Plants You'll Fall For
Fill your autumn garden — and even your house — with these subtle, versatile beauties
Colorful fall foliage gets all the attention, but if you look for it, the autumn garden is filled with subtle beauty and quiet attractions. Plump pods and flossy seedheads signal the end of this year’s growing season while holding the germ of the next. Outside in the garden or harvested for indoor seasonal décor, the following plants add nuance and refinement, along with a hint of wildness to the end of the gardening year.
Showy milkweed (Asclepius speciosa) is a statuesque hardy perennial with large soft grey velvety leaves and umbels of fragrant, star-like flowers. While here in the Pacific Northwest we’re outside the range of Monarch butterflies, other butterflies and pollinators flock to the nectar-rich blooms. After flowering, chubby horned fruits form and split to release a crop of flat oval seeds, each one attached to a silky plume to assist dispersal on a breeze. Grow the plant to support nature then harvest the seed pods for wonder.
Ornamental onions (Allium spp.) are practically perfect. I never tire of singing the praises of these long-lived hardy bulbs—and hopefully I’ve convinced you of their lasting charms in the garden and beyond. Especially the marvelous starry seedheads of A. christophii and A. schubertii that are durable enough to bedazzle the garden all summer. Before the rains begin, bring the seedheads indoors for a lasting bouquet or give the star on your Christmas tree a botanical makeover.
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