Your Custom Text Here
Filipendula
*************
Clematis Sweet Autumn
Betty Corning Clematis
Lobelia Starship Deep Rose, Scarlet Bronze Leaf
*************
What a glorious time of year, a season for the senses. The mysteries and magic in nature are in their transition states, quietly entering new phases of life. The meadow is dancing with asters and goldenrods. Birds and bees are singing and buzzing their way from flower to flower and seed to seed. Squirrels and chipmunks are busily searching for as many acorns as possible preparing for winter. The sound of the first fallen leaves crunching underfoot. Maples and oaks will soon brighten the canopy with vibrant oranges, reds and yellows. And as I am writing, I am experiencing one of the most miraculous transitions; a monarch chrysalis in her final stage of transformation. I think it will be minutes until the monarch emerges, now visible through the transparent chrysalis. The ‘super’ monarch that emerges this time of year will be preparing for her great migration south to Michoacan, Mexico.
Autumn is truly an atmospheric time of year, teetering between life and death. As you walk through your garden you may have the urge to cut back plants and rake up the leaves, but in each of those seed pods a meal is to be had or a home to be occupied. Seed pods of echinaceas, sunflowers and many other flowers are a valuable food source for wildlife during the long winter months ahead. Long pithy stemmed flowers like Joe-Pye Weed are homes to native bees. Not only is this necessary for wildlife, they can also be an ornamental part of your landscape. The various shapes and shades of brown bring texture to your garden. Letting leaves and organic matter decompose in your garden bed helps regenerate the soil, insulates roots, stores carbon and protects habitats through the winter months. Many species of moths and butterflies pupate and overwinter in our leaves and emerge in spring, like the Luna Moth.
New England Asters & Goldenrod
Black Swallowtail catepillar
Monarch chrysalis in final stage
newly emerged monarch
At Vineyard Gardens, the same bustling and excitement is happening. We’re soaking up the remaining warmth of summer days and enjoying cool nights, knowing this is the best time to plant trees, bushes and perennials so they can set root before the ground freezes over. We’re excited about the upcoming Harvest Festival to celebrate another wonderful season on Martha’s Vineyard. We have incredible sales going on to give you some incentive to fill any holes in your garden in anticipation for next year.
Ornamental peppers
Mums
As I walk through my garden, holes are becoming more evident as the early and mid-summer perennials have faded away. I contemplate what to grow there. What will be a colorful and beneficial addition for our native species during this transition time? How about some late blooming flowers that give a flash of hope as we head into winter? Or a bush or tree that transitions to that brilliant autumn glow of dazzling ambers, reds and yellows? It is too late now to plant annual season extenders, which should have been planted a month or so ago, but I am reminded to think ahead in early summer about the autumn garden. Planted early enough though, Dalhias, Salvias and grasses are wonderful season extenders, adding color, texture and movement to your landscape.
Shrubs help create the bones of the garden, adding structure even if fillers are needed. They are aesthetically valuable, providing blooms at more than one level, as well as offering height that contributes to layering. Shrubs are also extremely beneficial as a habitat and food for wildlife. Native shrubs, like Viburnums, Buttonbush and Winterberry provide berries, seed and protection throughout the winter months. Crape Myrtles (Lagerstroemia indica), offer taller blooms and beautiful exfoliating bark. Clerodendron trichotomum’s fragrant white flowers bloom throughout August and September and form purple and red seed pods that hang on into fall. Panicle hydrangeas are starting to fade from white to pink, and many are still blooming profusely. Hydrangea macrophyllas are reaching the end of their summer show but are transitioning to a burgundy color to match the fall pallette. Oak Leaf Hydrangea flowers have faded to burnt copper and compliment the bright yellow Helianthus Lemon Queen that can reach over six feet tall. The berries on Hollies are ripening and their evergreen leaves add structure within the winter garden.
Winterberry
Panicle Hydrangeas
Clerodendrum trichotomum
Late season spent flowers of Hydrangea macrophylla
Buttonbush
Hollies
A great option for autumn color in your garden is to add potted plants. Potted grasses will bring some height and texture. Mums, gourds and pumpkins near the front of your garden bed will add color and enhance the autumnal season palette. Place Brugmansia, Angels Trumpet, a wonderfully fragrant tropical plant, in a pot on your patio, and its nighttime fragrance will fill the fall air.
As summer fades, there is a lingering warmth and some colorful life that is still at its peak. Colchium, Autumn Crocus, emerges and is that bit of pink hope reminding us of summer blooms. African Blue Basil is particularly gorgeous this time of year with its purple hues and abundant blooms, a magnet for pollinators. This is the time of year that Pineapple Sage (Salvia elegans), with its red flower spikes, and Mexican sage (Salvia leucantha) are putting on their best show. Salvia guaranitica and uliginosa’s blue tubular flowers contrast the toned down hues of the autumn landscape. Grasses are very showy and sway to the rhythm of the wind. Purple, pink and white asters and yellow goldenrods vibrate in meadows, helping monarchs find their way south.
I just love this time of year, lightly bundled up walking through orchards, the smell of ripening and decaying apples and pumpkins perfuming the air, shrubs and trees transitioning into their autumn fashion, the pace of life begins to slow and a moment for reflection is found. This transition between the bright excitement of summer and the dark quiet calm of winter captivates my nostalgic heart. As I finish writing this ode to autumn, my monarch has emerged and is ready for her next phase.
Colchium
Goldenrod & Asters
Brugmansia, Angels Trumpet
Harvest vignette
Salvia guaranitica
Goldenrod and newly emerged Monarch
Rudbeckia
*************
Rudbeckia Cherokee Sunset Mix
Hydrangea macrophylla
Tricyrtis Samauri
*************
Ilex, a Winterberry bush loaded with green berries
Ilex berries ripening
Ilex with it’s iconic scarlet berries
*************
Clethra
Pennisetum Moudry, Black Fountain Grass blooms in late summer
Pennisetum hameln
*************
Nepeta
Nepeta
Spirea Bridal Wreath
Spirea Double Play Big Bang
*************
Guara
Guara Belliza
Guara
Cornus kousa fruit at Polly Hill Arboretum
by Keith Kurman
Martha's Vineyard has a long, warm and languorous autumn season that can often drift nearly to Christmas. Planning ahead is a key element to success in the late-season garden. With insightful planning you can time-out the garden to be full and flowery from the high summer season through the first frost and possibly beyond. Some plants are not going to start flowering until Labor Day so space must be allotted for them to perform that late in the growing year. Yielding space in the middle and back of your borders can provide strong foliage and substance to set-off the earlier flowering annuals and grow into space left vacant by the May-June perennial displays. Take this space into consideration when planning your garden beds. Distribute your late flowering plants evenly through the border and stagger height and depth, allowing space for earlier flowers.
STAKING or HEADING BACK: Perennial mums, Asters, Phlox paniculata and other late-season stalwarts need pinching back before July 4th. It’s important to provide support for some of the tall growing perennials early in the season to allow them to grow into your staking system. Bamboo stakes and jute twine are probably the most straightforward approach but Peony hoops and tomato cages can be very effective as well. Staking may seem a little fussy and early in the season but we are always glad it was done when it comes to these late September weather “events” like Hurricane Josè.
DROUGHT: Irrigation requires constant monitoring and very often requires supplemental water during long dry spells. Over the course of the gardening year any number of things can happen to disturb a basic irrigation system including plant blockage or punctured lines.
DEER: Plants may require a regular application of Bobex or other repellent, plant caging or possibly companion planting
CATEPILLARS (and other pests): Plants may require regular applications of sprays like Safer Soap, Neem Oil or any of the Pyrethrum derivatives.
Lespedeza thunbergii and Pycnanthemum (Mountain Mint) at Polly Hill Arboretum
September Border with Crepe Myrtles, Vitex, Rudbeckia and Hibiscus
Asters, Mums (the hardy types), Agastashe, Phlox, Japanese Anemone’s, Tricyrtis, late
flowering Hosta, Helianthus, Hibiscus moscheutos, Rudbeckia, Kirengeshoma palmata,
Aconitum (Monkshood) Chelone, Patrinia scabiosifolia, Pycnanthemum (Mountain Mint)
Physostegia (careful, its invasive!), Solidago’s and the ultra-violet flowers of the late to emerge
ground cover, Ceratostigma plumbaginoides
Autumn Crocus (Colchicum "Waterlily")
annual Rudbeckia variety
Chrysanthemum x Clara Curtis
Kirengeshoma palmata, Marginal Fern and Tricyrtis
Symphyotrichum novae-anglia or what we call, New England Aster
Patrinia scabiosifolia
Hedychium coronarium
Japanese Anemone and Impatiens balfourii
Salvias, Dahlias, Cosmos, Marigolds, Rudbeckia, Tithonia, Arctotis, Petunias, Celosia,
Browallia, Ricinus, Coleus, Ginger… and oh so many more!
Petunia and Coleus
Coleus and Tithonia "Torch"
Dahlias and Salvia gaurinitica "Black and Blue"
Petunia violacea
Hydrangea p.g. “Tardiva”, some of the Buddleia and Spirea’s (if they had been being dead-
headed through the season), Caryopteris, Lespedeza thunbergii, Crepe Myrtle, Vitex, Abelia x
grandiflora, Clethra, Camellia sasanqua varieties
A yellow-leafed selection of Bluebeard or Caryopteris x clandonensis "Aurea"
late season spent flowers of Hydrangea macrophylla
Hydrangea paniculata grandiflora "Tardiva" and (front) Hydrangea "Annabelle"
Abelia x grandiflora
Fothergilla, Itea japonica, the mop-headed Hydrangea’s, scented Geranium’s, Virginia Creeper
(Parthenocissus quinquefolia), Sumac’s, Witch Hazel’s (Hamamelis and Parrotia)
Viburnum dilatatum "Michael Dodge" and Virginia Creeper
Quaking Oat Grass Chasmanthium latifolium
Viburnum, Winterberry (Ilex verticillata), Beauty Berry (Callicarpa dichotoma), Roses,
Crabapples, Porcelain Berry (Ampelopsis brevipedunculata “Variegata”)
miniature Roses will continue flowering well past first frost
Beauty Berry (Callicarpa dichotoma)
This list is just a starting point, there are so many more wonderful plants to choose, from the ferns and grasses to the autumn flowering bulbs. For the most part, these should be planted out in the spring so take a look at your garden now and plan where you might need some color or height next year.
Autumn tones in the display gardens at Vineyard Gardens
September Border at Vineyard Gardens. Crape Myrtles & Vitex [photo credit: keith kurman]
Fall is a great time to plant trees and shrubs! The combination of the weather cooling down and fall rain allows plants to establish their roots. Planting in the fall also gives trees and shrubs an extra growing season before the stress of summer heat and drought.
***************************************
Franklinia alatamaha (Franklin Tree): Native to US. Typically grows to 15’x10’. Showy fragrant white flowers in August. Great fall color! Plant in full sun with light shade in moist soil.
Lagerstroemia indica crape myrtle: Multi stemmed trees with beautiful late season color. Blooms late summer into fall. Exfoliating bark which continues to be showy into winter. Great diversity available.
Maple Trees: Known for their fall color. {10 best Maples for fall color}
Acer palmatum: Japanese maples are easy to grow, cold hardy and remarkable adaptable. Their green leaf forms have the best fall color!
Acer ginnala: This smaller maple can be used as small specimen, patio tree and even works well in a container. It has a particularly fabulous fall color!
Myrica pensylvanica (Bayberry): Native to Martha’s Vineyard. Typically grows to 10’ x 8’. Plant in full sun. It tolerates drought once established. Deer resistant.
Nysa sylvatica (Beetlebung Tree): An island native that grows where there is quite a bit of water. Often found growing in low points and bogs on the island. Has beautiful fall color and a distinguished shape. We have some young beauties for sale at the nursery.
Osmanthus heterophyllus (False Holly): An evergreen shrub that typically grows to 10’ x 10’. Blooms late fall into the winter (Oct-Nov) with small fragrant white flowers. Shade tolerant and deer resistant.
Oxydendron arboreum: Native tree known for its fall color.
Nyssa sylvatica fsll color
Hydrangea paniculata "‘Quickfire’
Vaccinium corymbosum_ highbush blueberry
Clerodendron trichotomum in fall
Callicarpa dichotoma: Beauty Bush with beautiful lavender berries.
Early Amethyst: A smaller variety
Pearl Glam: A new Proven Winner cultivar, with dark foliage.
Callicarpa japonica Leucocarpa: An upright beauty berry with white berries. Pale pink-white flowers in summer.
Clerodendron trichotomum: Once the fragrant white flowers have passed the red calyces and purple berry are a showy season extender.
Fothergilla: A native shrub known for its fall color. It blooms in June and later lights up your yard with red and purple fall color. If you need a large shrub the species to get is major. There is a dwarf species available called gardenii, for a smaller shrub.
Hamamelis (Witch Hazel): Large native shrubs known for their fall color.
Hamamelis virginiana: A fall yellow bloomer
Hamamelis vernalis: Blooms in February
Hydrangeas: Many of the panicle hydrangeas fade to pink and hold the dried blooms way into the fall. There are some late summer bloomers that bloom into fall.
Symphoricarpos (Snow Berry): A season extender. This shrub has large white berries.
Vaccinium Corymbosum (High bush blueberry): Native to Martha’s Vineyard. Typically grows to 8’x 6’. Great fall color! Plant in full sun. Deer resistant.
Viburnums: There are many which have fabulous fall color and berries.
Viburnum dentatum (arrowwood viburnum): Native to Martha’s Vineyard. Non-fragrant flat-topped white flowers appear in late spring. Flowers give way to blue-black, berries which are quite attractive to birds and wildlife. Tolerates light shade.
Viburnum dilatatum: Known for their drooping berries. We carry Cardinal Candy with red berries and Michael Dodge with yellow berries.
Viburnum plicatums: These are Chris Wiley’s favorite Viburnum in flower.
Viburnum dilatatum Michael Dodge and some Virginia Creeper
late season spent flowers of Hydrangea macrophylla
Callicarpa dichotoma Beauty Berry
Jazzy Jewel Ruby Hibiscus (Tropcial Hibiscus)
Hibiscus Too Hot To Handle
Hibiscus Brilliant
Hosta
Hosta
Cercis canadensis Pendula, Red Bud
*************
(September 1st - September 30th)
Fig Tree
Ginger Wine Ninebark
White Snowberry
Cool weather greens & herbs [illustration by karen blackerby logan]
**************************
Grow your own lettuce, arugula, spinach and annual herbs like cilantro, parsley and dill! Tastes best fresh from your garden!
**************************
Raspberries and Blackberries 50% off
Mandevilla Vines 50 % off
Mandevilla Vines
Killarney Raspberries
Blackberries
Mandevilla
harvest festival
saturday october 7th
this fall think spring
plant spring bulbs
Chionodoxa [illustration karen blackerby logan]
We have a variety of fall bulbs ready to plant! Plant them out now and they will be blooming in the spring!
*******************
************************************
Pumpkins [illustration by karen blackerby logan]
PUMPKINS // FALL MUMS // ORNAMENTAL KALE, CABBAGE & PEPPERS // HOME GROWN GOURDS // ASTERS
**************************
**************************
SUGAR PUMPKINS // CINDERELLA PUMPKINS // WHITE PUMPKINS
Sugar pumpkins
Sugar pumpkins
Fall Display [ Asters, Mums & Pumpkins]
Cinderella & white pumpkins
**************************
**************************
**************************
**************************
4” Mums
medium mums
**************************
We have a variety of fall bulbs ready to plant, including daffodil and tulip bulbs. Plant them out now and they will be blooming in the spring!
Fall mums [illustration by karen blackerby logan]
VINEYARD GARDENS LANDSCAPING HARMONIOUSLY MERGES THIS CHILMARK PROPERTY INTO ITS NATIVE ECOSYSTEM
Situated down a dirt road in the woods of Chilmark, this property is surrounded by mature oaks, pines and flowering shrubs. The cultivated landscape meshes beautifully with the surrounding ecosystem. A path-like lawn winds it’s way around the house meandering past native and ornamental shrubs alike, a mixture of evergreen screening and a colorful annual garden. A beautiful container garden sits upon the back patio with the backdrop of large PG Hydrangeas and native Clethra. A stone pathway from the house leads to a patio nestled in the woods. This property sits on a few acres with wood chip paths lined with well placed rhododendrons, hydrangeas and native shrubs. The path meanders past a yoga area and a sitting area under a gorgeous oak tree.
**************************
The screening is a mixture of big evergreens: Western Red Cedar (native), American Hollys (native) and Rhododendron maximum (native to eastern seaboard but not Martha’s Vineyard). Deciduous flowering shrubs are incorporated within the screening such as Viburnums (some native) and a mixture of hydrangeas (Oak Leaf (native), Blue Ball, Climbing and PG). To finish it off we intermixed many ferns and astilbe.
Big evergreens for screening: Western Red Cedars (native), American Hollys (native)
Viburnums in the screening (native), Oak Lead Hydrangea, Clethra (native)
Rhododendron maximum
**************************
BEFORE
AFTER
Thuja plicata (Western Red Cedar)
Evergreens retain their foliage for a full year or more and are classified as either conifers or broadleaf evergreens. Coniferous plants belong to the phylum gymnosperms which are plants that bear cones instead of flowers as reproductive structures. Their leaves are called either needles or scales. These are adaptations for survival in tough windy droughty conditions, like on top of mountains. While broad leaf evergreens have flowers that produce seeds and belong to the phylum Angiosperms, the flowering plants. They are beautiful and functional! Both conifers and broadleaf evergreens are a wonderful asset to your landscape and for screening.
SCREENING is one of the most requested landscape functions. This can seem like a very simple request however from the grower’s perspective it is much more complex and dependent on budget and environment.
BUDGET: How much you have to spend on screening directly correlates to the amount of time it will take to achieve your end goal. The bigger the tree, grass or shrub, the more expensive it is and the more work it is to install. Faster growing plants are not always an ideal option. A fast growing plant can be weak wooded, suffering from high winds or winter damage, or the plant could be invasive and outgrow its location. Even very large transplants can take a couple of years to re-set their supporting root systems. The most economical and hardiest solution is to start your screening "vision" with smaller plants that can quickly establish themselves with slower growth screening behind.
ENVIRONMENT: The Island may be small but it is very diverse in terrain and habitats. What would work for a screen in Vineyard Haven will not necessarily work for screening on the north shore in Chilmark. There are many different soils, exposures and pests that can modify your choices. Deer are a big problem up island and poor, sandy soils are a problem in Oak Bluffs. Some areas have clay soils that cause poor drainage that can slowly kill off new plantings. Some have ample available water that can cause problems for plants like Juniper that are adapted to poor, dry soils. It may help to remember that what you see above ground is only half of the plant, what goes on below is perhaps even more important.
Layered screening with large Thuja plicatas that give wonderful privacy
Picea Abies (Norway Spruce). A fast growing evergreen. Growing on average of 13 inches per year! This is ideal for planting on the island because it grows in acidic, loamy, sandy, well drained & clay soils.
Cupressocyparis Leylandii (Leyland Cypress). Grows at least 24" per year. Also ideal for island growing conditions, except for near the shore, where salt and wind can cause irreversible damage.
Pinus Strobus (Eastern White Pine). Prefers acidic, moist, well drained soil. This evergreen grows at least 24" each year.
Thuja plicata Green Giant: We have been carrying this cultivar for years. This specific variety can get up to 60' tall! Many use arborvitae as screening for privacy on their properties, as well as a windbreaker. We have them in several sizes.
Thuja plicata Virginian: This year we received a new cultivar of arborvitae from Worthington Farms, introduced as Thuja 'Green Giants' little sister. Thuja Virginian grows only 15' tall x 6' wide in ten years. Grows 1 to 2 feet yearly. It is also known to be deer resistant! They are beautiful and make great screening. We offer 3 different sizes up to 9'.
Thuja plicata Virginian
Thuja plicata Green Giant
Thuja plicata Fluffy
Provide year round interest
Great for privacy screening
Provides habitats for birds and other small animals
Drought resistant, once established
Pollinator friendly!
Great for Martha’s Vineyards climate zone 7A (hardier than zone 7A).
Chamaecyparis lawsoniana ‘Pinpoint Blue’
Chamaecyparis pis. ‘Gold mop’
Chamaecyparis pisifera Baby Blue
Juniper Blue Star
Juniperus Blue Pacific
Juniperus procumbens Nana
Juniperus chinensis Blue Point
Plants like Hollies, rhododendrons, cherry laurels and andromedas are great, especially for areas that are shady.
Viburnum plicatum
Viburnum are a very popular landscape shrub, both attractive and useful. With the many cultivars available it’s likely to find one to suit your garden. Fragrant viburnums flower in the spring and gives way to berries in the fall. If you’d like your viburnum to produce berries for the birds, you'll need to plant several different varieties that bloom at the same time so plants can cross-pollinate.
***************************************
There are many viburnums which have fabulous fall color and berries.
Viburnum trilobum (Highbush Cranberry): Known for its berry production in the fall. Dark green leaves turn purplish-red in autumn, alongside drooping clusters of bright red berries. Typically matures to 8-12 feet tall.
Viburnum plicatum: These are Chris Wiley’s favorite Viburnum in flower.
Viburnum dilatatum 'Cardinal Candy': Known for their drooping red berries.
Viburnum dilatatum 'Michael Dodge': Known for their drooping yellow berries.
Viburnum dilatatum ‘Michael Dodge’ and some Virginia Creeper
Viburnum plicatum
Viburnum dentatum (arrowwood viburnum): Native to Martha’s Vineyard, Viburnum dentatum grows wild all over Chilmark and the woods of West Tisbury.. Non-fragrant flat-topped white flowers appear in late spring. Flowers give way to blue-black, berries which are quite attractive to birds and wildlife. Tolerates light shade. It is useful in restoration projects or in natural plantings. Deer resistant. We carry a cultivar called Blue Muffin.
Viburnum 'Pragense (Prague viburnum): Creamy white flowers in spring gives way to berries in early fall which first appear red and then change to glossy black. Typically matures to 10-12 feet tall. Plant in full sun to part shade.
Viburnum rhytidophyllum (Leatherleaf viburnum): A large rough textured evergreen shrub. Creamy white flowers in spring.
Viburnum carlessi (Korean Spice viburnum): A wonderfully fragrant cultivar. Reddish pink buds open in late March/early April and progress into 3” snowball like clusters of fragrant blooms. Plant in sun to part shade. Typically matures to 4-5 feet tall but may reach a height of 8' in the right conditions.
Viburnum carlocephalum (Fragrant Viburnum): A multi stemmed shrub with an open and rounded form. Fragrant snow-ball type blooms in the spring and reddish fall color. Fruit production happens best when planted in groups. Good drought tolerance once established. Grows 6-10 feet tall and wide.
Viburnum burkwoodii (Burkwood Viburnum): An early spring beauty is Viburnum x burkwoodii which is from a group of Viburnums called Korean Spice or Snowball Viburnum. Burkwood Viburnum grows quite large, under ideal conditions 10’ x 10. It blooms clusters of pinkish white spring flowers with an insanely delicious fragrance in late April-early May. Beautiful dark green foliage. Use as a hedge, screen or accent plant.
Fragrant Viburnum
Viburnum x burkwoodii
Viburnum x burkwoodii [photo credit: keith kurman]
Lobelia ‘Great Blue’. A blue counterpart of the Cardinal Flower. Desirable plant for woodland gardens especially since it blooms bright blue in late summer.
A North American native plant that has spires of colorful hood-like flowers that open from bottom to top. Lobelias are typically found in wet, swampy soil or woodlands. They are a perfect choice for low spots in your garden that stay too wet for most plants. Although, given enough water Lobelias will be fine with more sun. They are an excellent choice for partial shade gardens.
We carry the Lobelia cardinalis in its native green leaf form, as well as Queen Victoria, a red leaf form that won the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit. A newer cardinalis hybrid we are offering is the Starship Series. This series is a little shorter and better branched. We usually have it in scarlet, rose and sometimes blue.
Lobelia Starship Deep Rose & Scarlet Bronze Leaf
Lobelia Starship Deep Rose & Scarlet Bronze Leaf. Rich bronze or purple foliage throughout the growing season. Adds a bold color for the late summer to early autumn garden.
Prefer fertile, evenly moist soil.
Can be divided every 2-3 years in spring.
Allow to self sow.
Winter over with stems on.
Can be pinched back before flowering to produce more compact plants
Woodland paths
Perennial beds and border gardens with moist, well-drained soil.
Given enough water they can be fine with more sun.
Great choice for partial shade gardens
Well-suited for use in rain gardens, around ponds and streams and other moist areas.
Lobelia siphilitica and Aster
Carex ‘Red Rooster’
Ornamental Grasses have been very popular for decades. They serve many purposes from adding backdrops, texture or a natural feeling to a landscape and are often used in restoration projects. Most of them fare best in full hot sun, are drought tolerant and do not need rich soil. Typically, there is no maintenance once established.
*****************************************
Miscanthus sinensis (Maiden Grass): Miscanthus sinensis is the genus and species. Cosmopolitan, Morning light, Gracillimus, Adagio and Purpurescens are all cultivars of Miscanthus sinensis. We have a wonderful selection of Miscanthus. It is a low maintenance, deer resistant, ornamental grass commonly planted in groups along a border, for privacy screening, along edges of beds and are excellent for container planting. It has silvery-green foliage that turns golden-bronze in autumn and has spectacular plumes in late summer. The plumes on the Miscanthus dry beautifully for winter bouquets or effect in the late fall, early winter landscape. Late winter, with snow and rain pounding, it starts to fall apart. Maiden Grass thrives in full sun and may get 6 feet wide with a 10 foot spread.
Miscanthus sinensis 'Morning Light' : Dense clusters of slender, green and white blades. Reddish tint on blades throughout winter. Great texture for beds and borders.
Miscanthus sinensis 'Cosmopolitan' : Wide green and white strap like leaves with showy feathery plumes. In bloom, Cosmopolitan can get 8-10ft tall when it’s happy. It is upright and the foliage may appear a little pendulous when it’s in bloom because the plumes are so straight and tall. Full sun to light shade. Highly salt tolerant and prefers moist to well drained soils.
Miscanthus sinensis 'Variegatus' : Beautiful, wide cream and green striped foliage. Grows to 5ft by mid-September with red-tinted blooms. Best in full sun. Great as a screen, backdrop or border plant.
Miscanthus sinensis ‘Gracillimus’: Upright structure with all green, narrow, finer foliage. When in bloom reaches 6 -8ft tall.
Miscanthus sinensis ‘Adagio’: A dwarf maiden grass that reaches 3 - 4ft tall.
Miscanthus sinensis ‘Purpurescens’: Turns flaming red in late fall and is really the only one to have good fall color.
Miscanthus s. Gracillimus
Miscanthus s. Gracillimus
Miscanthus zebrinus
Miscanthus Morning Light
Miscanthus Scrictus
Miscanthus Adagio
*****************************************
Panicum virgatum (Switch Grass): Easily grown in average, medium to wet soils in full sun to part shade. A clump-forming, warm season grass which typically grows 3' -6' tall. Bright green leaves occur up and down the stem, turning bright yellow in fall. Flowers in mid-summer with finely-textured, pink-tinged, branched panicles. The seed plumes stay through winter and are a good food source for birds.
Panicum virgatum 'Cloud Nine' (Switchgrass)
One of the tallest varieties. Large rose colored seed panicles envelop the upright bluish foliage. Seed panicles turn golden shades in fall. Ideal wildlife habitat providing shelter and food for songbirds.
Panicum virgatum 'Shenandoah' (Red Switchgrass)
Upright foliage becomes red tinted during the growing season, culminating in a dazzling red-leaved show in fall. Drought tolerant and easy to maintain.
Panicum virgatum 'Heavy Metal' (Blue Switchgrass)
Upright habit with metallic blue foliage. Pink-tinted, airy blooms appear in July, highlighting the color of its blue leaves. Great planted in masses.
Panicum virgatum ‘Shenandoah’
Panicum Dewey Blue
Panicum
*****************************************
Pennisetum alopecuroides (Fountain Grass): A beautiful addition to your garden with its cascading foliage and nonstop drama. Pennisetum has finely textured foliage and an elegant form. Flowers in late summer, with showy white, pink, copper or black, bottle brush shaped spikes. In autumn the leaves turn orange-bronze. The leaves and flower spikes sway in the breeze adding movement to the landscape. The plumes make fabulous cut flowers. Fountain grass is easily grown in most soils and does best in full sun.
Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Hameln'
Features deep green leaves in summer changing to golden yellow in fall and fading to beige in late fall. Showy, silvery to pinkish-white, bristly, bottle brush-like flower spikes arch outward from the clump in late summer. Form 2-3' tall and wide compact clumps .
Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Moudry'
Black fountain grass. 'Moudry' provides excellent texture, color and contrast to borders, foundations and open areas. It is most noted for its distinctive black flower spikes. Grows 2-3' tall and wide. The plumes are great cut flowers.
Pennisetum Hameln
Pennisetum Hameln
Pennisetum Hameln
Pennisetum Moudry: Black fountain grass blooms in late summer.
*****************************************
Calamagrostis acutiflora (Feather Reed Grass): For years we only carried Karl Foerster, now we carry a variety of Feather Reed Grasses
Karl Foerster Feather Reed Grass
'Overdam' Feather Reed Grass
Calamagrostis brachytricha (Korean Feather Reed Grass): Another very beautiful species of Feather Reed Grass
Phalaris arundinacea (Ribbon grass)
We especially like the cultivar Strawberries and Cream for its pink tones on the foliage.
Carex: This is actually a sedge and not a grass but grasses, sedges and rushes have always been grouped together and we will continue this tradition. We carry several cultivars of Carex.
Carex ‘Ice Dance” (Japanese Sedge): Chuck’s favorite
Carex plantaginea: Andrew loves this cultivar
Carex comans ‘Bronze’: Chris loves this cultivar with its reddish hues in fall.
Carex buchananii 'Red Rooster': Chris also loves Red Rooster which is tall and upright.
Chasmanthium latifolius (Northern Sea Oats): Has the prettiest seed pod.
Hackonechloa grasses: They will take some shade and appear weeping with their pendulous habit.
Hackonechloa macra (Hakone Grass): Green tones
Hackonechloa macra ‘All Gold’: Yellow tones
Hackonechloa macra ‘Aureola’: Variegated.
Schitzachyrium scoparium (Little Blue Stem Grass): Honored with the perennial plant of the year award for 2022. ‘The Blues’ is a popular old cultivar and there are many new cultivars. All of them remain true to Little Bluestem’s legacy of drought tolerance, low maintenance and natural beauty. We see Little Bluestem as one of the hottest grasses in the trade. It brings high ecological value and a fresh look to modern landscapes. Many years ago Schitzachyrium was grouped together with Andropogon. It was determined to be different enough to make it its own genus.
Schitzachyrium scoparium ‘The Blues’
Schitzachyrium scoparium ‘Standing Ovation’
Schitzachyrium scoparium ‘Blue Heaven’
Andropogon gerardii (Big Bluestem): We carry several Andropogon.
Andropogon gerardii ‘Blackhawks’: A dark foliage cultivar called Blackhawks is a favorite.
Sporobolis heterolepis (Prairie Dropseed): A native grass often used in restoration projects.
Sesleria autumnalis (Autumn Moor Grass): Sesleria is a European native often used in America as a ground cover. Sesleria autumnalis received the Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit.
Festuca glauca and Helictotrichon sempervirens: We carry these grasses for their glaucous foliage. They are great along the border or in containers and like all grasses are low maintenance and drought tolerant once established.
Ophiopogons
Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Nigrescens' (Black Mondo) A black grass
Ophiopogon japonicus (Dwarf Mondo Grass) A dwarf version
Bouteloua gracilis: Our newest grass. A prairie native with unusual seed heads.
*****************************************
Schyzachyrium ‘The Blues’
Schizachyrium ‘Blue Paradise’
Karl Foerster
Carex Red Rooster in ornamental planters
*****************************************
Muhlenbergia capillaris touts to be Hardy to zone 5 but it will not overwinter for us. The pink plumes in the late afternoon are the prettiest thing you’ll ever see. We keep on trying it because it should be hardy!
Pennisetum Rubrum & Pennisetum Fireworks: Both have wonderful foliage color and are fabulous as ‘thrillers’ in pots.
Pennisetum Purple Majesty & Pennisetum Prince: We highlight these in the fall because they have a great fall effect with dark foliage and large plumes. However, they will not survive the island winters.
*****************************************
Carex ‘Prairie Fire’
Pennisetum Rubrum
September Border: Crape Myrtle is the white ‘Natchez’ & Vitex
An all-season performer that shows off colorful foliage in fall, attractive exfoliating bark in winter and showy flowers in the summer! Crape Myrtle bloom from July to September, with some varieties blooming until first frost. Flowers have a crepe like texture and range in color from red, purple, pink, orchid and white. There are several varieties that range in size from 2-foot shrubby dwarfs to large trees.
Crape Myrtle (front), Rudbeckia & Hibiscus
Better known by their common name of Crape Myrtle, Lagerstroemia is a genus of about 50 plants native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. The Genus is named after the director of the Swedish East India Company, Magnus van Lagerstrom, who supplied Carl Linnaeus with plants he collected.
Only 2 species are primarily used in gardening and landscape horticulture. The Lagerstroemia indica from China and Korea was introduced to Charleston, North Carolina in 1790 by French botanist Andre Michaux. In the wild it is a large multi stemmed shrub but 200 years of cultivation have resulted in a huge number of cultivars with varying characteristics.
Another species from Japan Lagerstroemia fauriei is becoming increasingly important as a landscape plant and as a parent in hybrids with L. Indica. This species is more resistant to fungal diseases, has highly ornamental bark and is more cold hardy than L. Indica making it valuable as genetic material for hybridization.
Lagerstroemia Berry Dazzle
Prefer full sun. The more sun the more blooms!
Once established, Crape Myrtles are quite drought tolerant.
They need good drainage.
A common mistake is over-pruning.
Crape myrtles make great additions to any size garden. Some ideas for how to use them:
Plant multiple dwarf or medium-size varieties together to form a hedge.
Use dwarf varieties as colorful additions in borders and beds.
Dwarf varieties make excellent choices for large containers.
A good choice near walkways and driveways.
Use larger varieties as an individual accent
Crape Myrtle ‘Like a Latte’ [photo: walters gardens]
Lagerstroemia 'Like A Latte' (Dwarf)
Lagerstroemia 'Barista Cherry Mocha' (Dwarf)
Lagerstroemia 'Tuscarora'
Lagerstroemia 'Tonto'
Lagerstroemia 'Muskogee'
Lagerstroemia 'Muskogee Lavender'
Lagerstroemia 'Natchez White'
Lagerstroemia 'Cherry Mocha' [photo: walters garden]
Crape Myrtle ‘Tuscarora’ [photo: monrovia]
Crape Myrtle ‘Muskogee’ [photo credit: monrovia]
Tonto Crape Myrtle [photo: monrovia]
Fall Trees & Shrubs
