Hi GPODers!
We’re starting this week on a vibrant note thanks to Bonnie Plikaytis in north Georgia. Bonnie has shared her beautiful woodland garden several times over the years (A Spring to Remember in Bonnie’s North Georgia Garden, Garden Stumperies, Winter Beauty in Bonnie’s Garden, A Photo Journey Through the Seasons of 2022, Autumn Colors in North Georgia, and more) and today we get to enjoy highlights of her always radiant fall displays. Despite the challenging conditions she can face in her mountainous woodland landscape, she has crafted an enchanting garden with lots of fascinating plants and a rich palette of color.
Anyone who enjoys gardening accepts that gardening is a journey not a destination. This is certainly the case when dealing with nemesis such as voles and deer. Just when you think you have a spot looking perfect, these critters will show up to put on their unwelcome finishing touches. One must enjoy the process and focus on the beauty even though it may be fleeting.
I can never predict the fall color of the various Japanese maples. This year was a spectacular year for the brilliant yellow color of the coral bark Japanese maple (Acer palmatum ‘Sango Kaku’, Zone 5–8).
Happy Single Date dahlia (Dahlia ‘HS Date’, Zone 8–11) has a simplistic bloom compared to most Dahlias and was a happy spot in the garden this summer.
Red Dawn full moon Japanese maple (Acer shirasawanum x palmatum ‘Red Dawn’, Zone 5–9) has beautiful color in both spring and fall. This fall it developed an intense red color that was exceptional in the evening sun.
This stubby Lion’s Head Japanese maple (Acer palmatum ‘Shishigashira’, Zone 5–9) has had a hard life. Not long after it was planted, deer or maybe it was a bear who came during the night and rubbed its branches, breaking them off near the trunk. I dug it out of the ground and put it in a container where it was safe from the wildlife. After several months it showed signs of recovery, so I put it back in the ground with a protective fence around it. After removing the fencing, you can see it grew quite well this summer developing beautiful orange leaves in the fall.
Feather Falls™ sedge (Carex ‘ET CRX01’, Zone 5–10) is a versatile evergreen carex with a cascading form. It works beautifully in a container accentuating the length and form of the foliage.
‘Jordan’ golden full moon Japanese maple (Acer shirasawanum ‘Jordan’, Zone 5–9) has a bright neon yellow color in the spring then settles into glowing lime green in the summer. This fall it was a brilliant deep yellow but before it could develop the characteristic orange color the temperature dropped to 25 degrees freezing the leaves. At least we got to enjoy the intense yellow as it is visible from our kitchen windows.
Crimson flag lily (Schizostylis coccinea, Zone 7–9) blooms in fall providing a pop of color after most perennials have finished blooming. It is a bit hard to find but I found it from a west coast nursery.
This is the first year that ‘Garden Glory’ full moon Japanese maple tree (Acer shirasawanum ‘Garden Glory’, Zone 5–9) has developed intense deep yellow/orange fall color. I protect the trunks of all our young trees with a hard plastic tree guard, so the deer do not rub the bark off with their antlers. The ferns beneath the tree are the deciduous bamboo fern (Coniogramme japonica, Zone 7–9).
‘Osakazuki’ Japanese maple (Acer palmatum ‘Osakazuki’, Zone 5–9) has some of the brightest fall red colors of all Japanese maples. It may be hard to believe but this year the unseasonably cold 25 degree temperature stunted the color development.
Of course, no post is complete without my gardening compadre, Cody. Here he relaxes on the patio while carrying out his duties as guardian of the garden.
Thank you so much for sharing your garden with us again, Bonnie! Your landscape is a feast for the eyes in every season, but your collection of fall foliage is particularly stunning.
Fall color may have come and gone, but we can still celebrate that fabulous flash of color on Garden Photo of the Day. If you have photos of your garden in all its fall glory, please consider sharing them with the blog. Follow the directions below to submit photos via email, or send me a DM on Instagram: @agirlherdogandtheroad.
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We want to see YOUR garden!
Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit!
To submit, fill out the Garden Photo of the Day Submission Form.
You can also send 5–10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden.
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