After what feels like what was an Autumnal august, we now head to what is officially Autumn, so it is now a better time than ever to talk about what are the best plants for Autumn.
Autumn is an interesting season within the garden. Some plants are still powering through, full flower and steam ahead, especially if we experience an Indian Summer, whilst others have had their summer fun and are starting to go over. Your ornamental grasses, Autumn is an amazing time for your grasses, but remember to leave them untouched until the start of spring, then you can cut them back.
Any variety of Miscanthus sinensis will look stunningly beautiful in your planting areas this season. During the Autumn they will have formed dense clumps whilst showcasing their feathery like flowers that will look amazing in the low light during the Autumn and will provide the last of the dappled shade.
Without the mention of evergreen plants, as we all know that they will always have year-round interest in them, I am going to start with a deciduous shrub that has a brilliant colour to its raw stem. The Cornus sanguinea ‘Midwinter Fire’ is a brilliant plant for autumn, the oval green leaves will start to turn orange/pink and the red-coloured stems will start to show through especially on the other end Autumn.
At The Landscape Service we love introducing trees into our new landscapes, not just thinking about the summer months but thinking about plants for Autumn. The Liquidambar styraciflua, a fast-growing tree, we believe has one of the best autumnal colours that you can get in your garden. As the temperatures start to fall in this season, this specimen’s large maple-like leaves turn from a crisp green into glowing colours of reds, yellows, oranges with tinges of purple around the edges.
A plant that loves the partial shade in will brighten up your planting areas at the beginning of the Autumn is Anemone x hybrida ’Honorine Jobert’. Native to Japan, this plant excels at attracting pollinators into your garden as well as producing crisp white flowers with pale pink underside of the petals. At the very end of autumn and into the winter months, this herbaceous perennial will die back to the ground each year. Do not worry as new growth will start to appear in spring.
The last plant on this list is what the great Beth Chatto once called ‘The finest of all Asters’. The Aster x frikartii ‘Monch’ is a member of what has been called the most quintessential herbaceous perennial for autumnal colour. This is a vigorously growing, clump forming perennial that does not stop flowering until mid-autumn. Producing clusters of long-lasting lavender-blue coloured like daises.
At The Landscape Service we offer a full planting supply and installation package where we can cater the planting palette to yours and your gardens needs and can include those plants for Autumn!
