You can still have a beautiful garden in the fall after a few nights of light frost. Follow our tips and ideas to make the perfect autumn garden.
1. Ideas for the garden in autumn – play with light
Autumn sunlight can be breathtaking. Use the golden light in the garden to create an artistic glow. This Japanese maple is beautifully lit by the warm autumn sun. Because the tree is only 3 feet tall, it does not cover the small evergreen plants around it.
2. Garden in autumn – spotlight on textures
Include effective contrasts in texture. A simple way to do this is to choose one color, but use plants with different leaf shapes.
3. Use perspective
Look for areas in your garden where you can create a panoramic view. For example, a small path can lead across the lawn to a bench and water basin, surrounded by grasses and touches of color from chestnut, dogwood and Chinese azalea leaves.
4. "Keep it simple"
Conifers such as Japanese red pine have beautiful reddish bark and an elegant branch structure throughout the year. Low plantings of thyme, dianthus, oregano, ornamental cabbage and juniper complement the tree without drawing attention away from it. Hardy fresh yellow chrysanthemums add color to the landscape.
5. Mix perennials with shrubs
Shrubs provide permanent structure and year-round interest. Integrate them with your perennials and use them as part of the composition. For example, the violet leaves of ninebark 'Diabolo' create a darker counterpart to sedum.
6. Let form follow function
Enjoy beautiful autumn days by designing a pleasant outdoor patio. Dress it with plants that emphasize the beauty of the fall season. The bench, for example, is decorated with a hardy kiwi vine, and the planting also helps screen the view behind the seat.
7. Shop the end-of-season sales
Be on the lookout for great, bold plants at reduced prices. This colorful elephant grass, for example, is often easier to find at a good price near the end of the season.
8. Add water features
Fall colors are beautiful, and they look even better when reflected in water.
9. Display your harvest
Pumpkins, orange fruits, dried hydrangeas and grasses are great additions to the garden in autumn. Arrange everything in a colorful combination, along with corn stalks, wicker baskets and even old gardening tools.
10. Use what you have
This old stone wall, almost hidden by a 'Annabelle' hydrangea, offers a practical use for all the rocks on the property.
11. Use contrasting colors
Only two plants can be enough to achieve a strong impact. Combinations of yellow-green and red-violet work well because they sit opposite each other on the color wheel.
12. Repeat elements
This colorful lemon thyme echoes the color of the grass, while the blue tones correspond with lavender.
Peter Dark
miranda_shida
Theresa V. Adams
