Fall is for Planting
One of the great things about fall in the South is the weather. The “dog days” of summer have passed and cooler temperatures make working in the garden an appealing option. Fall is also an ideal time to add plants to your garden, including trees, shrubs, perennials and spring flowering bulbs. Whether you have a small city courtyard or a large suburban lot, the possibilities are unlimited.
Start with a Plan
If you don’t already have a landscape plan for your garden, Gibbs Landscape Company can create one tailored to suit your property and life style.
The Framework: Trees, Shrubs and Perennials
If you have taken photos throughout the growing season of plants that you like, or made notes about favorites, now is the time to add these to your garden. Remember, you are investing in a root system. When adding trees and shrubs, consider what they will look like in every season and which perennial companions will complement them.
Be sure to include a mixture of both evergreen and deciduous types. This way your garden will offer interest throughout the year.
Beyond blooms, choose varieties with interesting texture, colorful bark, brilliant berries and fragrant qualities. For screening and hedging, plants like fragrant tea olive, Osmanthus fragrans, offer bold evergreen foliage and sweetly scented flowers.
Don’t forget the Bulbs
Once the soil temperatures are cooler (November through December) it’s time to add spring flowering bulbs. For easy to grow perennial bulbs, daffodils are a good bet. Pair them with daylilies or hellebores which will help mask daffodil foliage, after they have flowered and as it ripens next summer. Because daffodils are poisonous, deer will avoid them. (Once 1/3 of the foliage has turned yellow you can cut it back).
Smaller species bulbs like the tulip ‘Lady Jane’ or Ipheion ‘Rolf Fiedler,’ with its fragrant lavender blue flowers, are ideal for tucking into the flower border or under established shrubs and trees. Unlike the giant hybrid tulips, both of these varieties will persist in the garden, delighting you for years to come.
Instant Color with Container Gardens
Don’t forget to water your new plantings on a regular basis until they become established.
For more ideas on how to transform your Fall garden, contact Gibbs Landscape Company and one of our award winning landscape architects would be happy to assist you.
When you select a shrub for screening or an evergreen backdrop, think about what you will pair it with. The tough yet elegant Florida Leucothoe,Agarista populifolia, is ideal for screening unsightly views and has a graceful fountain shape. By planting a small Japanese maple in front of the Leucothoe and adding a landscape boulder, you have created a lovely scene that offers interest for months. A clump of iris adds colorful flowers and a vertical accent even after it blooms. Another plant that makes a good companion for Florida Leucothoe is the oakleaf hydrangea, Hydrangea quercifolia. The white flowers open in early summer and last for weeks. The ornamental bark, dark brown to cinnamon, looks good year around. And, you don’t have to prune this hydrangea unless it gets too big for the spot you have it growing in.
Small anise tree, Illicium parviflorum, provides bold foliage and grows in sun or shade. With a span of 8 to 10 ft. high and wide, Anise is perfect for an evergreen screen or an informal hedge. It provides the perfect backdrop for shrubs like Annabelle hydrangeas, which bloom in June with large white delicate blooms (4 to 6 inches across and up to 12 inches in diameter). This hydrangea produces flower buds on current season’s growth so each year you should get an abundance of flowers, provided you provide a moist, fertile soil and regular fertilization. For summer color that persists for months, Variegated Solomon’s Seal, Polygonatum odoratum ‘Variegatum,’ brightens even the darkest corner with its variegated foliage (leaves up to 6 inches long), soft green leaves edged in creamy white. This perennial will grow in shade or part sun. Other blooming perennials that are happy in the shade include Fringed Bleeding Heart, Dicentra ‘Luxuriant’. With its cherry-red flowers and blue-green delicate looking foliage, this is a good performer.
A common question that many homeowners ask is “When is the best time to prune ornamental trees and shrubs?” The answer depends on the individual plant and whether you are pruning to maintain health and vigor, control the size and shape or to encourage flowering or fruiting.
*Remove suckers (vigorous shoots which are usually at the base of the trunk and come from underground roots) as they emerge. Remove water sprouts too. These usually grow along the main branches of trees. Not only are they unsightly, they can starve trees of much needed nutrients.