Purple Smoke Tree (Cotinus coggygria ‘Royal Purple’) fall color
This has been a wonderful year for fall color in my neck of the woods. Conditions favoring such all came together weatherwise– from a cool, wet spring to sufficient rain throughout the summer, ending with a cool, dry September. Perfect!
shade garden in fall
While my flower beds are done for the year, and maple trees’ blaze of color is no more, there is still plenty of color as perennials fade and small shrubs flash color all over the yard. Above is my front shade garden displaying a mosaic of color. A Cotinus, which I planted in August to replace a beloved Acer I lost to canker, has been a delightful surprise with rich shades of blazing color. Some closeups:
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Further along the hedge to the right, clockwise, are a mound of yellowing Weigela, brilliant red Japanese maple (Acer palmatum no ID plant sale seedling), a Christmasy (no ID) Rhododendron with older leaves that turn red behind the newer evergreen ones, and a burgundy deciduous Azalea.
Weigela, Acer, Azalea fall color
Acer palmatum fall color
Small Rhodendron, fall color
Along the front walkway, the stonewalls topped with my ‘bonus’ pumpkins, barely contain the yellow-green, red-edged Lysimachia and scarlet Geranium leaves:
Lysimachia clethroides fall color
Geranium sanguineum var. striatum fall color
Elsewhere in the yard, Korean Spicebush and Doublefile Viburnums, Oakleaf Hydrangea (H. quercifolia) blaze in burgundy and scarlet. Lacecap hydrangea (H. macrophylla) are yellow lanterns topped in rosy-purple. Fothergilla and Aronia are multi-hued showstoppers.
In the surrounding forested hills, russet Red Oaks (Quercus rubrum), butterscotch-colored Beech (Fagus grandifolia) and gold Poplars (Populus grandidentata) contrast with deep evergreen pines (Pinus strobus). It is a ephemeral show that I take in greedily, knowing it will soon to fade to the monotones of winter. For now, I’m grateful for its abundant beauty.
Cathy, at 
I spied a stem of Gooseneck Loosestrife (Lysimachia clethroides) showing red/burgundy that the frost had not turned brown. To that I added a stem of ‘Husker’s Red’ Penstemon, a sprig of Winterberry (Ilex verticillata) and a Black-eyed Susan bloom (Rudbeckia hirta) filched from last week’s arrangement.
Incredibly, we made it all the way to November 1st before we had a killing frost, weeks beyond the average. I decided to comb my yard on Friday beforehand to see what flowers I could glean that had survived the light, spotty frosts we had previously. Protected by overhanging shrubs, I was surprised that I came away with four small bouquets, two of which I share here.
The blue pitcher above contains Black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia hirta), gold Nasturtium flowers and stems (Tropaeolum majus), wild white Malva (M. moschata alba), Queen Anne’s Lace (Daucus carota), white Chrysanthemums and a few pitiful Zinnia ‘Yellow Profusion.’
The milk can vase above holds Beautyberry (Callicarpa dichotoma), Cigar Plant (Cuphea ignea ‘Vermillionaire’) and a vigorous late-blooming Fleabane (Erigeron annuus) tinted lavender from the cold weather.
