Fall is here! The trees changed practically overnight to
their fall colors. In the autumn garden, there are several trees and shrubs
that turn shades of deep burgundy and purple, adding a velvety accent to the
landscape. Mixing these purple-foliaged shrubs in with those that turn yellow
can create a dramatic display before the leaves drop.
The dwarf lilac ‘Miss Kim’ (Syringa chinensis) is a beautiful shrub in the late spring, covered
with fragrant lavender flowers, beloved by bees, early hummingbirds, and
butterflies. It then fades into the background during the summer, a dark green
shrub, allowing perennials to shine. In autumn, however, the show rivals that
of the spring bloom. The foliage turns a deep shade of purple to burgundy red, persisting
well into October, providing a unique and emphasizing backdrop for fall
blooming sedums and grasses.
Forsythia is another spring blooming shrub that is often
overlooked in the fall.
Bright yellow flowers give way to medium green leaves,
which then turn shades of yellow or purple in the fall, depending on the
variety. One of the best varieties for purple foliage is ‘Lynnwood Gold’,
followed closely by ‘New Hampshire Gold’, and ‘Sunrise’. These varieties are
also exceptionally hardy, ensuring beautiful blooms in spring, and always nice
foliage through the rest of the year.
Not to be left out, evergreens often will change color in
the fall as well. ‘PJM’ and other little-leaf Rhododendrons often turn purple
to burgundy as the weather turns cool, and keep this color all through winter.
Purple in the garden, especially in the fall, is a very
dramatic color. Be careful not to use too much of it, but in the right spot, a
spot of deep foliage will be just the thing to draw the eye to a corner of the
landscape.
Genevieve Coombs is
a horticulturist and manager at Roosevelt Trail Garden Center in Windham.
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