Take advantage of fading foliage to create a stunning fall garden
Fall color is often the result of leaves turning before they drop, a benefit all enjoy but few use to their benefit. The always-attractive ‘Madame Emile Mouillère’ hydrangea adds a glorious touch of rosy red to its leaves in autumn. Rather than marvel in this beauty by itself, I enhance the seasonal gift with plants that complement the color and shape of the hydrangea. This shrub and the sedum below it offer flower heads that form a large mass. The crimson tinges in the hydrangea flower only strengthen the connection between the plants. A Japanese forest grass planted at the feet of the elegant hydrangea will echo the color and shape of the soft yellow veins in the shrub’s foliage. As the colors of these plants continue to change and fade in late fall, the whole combination takes on new dimensions.
1. ‘Madame Emile Mouillère’ hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Madame Emile Mouillère’, Z 6–9)
2. ‘Autumn Joy’ sedum (Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’, Z 3–11)
