Red hot for Fall!

We often rely too heavily on flowers to deliver pops of colour in our garden.  Every Fall we watch the spectacular show of vivid reds, burnt oranges and golden yellows that many deciduous plants put on display.   Here are my 3 favorite plants that provide relentless red colour for your garden!

1. Burning Bush or Winged Euonymous (Euonymus alatus)

No other bush provides such intense scarlet red and purple-reds every Fall.   This shrub grows up to 8′, often wider than tall and can handle heavy pruning to maintain a smaller form. It works perfect in a grouping to form a hedge or as stand-alone specimen as well.  The stems are odd-looking with  four corky ridges or “wings” which adds further interest to this bush.

Burning Bush, Euonymous alatus

2. Red Maple (Acer rubrum)

A Canadian staple for any sub-urban yard or larger landscape area, Red maples provide the iconic harbinger of Fall in Ontario.  Be sure to provide this tree plenty of room  as over time it will grow up to 25m tall!

3. Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum)

If you love the colour of Red Maples, but don’t have the space, consider a Japanese maple.  The unique form, delicate and often colorful leaves and smooth gray bark give Japanese maples year-round appeal. These graceful trees work in traditional landscapes as well as theme gardens. There are more than 300 cultivars! With so many options, it’s easy to picture one of these serene beauties in your landscape. My fav is Japanese Maple ‘Inabe Shidare’ shown here.

‘Ray of Light’ in your late summer garden

It’s sad but true, we are closing in on the last few weeks of summer. ..but don’t fret!  I know the perfect plant that will keep your garden bright, playful and full of  “sun.”

Consider the very easy-to-grow Black-eyed Susan.   This perennial comes in several varieties of yellow/golds which will bloom continuously from July through October.  They also attract butterflies  and other pollinators to your garden so you’ll have playful visitors to brighten your day!

For a more relaxed cottage look, consider the native variety called Three Lobed Coneflower (Rudbeckia triloba). Local butterflies will show their love by fluttering in droves to this new addition in your garden.

Growing Tips

– Sun, sun, sun!

– Soil: perfect for less fertile soil (sandy) and make sure there is good drainage

– To promote blooming, remove spent flowers (gardening term= deadhead)  to encourage new blooms to develop

Learn about other pollinator and late summer perennials by watching this video.