Thank you to those of you who took the time to leave an encouraging comment about my ‘sunday mornings in the garden’ posts. I was reminded that even though many of you never leave comments, you’re still out there reading and enjoying (hopefully) my posts.
I think the most surprising feedback I had was from my neighbor’s mom, Judy. I popped across the street for lunch one day and Judy was visiting and she mentioned how much she enjoyed my gardening posts and wished I wouldn’t discontinue them! I didn’t even realize she followed my blog.
So just for Judy, and the rest of you who said you didn’t want me to quit posting about the garden, I am going to continue with ‘sunday mornings in the garden’, just maybe a bit more sporadically.
Which brings me to today’s garden subject, fall color in the garden. I have to say, I really do think fall is the most beautiful season of the year. It’s an unfortunately short season, but I sure do enjoy it while it lasts.
Now I have to admit, I have not done all that well with adding fall color to my garden. I don’t have a single tree that turns a beautiful color in fall. Well … that’s not entirely true, I do have a huge maple next to the driveway that eventually turns a pretty yellow, but it’s not a show stopping orange or red.
But that photo is from a few years ago, this tree turns really late in the season and it’s only just starting to show a tiny bit of color now.
We’ve attempted to add pretty fall color trees to the front yard, but we’ve had bad luck with trees in that spot.
Since we’ve lived here we’ve had two trees in front that have come down in wind storms. I feel like there’s something about this spot that funnels the wind through in some way. The last one came down in September 2019 and we still haven’t talked ourselves into replacing it.
But gosh, that tree sure was pretty in the fall.
I think I’m talking myself into replacing it again as I’m writing this post!
Anyway, I also have to say that luckily I don’t have to just rely on trees in our yard to provide fall color, just down the street there are some trees that put on an amazing show every fall.
I get to admire those regularly from my piano room window.
In addition, you don’t have to rely solely on trees for fall foliage. There are shrubs that provide some fabulous color too. One of my favorites is Tiger Eye Sumac.
My Tiger Eye is planted right next to a Vanilla Strawberry hydrangea, and the flowers on that also turn a deep red as the season progresses.
And of course, all of my various hydrangeas add nice color to the garden in the fall. The Limelight turns a pretty combo of pink and green.
I also get a surprising amount of pretty fall color from some of my perennials. Have you seen how many gorgeous options there are out there for heuchera these days?
This one is called Fire Alarm, and it’s the perfect color for fall.
Believe it or not, there are also some varieties of hosta that change color nicely in the fall.
Not all hostas turn color like this, but if you google it you can find lots of recommendations for those that do.
I also rely a bit on annuals to add some fall color to my garden.
I feel like a few of my favorite garden vloggers have been dissin’ the mums lately, but I like to pop a few into my containers after pulling out the more brightly colored summer annuals.
I try to stick to a moderate budget of $100 for that though because the fall season just tends to be so short for us here in Minnesota. I filled the front window box with some inexpensive mums from Home Depot, and then filled in with some of my dried hydrangeas.
I left the Lemon Coral sedum in place because it’s pretty hardy. It won’t make it through the entire winter here in zone 4, but it can handle some freezing nights in fall.
But speaking of fall being a short season, we went from 80 degrees last Tuesday to snow on Friday.
So, I guess you could say our fall season lasted about three days this year.
The snow didn’t stick around long, it was gone by lunchtime. But it was certainly a reminder that summer is definitely over and winter is coming. We should all enjoy fall while it lasts!
q is for quandie 
I never comment either but I too am glad for you continuing your garden posts. I enjoy every single one of your blogs! You are always very informative & entertaining, and the photos you add to the post are always superb!! I really miss getting to visit with you on a monthly basis, but these posts help me to get bits of you in a very enjoyable way. Happy to hear you will continue the blog and the garden posts also. I always look forward to them all.❤
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Tamara! Thanks so much! I miss you too and hope you are doing well, it’s so good to hear from you in a comment 🙂
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Love your gardens and Fall colors ♡
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Thanks Diane!
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I also enjoy your garden blogs! I’m not sure which vloggers are dissin’ mums but I’m glad I don’t read them LOL. I still love mums although I do have quite a few others plants that turn nicely in the fall. You just can’t beat mums for beauty, staying power, and mostly come back and get bigger every year!
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They are dissin’ the annual mums rather than the perennial mums. The ones you buy all budded out and they really only last for 4 to 6 weeks, and then are done. They won’t perform well as perennials, so you just toss them when they’re done. They say their blooming time is too short, and it really is pretty short. But here in Minnesota we only get 4 to 6 weeks of fall weather anyway, so it works for me.
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I also love your garden posts. It is always fun, and inspiring, to see what someone else does with their property.! As to your tree by the barn not being a spectacular color, I feel your trees have learned your unique technique of using just the right color. 🙂 The yellow looks wonderful next to the red barn – an orange or red tree would not! Also, it is better to admire the gorgeous color leaves if they are going to fall in someone else’s yard. LOL
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Thank you Nancy. You know, I hadn’t really thought about how the tree works with the barn color, and you’re so right about that!
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I am so pleased that you decided to continue your Sunday garden posts! I agree that fall has such beautiful colors and that it doesn’t last long enough. Thanks for helping me realize there is color in other things besides trees! Here in Wisconsin they are predicting temps near seventy degrees next weekend…keep the snow for months from now!!
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I’m guessing our snow isn’t going to hold off for months. Maybe a month, if we’re lucky. Maybe a little longer. You just never know.
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I am also glad you are continuing your garden posts! They are terrific, and I especially appreciate your shady area gardening ideas, as I have shady spots that desperately need some attention.
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Thanks so much Kim, I’ll be sure to share more shade gardening tips!
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Just curious if you have tried an oak tree in that front yard. They have one of the deepest root systems and as they grow slowly they usually are well rooted before a lot of top growth develops making them pretty wind resistant. Walnut trees the same but they can attract too many squirrels. I love the red barn it really is welcoming.
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We have not tried an oak. I’ll have to do some research on whether or not an oak would be a good choice for that spot. We did have a walnut out there when we moved in, but it was way too messy for us. Those walnuts created havoc with the lawn, and sprouted everywhere!
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I never comment but I love your garden posts. I live in Arizona and think your garden is beautiful!
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Thanks so much Laura!
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I am another who enjoys your Sunday garden posts, but does not often comment. I am really glad that you have decided to continue the garden posts. I enjoy seeing your garden – both the plants and the decor that you use. Fall colors are so beautiful and such a variety of plants contribute to the colors. I like the fall colors that my crepe myrtles show off. And SNOW already! Here in southwest Missouri we are expecting temps in the low 20’s early next week followed by temps in the mid-70’s next weekend. So begins the decisions of whether or not to cover plants on those cold nights – which ones, how many, and when to stop and let nature have it’s way!
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So hoping you do continue your Sunday garden posts, I look forward to them. I am not a church person but thinking of going just for human contact. Not your job, but I need something to look forward to right now. I am in Oneida NY, zone 4. Only zones seem to be changing too. We are having much worse winters and then on and off again springs and summers. Downpours, then droughts. But your furniture makeovers and garden ideas help me so much. Keep them coming, please.
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Wow! From 80 degrees on Tuesday to snow on Friday! That’s just plain surreal Miss Quandie! I hope you’ll end up getting a little more Fall than that……..it IS engrained in us that the Autumn is the “cozy” season and who doesn’t love that?!!! I’m wondering if you could plant another tree in your front yard and this time put some kind of iron stakes around it or maybe TIE it to one of your bigger trees so that it’s not able to bend over so far and break? But you’ve probably checked out the options already! It’s so sad to lose a whole tree! Also I love the dried hydrangeas in your front flower box, they’re so pretty!
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I love your garden posts! I too don’t comment very often but do know I am out here reading every single post.
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Beautiful pictures of our Fall in Minnesota, Linda! I do think you should replace that tree…it was lovely (your land legacy)😉!!! I enjoy your posts…I only have a little patio to flourish with a few flowers.
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So happy this is continuing! It was a favorite feature of mine. Love this about the fall colors but boy that last pic was a shocker with snow on the pumpkin. I was disgusted because the wind took care of a lot of our fall color but I’ll take that over snow anytime🤣
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So glad you’re continuing with the garden posts! You wrote them in such a way that I felt I had dropped by for a visit and a cup of coffee, and we were just chatting! I live in southwestern Ontario, and we haven’t had any snow yet, but I know it’s coming! Keep up the good work!
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Thanks Pat!
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Thank you for continuing your in the garden posts! 🍁🎃🌻🍂
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