Fall Foliage Series, Introduction

This is the first of a series of fall foliage highlights. I am going to feature 2-3 plants per week which possess amazing fall foliage color, strong berry sets or other fall interest points. I will show a photo of said plant from our very own nursery and discuss some of the significant features. These are plants that would make great additions to a home landscape by adding fall interest!!

Today's Fall Feature Plant is Viburnum plicatum tomentosum 'Mariesii'. Commonly known as a Doublefile Viburnum, Mariesii Viburnum possess a magnificent reddish purple fall color. The leaves are heavily corrugated and large. The plant has a wonderfully tiered horizontal branching habit, bearing white flat flower clusters in late Spring. Mariesii Viburnum bear a red fruit set in Fall followed by the foliage burst. Generally plants prefer moist but well-drained soil. Mature specimens can achieve a size of 8-10'H x 10-12'W.

See this informative article on Viburnum for more info. on this great group of versatile shrubs!
http://www.finegardening.com/plants/articles/viburnums-are-versatile-shrubs.aspx

Umbrella Factory

One of my favorite things to do on a road trip is to stop in and visit local nurseries and other funky spots in order to take photos and also to just feel the vibes of a location. Snooping around and seeing what other greenies do with their display space is very enjoyable for me. Pictured here are some planters found at the Umbrella Factory in Charlestown, RI.

These pots hold an assortment of truly magnificent tropicals, mainly Begonias, Caladium and Colocasia (Elephant Ears). These are all interesting foliage plants...good for part shade. Impressive!

The Umbrella Factory hosts several small shops and boutiques, ecclectic and unconventional in nature. It's a fun place to spend a couple of hours poking around. The property is reminiscent of an old hippie commune and the gardens hold much charm and many plant surprises, as they ramble past old farm equipment and broken down cars. This is all part of the draw here. There is a small nursery here as well.

'Totally Tubular!' Coneflower

This snazzy 'Plants that Work' selection is a great choice for a hot spot in your yard! Rudbeckia subtomentosa 'Henry Eilers' has really cool petals that are tubular in nature, reminiscent of a lonicera or honeysuckle bloom. This preceding characteristic is one that makes this particular variety different from the majority of Rudbeckias. These quill-like petals are surrounded by a raised center cone which is a warm brown. The leaves of the plant are sweetly aromatic.

When people think of Rudbeckia, the most commonly thought of is Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii 'Goldsturm', or more simply put...Black-Eyed Susan! The Black-Eyed Susan is very overplanted and to tell you the truth...we are getting a little bored! So, we are now carrying 3 or 4 different varieties of Rudbeckias. All bloom summer to early Fall. Come check them out!!

The Queen of Cleomes

Cleome hassleriana, or Spider Flower, as it is often called, is an amazing, long-lived annual in the garden. Pictured here are 'volunteer' Cleome plants living at our nursery. Volunteers are plants that grow up from seeds left in the ground from a previous gardening season. They were unplanned and found themselves a perfect spot in our front garden bed.

This particular variety of Cleome is 'Pink Queen' and like all cleome of this particular species, it grows to 4 ft. tall and spreads about 18" wide. The plant has large palmate leaves and the hairy and very prickly stems are sturdy enough to hold up the huge, globe-shaped, spidery flowers for which this plant gets its' common name! Cleome needs full sun and well-drained soil to be most successful. Regular watering during summer is helpful to keep it blooming until after first frost!! We sell already started plugs in May-June and seeds throughout the season. We may even be willing to share seeds from our volunteers if you ask nicely!! They are still flowering now in early October and looking like the garden 'Queens' that they are!

Fuzzy Wuzzy...flowers?

Chenille plant or Acalypha hispida is a great indoor/outdoor plant for the novice or experienced gardener alike! What a very interesting flower it produces...usually 3-4" long and fuzzy like a cattail or, well, like chenille! The color is a light red and the plant is prolific. Chenille plant likes bright light if indoors and partial shade if outdoors in the summertime. Keep the soil barely moist for best results. Feed every two weeks with an all-purpose water-soluble plant food, at half-dose. If you have a fuzzy wuzzy plant already, don't forget to bring it indoors for the winter, as they are not winter hardy here!!

Time to Harvest.

With the cooler temperatures finally having arrived and the glorious weather here, it is so pleasant to be outdoors! No more humidity...hurrah! I see my garden winding down for the season, but I am still getting mad harvests of tomatoes, zucchini and cukes! Yum! Tomato and cucumber salads galore!

Hummingbirds!

Come see our new hand-blown glass hummingbird feeders, made from recycled glass! They are uniquely gorgeous and come in various shapes and sizes. They make great holiday gifts too!!


This is an important time of year for feeding hummingbirds -- a time that people don't always think about, since the summer is coming to an end. With the southern migration of hummingbirds starting, it is very important to have feeders ready with lots of fresh nectar for them to load up on. It not only helps them build up their body weight for their long journey back to their winter homes, it also proves that you will be a dependable feeding station for them to come back to next year. Hummingbirds do come back to the same gardens every year!!

Check out the Hummingbird Society's website for more great information at www.hummingbirdsociety.org/.