Blooming Blurbs: Fall Edition

 

Blooming … Berries?

By Ben Stickland 

By this time of year, many of us gardeners are already mourning the peak of summer when it felt like everything was vibrant and lush. Now, the warm colors of fall are taking over and most of our showiest bloomers are getting ready for winter. But if you peruse the garden on an October day, you will still see pops of color from a quintessential part of fall: fruits! This week, we are going to highlight some fruits that are taking over for the flowers and keeping the garden interesting and beautiful for autumn.
 

Callicarpa dichotoma (beautyberry)

The plant that inspired this article with just how beautiful its berries are (turns out they aren’t true berries), was the beautyberry. Callicarpa is a genus of plants native to many parts of the world, but this particular species comes from China, Korea and Japan. It is a compact shrub, typically growing 3-5 feet in height and spread, that has a slight weeping habit. It does well in average Colorado soils and full sun as long as it is given additional water. Although it is hardy to zone 5, in cold winters it may die back to the ground and resprout in the spring. 

It is a member of the Lamiaceae (mint) family and has small pink blooms from late spring to early summer. By far the most striking feature of this plant, and the reason it befits its name, are the fruits. The cluster of small fruits will begin to form in late summer after the flowers are spent and will mature throughout August and September into bunches of beautiful violet drupes. As the summer ends and the garden takes on its fall color, beautyberries provide an eye-catching, rare purple pop. The fruits will persist well into October, and as the weather gets colder the foliage will turn chartreuse, producing a striking color combination. It is an amazing specimen plant for a garden border, cottage garden, wildlife garden, or somewhere it can be played off other fruiting plants to further highlight just how special this little shrub is.
 
Fun Fact: The scientific name Callicarpa comes from the Greek words meaning beautiful fruit!
Where to Find: This plant can be found in Northwest Grove along the fence behind the stage.
 

Cotoneaster apiculatus (cranberry cotoneaster)

Speaking of other fruiting plants, cranberry cotoneaster is a tough, low-growing shrub in the Rosaceae (rose) family. It, too, is native to China, and it is hardy to zone 3. Red leaf rose will tolerate full sun or half-day shade, and benefits from some additional water in our arid Colorado climate. It can grow up to 3 feet tall and 6 feet wide, although some varieties will stay much smaller, and has deep green shiny foliage and small inconspicuous pink flowers in late spring. But what we’re looking at today are the features that make it a standout in the autumn: fall color and fruits.

The deep green leaves will turn shades of purple, bronze and red, and the fruits that mature in late summer hold their vibrant red color through the fall and into winter. Many cotoneaster varieties have a graceful arching habit, holding their foliage and fruits close to the ground. So, the pop of red in the lower parts of the garden will compliment fall colors in shrubs and trees making the garden feel more dynamic and interesting. It is a great plant for shrub borders, foundation plantings, or as a trailing plant in rock gardens or along pathways.
 

Fun Fact: The fruits of cotoneaster are often eaten by birds, but rabbits will leave them alone!                                   

Where to Find: You can find this plant in the Rock Garden

 
Rosa glauca (red leaf rose)

In a world of huge rose flowers on tiny rose bushes, large ‘wild’ roses seem like a thing of the past. However, there has been a renewed interest in the unique benefits that these varieties of roses can provide. Red leaf roses, for example, are deciduous woody plants that are native to the mountains of central and southern Europe, meaning they are used to the temperature extremes, low precipitation and high altitude of the Colorado garden. They can reach 6-8 feet in height with a nice vase-shape habit, and will produce small pink flowers in the spring. Red leaf roses, as the name suggests, have deep red/purple foliage covered in a powder that gives the leaves a gray-blue sheen which is often considered the most striking ornamental feature of the plant. 

Many common ornamental roses have been bred to perpetually flower, and although in contrast red leaf roses only flower once in late spring and have smaller flowers than most, they are notable for one very important reason: The flowers are spent before Japanese beetles emerge! As traditional roses feel more and more like an uphill battle against the beetles, once-flowering roses are a great alternative to turn to. And for the cherry on top, red leaf roses provide all of the big three fall colors in one plant. Their orange fruits, yellow foliage and red canes make this plant a stunning feature in the fall. The rose hips are unique for their vibrant orange-red color that complement fall color and contrast nicely against winter snow. It is a perfect plant for more wild areas of the garden, such as perennial borders, shrub borders, or naturalized areas. 

Fun Fact: Red leaf rose is hardy to zone 2 so any of our visitors from Alaska can grow it at home!
Where to Find: This plant can be found in the Welcome Garden, the Plant Select® Garden, and the Chaparral portion of the Undaunted Garden.
 

Symphoricarpos x doorenbosii (‘Kolmcan’ Proud Berry® coralberry)

If you’re still missing the pink roses of spring, the name coralberry tells you all you need to know about the appeal of this plant. Native to the eastern United States and Mexico, this shrub is part of the Caprifoliaceae, or honeysuckle family. It can reach up to 5 feet tall and 8 feet wide, and although it can be aggressive in the east, our harsher Colorado weather tends to make it behave. It is a tough plant, as it tolerates dry spells, part shade, clay soil, and won’t get eaten by deer. It produces white or pink flowers in mid-summer that mature into thick clumps of pink fruits by September, contrasting beautifully with its blue-green foliage.

Pink is a very rare color to find in the garden in late fall and winter, meaning that the fruits of this shrub provide a very unique pop of color late in the year. They can be used to add color to naturalized areas, contrast with evergreens, or maintain interest in otherwise dormant sections of the garden. The large clumps of fruits are eye-catching even from a distance, making them a good choice for any place you want to draw attention. The shrub will hold onto these pink fruits well into winter, making it an ideal choice to give the garden some color and some food for wildlife in the off-season.

 

Fun Fact: Winter weather neutralizes some of the toxic compounds in the fruits, so birds will often only eat them in the late winter and early spring when they become more palatable! They are ALWAYS inedible for humans.
Where to Find: This plant can be found in Cafe Grove, Northwest Grove and in the Everitt Pavilion Garden.