Welcome To Autumn Gardens,
I chose to talk about Arbutus unedo with the common name of Strawberry Tree, coming from the strawberry-shaped red fruit that hangs on this tall shrub in autumn.A dwarf form gets no taller than five feet . In fall, both flowers and fruit hang from this shrub at the same time. Some varieties of this broadleaf evergreen can grow as a tree reaching 35 feet tall, while other dwarf varieties can be maintained as a shrub. The exfoliating red-brown bark adds great texture, as it ages with twists and gnarls up and down the trunk.
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Osmanthus heterophyllus 'Variegatus' blooms in October and November, filling the garden with its fine fragrance. Although I like the flowers, the beauty of this shrub is its variegated leaves that give a holly look-a-like presence in the garden. This six foot tall shrub, with its creamy white-striped leaves, brightens my fall and winter garden. I plan to add Osmanthus heterophyllus 'Purpureus' to the garden for its holly-like leaves, with dark purple new growth in spring and fragrant autumn flowers. These two shrubs produce black fruit following the flowers, which is yet another reason to introduce them to your garden.
Hydrangeas are not normally thought of for the fall garden; yet so many of the flowers hang on during the early part of the season. The one I enjoy in autumn is the Oak-leaf hydrangea, Hydrangea quercifolia. The flowers reliably hang on for a time, but the burgundy and red tints the foliage takes on make this shrub worthwhile to grow for year round interest. H. macrophylla 'Blue Bird' (left photo) has beautiful fall colors and their lacecap flowers hang on into fall.This list of great shrubs for the fall garden is far from complete. I hope this at least gets you thinking about shrubs for your autumn garden and Join Our Green Team .
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Thank You Gods Speed  Lee
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