Four Seasons of Color...Really? Part III

This is the third installment in a five-week series of short articles designed to help you bring year-round color to your yard. Planning a landscape can be a daunting task--we hope that this series can help offer some suggestions for planning your yard. Check our blog weekly for the latest installment--and enjoy!  

Autumn can be a bittersweet time of year for gardeners. Even the most enthusiastic of green thumbs is usually ready for a break, but don't let autumn's dreary days bring you down! Here are a couple of plants I use in my garden to add some color and life to my flowerbeds for the season:

Autumn

• Admiration Barberry (leaves turn fiery tones of pink and orange late September through November)
• Coral Bark Japanese Maple (leaves fade to rich golden tones September through October)
• Ornamental grasses (several varieties produce beautiful seed heads in late summer and fall)
• Pink Lemonade Blueberry (green leaves fade out to shades of orange in October)
• Red Dragon Laceleaf Japanese Maple (burgundy leaves color up to bright red in October)

Remember, these are just a few suggestions for autumn color--you'll note that I've left out classics like mums and the ever-popular burning bush. So don't think this is a comprehensive list! I've simply decided that--with my limited space--it works better to make use of other plants. The "four seasons of color" concept is all about finding the right balance for your yard, so unless you have endless space to work with, you'll have to forgo some plants to make room for others. 

Coming up next week, we'll take a look at some great options for your yard that can bring a some interest during that bleakest season--winter.