundae

Rosa rugosa hips (a relative of the apple) are not only beautiful, but add delightful flavor to tea and jelly, as well as providing food for wildlife

Mid to late autumn in a great time to plant trees and shrubs in the garden, and it’s also a fantastic season to grab great deals at your local garden center or favorite online nursery. Once temperatures cool, and the rainy season returns, dormant trees and shrubs will have time to settle into the garden; all ready  to get growing in spring. For information on planting shrubs in autumn, travel back to last year’s post on the subject by clicking here.

Although most of the berries pictured here are edible or harmless to humans, it goes without saying that you should always use common sense in the garden. If you have small, curious children, be sure to research what you are planting and avoid poisonous fruits. And teach children early —as you would teach them about tiny objects— that all we see should not go in our mouths! Never eat berries unless you are certain that they are fit for human consumption. Enjoy the autumn season, the birds visiting your garden, and all of fall’s beautiful ‘Candy Land’ delights…

Just like Cherries in the Snow! Ilex verticillata ‘Red Sprite’ – Rock candy for birds in January at Ferncliff

Cotoneaster dammeri ‘Eichholz’ – looks like cinnamon dots and red candy apple

Ilex verticillata ‘Red Sprite’

Viburnum nudum ‘Winterthur’ at Ferncliff

For more autumn color-inspiration, you may enjoy traveling back to last year’s series of three posts —The Autumn Brilliance Series— by clicking here.

Inspiration: Why, Willy Wonka {images Paramount Pictures/Tim Burton Productions credit as linked to films}…

The Runaways Cherry Bomb {image from linked soundtrack cover}…

And of course, the original Tutti Frutti himself, Little Richard {image from linked soundtrack}

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Article and Botanical Photographs â“’ Michaela at The Gardener’s Eden

{ All plant photos in this feature were taken at my private garden, Ferncliff }

All content on this site, (with noted exceptions), is the property of The Gardener’s Eden and may not be used or reproduced without prior written consent. Inspired by something you see here? Great! Please give credit where credit is due. It’s a small world and link-love makes for fond friendships. Stealing makes for bad dreams…

Do you enjoy visiting The Gardener’s Eden? You can help support this site by shopping through our affiliate links (see some below). A small percentage of any sale originating from The Gardener’s Eden affiliate-links will go toward web hosting and maintenance costs. Thank you for your support!

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Viburnum trilobum ‘Bailey Compact’ with Miscanthus sinensis ‘Morning Light’

What an impossibly beautiful morning. The sky is a scraped palette of blue-grey-violet, and the world all around me is a swirling kaleidoscope of orange and chartreuse, scarlet and vermillion, saffron and violet. I began my day with an early walk through the garden – savoring the ephemeral beauty of windflower and monkshood, and the delicate tufts of fountain grass.

My favorite woody plants, autumn’s radiant viburnum, shine against the moody sky as if lit from within. Viburnum trilobum ‘Bailey compact’ and V. nudum ‘Winterthur’ are particularly beautiful in early October. In fact, Bailey reminds me a bit of those rainbow colored confections found in old-fashioned candy stores. Do you know the ones I mean… the long, translucent cone with the stick? I can’t recall their name. The spice bush, (Lindera benzoin), has turned lemon-drop yellow, and her neighbor, the Bodnant viburnum, (V. bodnantense ‘Dawn’), is slowly shifting from maraschino to dark-cherry-fizz. But at the moment, the real stand-out in the garden is the flame-grass, (Miscanthus purpurascens). This glorious plant is a giant swirl of orange, yellow and grape hued ribbon, ready to be wound into a psychedelic lolly-pop. Delicious. Perhaps Willy Wonka collected plants in the fields beyond his factory?

And speaking of candy-shops – it seems my garden has turned into a feathered-foodie mecca. Every bird in the forest, from cedar wax-wings and cardinals to finches of every hue, has turned up to feast upon seeds and berries. The tea and nannyberry viburnum, (V. setigerum and V. lentago), are a beautiful sight with their brilliantly colored berries and stems, and the American cranberrybush viburnum, (V. trilobum ‘J.N. Select’ and ‘Baily compact’), is loaded with shimmering red fruit – all bright as gum-drops.

Oh dear. All of this talk about candy is making me hungry. But before I slip away to rustle up some breakfast, I will leave you with some ideas for autumn planting. This month I will be focusing on ornamental trees and shrubs, grasses and perennials for brilliant fall color. Take a peek at some of the colorful plants and combinations here. The key to successful late-season garden design is anticipating the color-shifts of autumn and winter. So let’s have a little fun with garden alchemy, shall we? I’ll meet you back here in just  a bit…

Miscanthus purpurascens (Flame grass), and Viburnum trilobum, edge the meadow

Amsonia illustris (Ozark Blue Star), glows against blue-green, ground-hugging juniper

Viburnum setigerum, (Tea viburnum), fruit in September

Anemone ‘Serenade’ (Japanese Wind Flower), harmonizes with golden hosta

Berry and stem coloration of North American native Viburnum lentago, (Nannyberry viburnum)

Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Diane’ (Witch Hazel), color variation

Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Diane’ (Witch hazel ), color variation

Lespedeza thunbergii bicolor, (bush clover), provides late-season bloom

Lindera benzoin (Spice bush), turns lemon yellow in early October

Viburnum x bodnantense ‘Dawn’, shines cherry red against Lindera’s gold

Rosa rugosa’s (Rugosa rose) fruit is a knock-out in September

Viburnum plicatum var. tomentosum ‘Shasta’ (Doublefile viburnum)

North American native Lindera benzoin, (Spice bush)

Viburnum trilobum ‘J.N. Select’ Redwing – American Cranberry Viburnum fruits

Viburnum trilobum ‘J.N. Select’ Redwing, (American Cranberrybush viburnum), with Miscanthus purpurascens, a radiant combination on a misty morning

Amsonia hubrichtii (Thread-leaf Blue Star), a glowing North American native plant

Cornus kousa, (Korean dogwood), fruit in September, slowly turns from green to scarlet

Humulus lupulus ‘Aureus’ (Golden hops), is bright all season long

Viburnum nudum ‘Winterthur’ turns a knock-out red with bright blue fruit

Dryopteris erythrosora ‘Brilliance’, (Autumn fern), is one of the stars of late-season shade

Entry garden: Miscanthus sinensis ‘Morning Light’, Viburnum trilobum ‘Bailey Compact, groundcover ajuga reptans,’Brocade’Background: Viburnum bodnantense ‘Dawn’, Fothergilla gardenii, (still green), Lindera benzoin,(gold), Cornus kousa. Background perennials: Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’, Rudbeckia hirta.

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For more on ornamental grass, see ‘Autumn and Everything After‘…

Article and Photographs copyright 2009, Michaela at The Gardener’s Eden

All content on this site, (with noted exceptions), is the property of The Gardener’s Eden and may not be used or reproduced without prior written consent. Inspired by something you see here? Great! Please give credit where credit is due. It’s a small world and link-love makes for fond friendships. Stealing makes for bad dreams…

Do you enjoy visiting The Gardener’s Eden? You can help support this site by shopping through our affiliate links. A small percentage of any sale originating from The Gardener’s Eden site will go toward web hosting and maintenance costs. Thank you for your support!

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