Consider the leaf: for its beauty, and the breath of life
Debbie Teashon
Tuscan kale is grown for its highly nutritious leaves but adds an architectural element to the fall and winter garden or container gardens.
The exceptional foliage of Abelia ‘Kaleidoscope’ shines through every season and pairs well with a rich-red chrysanthemum flowers.
"The falling leaves drift by my window. The falling leaves are all red and gold."
~ Giorgio Canali
Consider the leaf as the breath of life, for without plant foliage, there would be no life. The most important living components on Earth contain life-giving chlorophyll. Every breath a human takes is possible because chlorophyll synthesizes the energy of the sun, water, and carbon dioxide.
The next time you select a plant for its fabulous foliage, imagine that each leaf on Earth contains a thousand green chlorophyll machines. Then imagine that you hear the hum of photosynthesis going on inside each one. Plant a tree, or shrub or perennial for great fall foliage, and realize the reality is, it sustains the living world.
Chlorophyll may sustain the world, but it's the lack of it that provides the actual leaf color beyond green, and extraordinary fall displays. When the weather turns brisk, many people think that is what triggers the leaves to turn color. Yet temperature, not timing, plays a small part in how intense the color will be. The best leaf color is during the years when there is adequate rainfall during the growing season, followed by dry fall conditions, coupled with warm days and cool nights.
When the nights turn long and the days grow short, a corky layer of cells slowly block carbohydrates from moving from the leaves into the branches, and the minerals from moving from the roots into the leaves. When this happens, the chlorophyll shuts down and finally disappears. The chlorophyll keeps the color green during the growing season and masks the yellow and orange pigments, respectively called xanthophyll and carotenoid. Trees get their red and purple fall color from anthocyanins — manufactured in autumn from sugars trapped in a leaf.
Frost, heavy wind and rain can cause the leaves to drop before they reach their impending full color. In the Northwest, gardeners are lucky to have conditions favoring a bright autumn display for most years. Contrary to popular belief, frost does not cause the leaves to turn color. Frost destroys autumn color if it's too early in the season. Fortunately, the expected first frost dates happen after leaf fall in the Pacific Northwest.
Gardeners often plant maple trees for fall color, turning the neighborhoods ablaze with scarlet, gold, apricots and yellow. Selecting plants with great foliage for the garden enhances the space. However, the spectacular finale to the growing season comes not only from vibrant fall foliage. Yet includes evergreen and other types of foliage to add additional excitement to the garden.
In the local climate, the Japanese maples (Acer palmatum, Acer shirasawanum and Acer japonicum) are most popular because the trees, such as this Acer palmatum ‘Tamukeyama,’ are beautiful in almost every season.
Take heart if you have a small garden, as this Acer palmatum ‘Twombly’s Red Sentinel’ fits into tight spaces.
In the local climate, the Japanese maples (Acer palmatum, Acer shirasawanum, and Acer japonicum) are the most popular because the trees are beautiful in almost every season. Many cultivars are sought out for their outstanding, ever-changing spring, summer and fall color.
Yet here comes autumn, with flora decked out for the last hurrah. Ah, but there is another side to plants this season. Plants with fantastic hues of the rainbow waiting for gardeners to plant them in a design to knock the wind out of Mother Nature's sails. It is time for her to come around to a beautiful fall garden instead of paying too much attention to her first child — spring. Fall is to jewel tones what spring is to pastels.
The season is not for washed-out or toned-down colors. It is a rainbow palette of brilliant reds, sunshine yellow and rich purples. Fall is the typical middle child vying for attention, with color that says, "Hey, it's autumn — look at me, look at me!"
The columnar Twombly's Red Sentinel Japanese maple (Acer palmatum 'Twombly's Red Sentinel') fits into tight spaces. The maple slowly reaches 10-15 feet tall and 6-8 feet wide. The foliage emerges bright red in the spring and darkens as the season progresses. In autumn, the leaves turn a brilliant scarlet. After the tree's spectacular foliar show, the bare stems are an attention-grabbing red in winter. This was a sport of another maple — Bloodgood Japanese maple (Acer palmatum var. atropurpureum 'Bloodgood'). Which also makes an elegant small specimen tree with striking leaves all growing season and attractive bark for the winter.
Consider the glossy leaves of a heartwarming charmer Abelia 'Kaleidoscope.' Red stems hold chartreuse leaves with green centers. Abelia's exceptional foliage shines through every season. However, when the weather cools down, hues of peach to burgundy creep into the evergreen leaves. In containers for fall and winter, the shrub, when combined with heucheras, grasses, kales, and other great foliage plants, carries on like it's a party in summer.
This autumn garden relies heavily on foliage with flowering cabbages, Agastache rugosa ‘Golden Jubilee,’ Swiss chard and Lonicera ‘Twiggy.’ Flowers are Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ and Aster ‘Daydream.’
Before turning up your nose, consider the skunk cabbage (Lysichiton americanus), which has the largest leaves of all the native plants in the Pacific Northwest.
Fall is known for the popular flowering cabbage. But leafy vegetables — specifically, kale and Swiss chard — are outstanding leafy plants that you can eat. 'Bright Lights,' bred in New Zealand, is a kaleidoscope of bright stems and leafy greens. Grown as a fall-to-late winter plant, it has bright white, neon orange, brilliant yellow or brazen red stems and green, red to burgundy leaves.
If the snow comes, the weight will bend the leaves down until they are entirely smothered in white. Peeking above the blanket of white would be brilliant, curled circles of stems in a white landscape. When the snow melts, the leaves pop back up, dust themselves off and continue showing themselves off. That's when you ask yourself, why haven't I grown these before? 'Rainbow' is a hot mix of varieties of Swiss chard. Make no mistake, you can have a gorgeous ornamental plant with these and eat them, too.
Kale can also be a highly decorative leaf in the garden. The best foliage for an almost tropical effect is Tuscan kale, with other common names such as black Tuscan, Tuscan cabbage, Italian kale, dinosaur kale, black kale, and palm tree kale. Grow for its highly nutritious leaves and make this ornamental vegetable a mainstay in your fall to winter garden or container gardens.
In pristine native areas, if you come across a large leafy plant, chances are you are looking at the native skunk cabbage (Lysichiton americanus). Before turning up your nose, consider that this plant has the most giant leaves of all the native plants in the Pacific Northwest.
It grows in the shade and in a wet spot, for a significant leaf presence during the growing season. It's a choice native for shady, moist spaces. However, if cut or bruised, the leaves help you quickly remember one of the reasons they call it skunk cabbage.
Let's not forget the smaller foliage plants. It's time to consider little leaf honeysuckle called Lonicera 'Twiggy.' This evergreen shrub may be short, with tiny leaves, yet it doesn't just grow low to the ground. In fall, the leaves take on burnt-orange and red tints. Its form adds subtle textural interest next to the larger leaves in the autumn garden.
This is a small sampling of fantastic foliage. With an abundance of great foliage that shows off its true colors this fall, it's easy to consider the life-sustaining leaves in your garden. This fall, take a deep breath, remembering every inhale is possible because leaves are the breath of life. Then plant some more!
In fall, the leaves of the honeysuckle shrub (Lonicera ‘Twiggy’) take on burnt orange and red tints. The tiny leaves add fine textural interest next to larger leaves.
Gardening for the Homebrewer: Grow and Process Plants for Making Beer, Wine, Gruit, Cider, Perry, and More
By co-authors Debbie Teashon (Rainy Side Gardeners) and Wendy Tweton
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