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Native Fall Foliage
By Marlyse Duguid
The
adage "the grass is always greener" seems to ring particularly true with
gardeners. We are always seeking out the newest, different, and most exotic
plants for our yards. This translates into a false sense that exotic plants are
somehow better than their native counterparts. Back in the 18th century,
it was plants from northeast North America that were coveted as exotic
treasures. Still, the best arboreta and botanical gardens from all over the
world host extensive collections from North America, and they were right to
covet our native plants.
New
England is particularly blessed by its diversity of deciduous trees. Anyone who
has traveled through the northeast in autumn can attest to the unparalleled
beauty of New England fall foliage. Many of the species that contribute to this
fall tapestry make excellent landscape plants, hardy and uniquely adapted to
our climate. These native trees should be on the top of our list as we select
specimens for our yards and gardens. Although the aesthetic and maintenance
considerations drive our choice of these trees, they have an even more
important, but invisible role to play in our landscapes.
Much
of Connecticut feels rural, but our forests and farms are punctuated by
development and we live in a fragmented landscape. Although it may seem a
stretch to refer to our suburban neighborhoods as ecological units, we should
consider ourselves part of the ecological system, instead of distinct from it.
Our native trees have an ecological niche; they evolved alongside our birds,
insects, and mammals, and provide food and habitat. They have functional roles
as well, filtering our air and water, cycling nutrients, protecting soil, and providing
carbon sequestration. All these are freebees when you choose a native tree for
your landscape. As with any landscape addition it is still important to choose
the right plant for the place, and to carefully establish trees with proper
planting technique, and water for the first few seasons. The following are a
few of our favorite native trees for fall color, and we would be happy to help
you choose the right one for your landscape.
 Sugar Maple (Acer
saccharum)
We
can thank the early settlers and 17th-century farmers for the extent
of these beautiful trees in our fall foliage display. They planted sugar maples
along their roads and fields for shade and sugar production. Now, these rows of
sugar maples along old farm roads and stone walls are part of the
quintessential New England landscape. In autumn, sugar maples create a fiery
explosion of glowing orange with highlights of gold and red. Their distinct hue
makes these trees easily picked out in the landscape, and warms the hearts of
visiting leaf peepers. Sugar maples are incredibly shade tolerant, but have
their best growth and fall color in full sun positions. They are native to rich
mesic forest sites, so placement in an area with fertile, moist, well-drained
soil is best. Ecologically, sugar maples provide us with many services. Their
dense canopy provides thermal protection for people and animals. Its leaves are
nutrient-rich and quickly break down replenishing the soil, and it provides
food and habitat for many species of insects, particularly caterpillars, that
serve as an important food source for our native songbirds.
 Shadblow/Serviceberry (Amelanchier
sp.)
The shadblows are an incredible group of plants, and are surprisingly
underused in the landscape. These flowering trees and large shrubs are
reminiscent of cherries, when in early spring masses of airy white flowers
cover the plant, creating a heavenly cloud. Fall color is spectacular and
ranges from golden yellow to orange to red, depending on which species, and the
site. These are extremely adaptable plants, and we have species native to the
driest rock outcroppings as well as the waterlogged soils of red maple swamps.
They tend to be smaller in stature than our large canopy trees and can be used
in smaller yards and borders. Most species thrive in our sunny well-drained
landscapes and provide many seasons of interest. Shadblows also produce
beautiful berries, which are highly prized by wildlife and humans alike. In
addition to birds, many species of caterpillars use shadblows as a food source,
contributing to our native butterfly populations.
 Tupelo/Black Gum (Nyssa
sylvatica)
There
are a handful of species of tupelo inhabiting swamps and wet areas in eastern
North America. Our native tupelo has beautiful dark green foliage that changes
into a vast array of bright colors as nighttime temperatures drop in the fall.
Although the trees read bright crimson from a distance, closer inspection will
reveal elements of maroon, scarlet, gold, and orange. As leaves begin to drop,
these other colors increase in dominance, extending the foliage display longer
than many other species. Tupelo is adapted to poorly drained soils and can be
found along streams and in wetlands, but they are tolerant of dry soils as
well. They are extremely hardy and have no major disease problems. This is a
tough and beautiful plant for that hard-to-fill spot. Tupelo also provides an
incredibly important food source for birds. Most canopy trees have
wind-dispersed seeds, but tupelo has masses of berries that ripen in fall and
provide invaluable food for migrating birds.
 Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida
syn. Benthamidia florida)
Flowering
dogwoods are a well-known and much-loved tree. Festivals honoring their flowers
can be tracked up the eastern seaboard as spring travels northward from Florida
to Maine, including our much-loved dogwood festival held here in Fairfield. Its
small stature and beautiful flowers have established it as a horticultural
staple. Fall color is incredibly long lived, and manifests as deep burgundy to
maroon. They are one of the first trees to start to turn in autumn, and hold on
to those leaves as many more ephemeral species shed for winter. As a native
understory tree, they are more shade tolerant than many other trees we can
choose for our landscape, and they even maintain their amazing fall color in
these shaded locations. They are not as forgiving with soil conditions, and
require a well-drained location to thrive. Autumn also brings the bright red
fruit that is striking against the burgundy leaves and winter snow. These berries
serve as a food source for many birds including our ubiquitous, but valued,
robin.
MARLYSE DUGUID
is a horticulturist and forester consulting in New England. She worked
at Oliver Nurseries between 2000 and 2008, and recently completed her Master of
Forestry from Yale, where she focused on plant conservation. She is currently
conducting research, as well as consulting on natural resource and conservation
issues. She
can be contacted at wakerobinconsulting@gmail.com.
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The
Value of Silver
By
Lori Chips
Silver-leaved plants seem to hold a
special place in the rock gardener's heart, even though sometimes their
elegance is nearly camouflaged when planted in a setting of similar-toned
gravel mulch. I still love this subtle look, but it can't hold a candle to what
one sees out West. The beautiful silvers of Artemisia and the native buckwheats
(Eriogonums) against rust-colored soil and orange rocks can take your breath
away. It is, in fact, an excellent effect to borrow for a trough at home. Consider
using terracotta-colored stones and reddish gravel when designing with silver
plants.
Another extremely dramatic option
would be to pair them with very dark, almost blackish mulch and rocks to match.
Keep in mind that the silver of these leaves is actually passing along
cultivation advice to us; these plants are heat and sun loving and will often
be unfazed by drought. However, so-called shade tolerant silvers like Heuchera,
Brunnera, Cyclamen, and some ferns, owe their coloration to a form of
variegation, and this rule does not apply.
Amongst "gardener's colors," silver
actually does approach the real thing. Naturally, no one expects a plant to
produce a reflective surface that performs like a bangle bracelet, a mirror, or
the chrome on a vintage car. But some candidates, such as a few Convolvulus,come pretty close. Some silvers are more absorptive than reflective; they can
be velvety or downy and run the gamut from grays to almost white. These plants
cover themselves with protective hairs. Think of Stachys, Verbascum, and
Salvia, as well as herbs like lavender. In general, the more fuzz on a
plant, the drier it will like it. The specific epithet (or second Latin name)
will often tip us off. Argenteus means silver, and cinerescens means grey.
Another category of silver in the vegetable
kingdom is the "waxy- leaved" plants. They are characterized by smoothness and
a powdery blue bloom. If you have ever rubbed the skin of a grape or the
surface of a blue hosta leaf to reveal a different, darker color underneath,
then you have seen how this waxy powder works. Some Latin terms denoting this
quality are farinosus and pulverulenta. The word "glaucous"
indicates that the coating will make the leaf look blue or grey.
Silver saxifrages are an
interesting aesthetic case all by themselves. The sparkling leaf effect is
created by the lime pits dotting the surface like tiny silver beads. The edges
of these leaves, on close inspection, almost look embossed.
As for any aesthetic "rules" for
designing with silver, well, there really aren't any. Silver can, in some cases,
intensify color it is put next to, but it can also be a liaison of peace
between warring colors. It is also appropriate to mix varying tones of silver
among themselves to produce a stunning tapestry. I have heard objections to the
use of gold (or chartreuse) foliage with silver, and I have certainly seen some
unfortunate examples of it. But I have seen surprisingly fresh and beautiful
ones, too. However, I do have one very strong opinion when it comes to planting
up a silver trough, especially when using mulch for contrast. I personally
believe that the quickest way to take the visual punch out of the silver effect
is to allow green-leaved plants into the design. Green, in all of its glorious
permutations, is high on my favorites list, but will dilute the magic charm of
the silvers. Instead, give them black, chocolate, or burgundy leafage to sing
against.
Sometime in the 1930s, a resurgence
of interest in herb gardens unleashed a climate for the comeback of silver plants.
Adelma Simmons, matriarch of Caprilands Herb Farm in Coventry, Connecticut, and
author of many books, certainly took the silver theme seriously. Because she intended
to use silver plants in front of it, she had her white farmhouse repainted a
dark blackish red.
Apparently, there exists somewhere
in the fabric of the gardening world, what has been referred to as "the grey
and silver cult." This, of course, was originally launched by Vita Sackville West
at Sissinghurst, in her outrageously famous White Garden, which leans heavily
upon white, grey, and silver-leaved plants. Its focal point is a single silver
weeping pear. It is one place I keep promising myself to see before I die.
 It is interesting to think, as one pops an Orostachysout of a pot, or nestles an Antenaria into the corner of a trough, that
one is a part of this mesh of fanatics of a leaf color. I wouldn't say that the
admiration has quite reached the level of religious fervor, but then, I dare
anyone with eyes to sit still in an orange canyon in Utah that is filled with
silver plants and late afternoon light and not feel... something. A deep sense of
extraordinary beauty, at least.
Illustration © Lori Chips, 2010
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 For more information visit our Web site at www.olivernurseries.com, or call us at 203-259-5609.
Image in header: Detail from Spring, engraving by Bruegel. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Dick Fund, 1926.
Copyright 2010 Oliver Nurseries
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