Fall Colors

Hello again,
This is the 75th posting on this blog. Wow has it come a long way. We've had guest bloggers, but most of this has been in my words. If you are a loyal reader, I hope I have not bored you. We'd play with the idea of having more guest bloggers if the requests were there. So, if you are looking for more insect and disease information, or you want more design philosophies, let me know and we'll arrange for that to happen. I just want to be able to post number 100! That will be exciting! At the current rate, that will be towards the end of February or beginning of March! If you read last weeks post, you'll know that by that time, my anticipation will be running at full speed! So this time around, I'm noticing a lot of fall colors out there. Asters are beginning to bloom. Or should I call them Symphiotrichon. Nah, I shouldn't. They are asters after all. We have a botanic name that everyone knows and then we want to make it more difficult. Aster will be just a common name in a few years. Such a shame.
Polemonium reptans
I get a lot of questions from designers and architects about natives for the shade that do not go dormant like the ephemerals do. Here is a great example of a plant still looking superb right now. Jacob's Ladder. For those of you that have had trouble with the variegated ones. Fear not. This is a durable native that will do well in the shade.


Heuchera 'Tiramisu'
Tiramisu is starting to develop its fall color. The red veining is visible and it is stunning. The rest of the year the plant has been chartreuse with a silver overlay, but when the temperatures are cold, this is what you get!



Tricyrtis 'Samurai'
I have this in full sun, but they are typically very nice in shade as well. This plant is an oldie, but can you see all the flower buds on it?!? 'Samurai' is a spotted flower type of Toadlily, but it's main claim to fame is its foliage. The edges are a sharp yellow line like someone meticulously painted them on the side.


Thuja 'Linesville'
Such a unique plant this is. I've been told that this is the original name for the plant which was later patented as "Mr Bowling Ball". I prefer 'Linesville'. The foliage is bluish-gray and very soft to touch. The largest plant in our landscape is 30" tall and 4' wide. She is a beauty. I just haven't been able to get to her before the sun does. As soon as the sun is out, she doesn't like to be photographed anymore. It's so selfish.
Aster oblongifolius 'October Skies'
This has to be the earliest I've ever seen this plant in bloom. I hope some of the other late blooming asters, like 'Jin Dai' start to bloom earlier than normal! These make a nice hedge along the front of our perennial island. And if you have not been on a tour here at Midwest, the foliage is very much scented like patchouli.


Echinaceca
This is from a yet to be named plant that Chicagoland Grows is hopefully going to introduce. The plants still look spectacular, months after the other Echinacea faded away. One person mentioned that he thought the right name for the plant was 'Eye Opener'. I like that.


Callicarpa CG07-004
Another plant being developed by Chicagoland Grows. They have two that are in the works. I like this one. Pinks and yellows in fall. The veins are turning pink on the yellow foliage which is also stunning. They are still flowering at the top of the plant. The flowers are small and baby pink, and the fruit is starting to develop on the bottom part of the plant. The fruit is a grape-purple. Very nice. I'm looking forward to the entire fruit display. I'll show that once it is here.
Euphorbia 'First Blush'
This is solely in the trial stages for us. I didn't think it would make it through the winter, but here it is. The pink highlights are very nice with the white and green variegated foliage. The plants are in a predominantly shady area, but they still look nice. Only 6-8" tall, I'd like to see how it comes out of it's second winter.


Rubus calycinoides
This is a very interesting new groundcover that we are selling. It comes in flats of 12. Really nice green foliage all summer proceeds orange and red fall color. The fruits are an amber color and are edible. I have yet to try one, but I am interested every time I see it. The birds or rodents got to them this year, but next year I might get a little more gutsy.

Solidago 'Fireworks'
This is one of my favorite plants. It has been for years. Once I got over my fear of all things Solidago, I really have grown to like the genus and many of its cultivars. This one in particular looks great in most every place I've seen it. In a container would be the only time I didn't like it as much. It does get naked legs like most things in the aster family, but with something short in front of it, like a Flower Carpet Rose or Geranium 'Brookside' would be nice.

Once again, it is truly my pleasure to get to talk and/or write to you all about plants. It has been my passion for 11 years and I plan on it being a passion for much longer than 11 more years. Until next time, have a great day! And buy some plants!