As peak growing season winds down, it's time to think about extending your garden's interest into fall. Discounted plants are abundant this time of year, and birds will certainly be thankful for additional sustenance and shelter. Plus, cool-weather landscaping can absolutely still be beautiful.
After four decades of designing and installing gardens, Darryl Abraham of Naples, New York, appreciates options that aren't just easy on the eyes but also on the back. "I'm on the naturalizing, low-maintenance side of things," he says.
He also knows the value of working in layers and using a variety of plants-trees, shrubs, grasses, flowers, and ground covers-for contrast in height, shape, and texture. Some of his favorite fall plants include red twig dogwood, gray dogwood, rose of Sharon, ornamental grasses, goldenrod, milkweed, and American bittersweet.
Darryl is an advocate for autumn gardens thanks in part to his parents, garden authors and radio hosts George "Doc" and Katy Abraham. They grew lush landscapes that included hazelnut shrubs, brambles, apple trees, and more for their own enjoyment and to help sustain wildlife.
To design a gorgeous outdoor space with lasting power, follow some of Darryl's top fall plant recommendations.
GREAT GRASSES
This story is from the October/November 2022 edition of Birds & Blooms.
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This story is from the October/November 2022 edition of Birds & Blooms.
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Does a porcelain berry taste like a blueberry to a gray catbird? Does a block of lard smell like frying bacon to a northern flicker? The short answer is no. While some avian species do have a well-adapted sense of taste or smell, they can't distinguish between flavors and odors the way humans can. They're not picking up every ingredient in the suet you put out, says José Ramírez-Garofalo, an ornithology researcher at Rutgers University in New Jersey and the director of Freshkills Biological Station in Staten Island, New York.
Maple Mania - Amazing facts about this fall foliage mainstay
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Even if you haven't heard of Canada jays, you've heard of their relatives. Members of the corvid family, they belong to the same group as American crows, blackbilled magpies, and jays including blue, Steller's and scrub. "Unlike many of the other jays, a Canada jay doesn't have a crest of any kind; it just has a rounded head," says Dale Gentry, director of conservation for Audubon Upper Mississippi River.In 2018, the Canada jay's name was changed from gray jay, but Dale thinks the former adjective was fitting. "Most of its body is shades of gray with some white," he says. "There are different subspecies that have different physical traits, but most of them have some lighter coloring on their foreheads, upper breasts and throats, each with a darker streak that starts at each eye and goes back."
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