Hi GPODers!
In last week’s Thanksgiving post (check that out here if you missed it), one of the photos featured was a peak summer scene from Anna Tsai’s garden in Bayside, Wisconsin. Anna has shared her colorful midwestern garden several times in the past (Anna’s Wisconsin Paradise, Beautiful Combinations in Wisconsin, and 21 Years of Hard Gardening Work Pay Off), and today we’re seeing her space in fall. It is absolutely no surprise that her gardens are just as colorful and lively during the late season as they are in the middle of summer.
I would like to share with you some photos from my garden again. This time they are all from my fall garden.
We had a very wet spring then our summer and fall was extremely dry and warm. It was quite a challenge that I had to give up dividing some of my plants until next spring. I am hoping that some trees could survive.
Anna gets straight to the good stuff: Her fabulous fall flowers. Bright red and yellow sneezeweed (Helenium autumnale, Zones 3–8) is starting to fade to its globular seed heads, but delicate autumn crocus (Colchicum speciosum, Zones 4–9) look to be picking up where sneezeweed is leaving off.
On the shores of Lake Michigan, Anna’s Bayside garden is the perfect place for some funky fish garden art. Hanging them from this gray wall makes it look like they’re swimming amongst her flowers.
Despite the challenges she faced in her garden this year, it’s not showing any signs of struggling. A huge panicle hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata, Zones 3–8) is still absolutely covered in pink blooms and all the conifers and shrubs look bright and lush.
On the other side of that bloom-covered hydrangea, a Chinese silver grass (Miscanthus sinensis, Zones 4–9) has some of the brightest yellow foliage I’ve ever seen on an ornamental grass. Anna—any idea what cultivar this one is?
However, the foliage in Anna’s fall garden knowns no bounds. Yellows are complimented by bright red and various shades of green. This includes two more grasses, a variegated Chinese silver grass (Miscanthus sinensis ‘Variegatus’, Zones 4–9) at the back of the bed and lower-growing Japanese bloodgrass (Imperata cylindrica var. rubra, Zones 5–9) spreading along the front. Japanese bloodgrass is highly invasive in southern climates, but less of a threat in Anna’s Wisconsin garden. Though it should be planted with consideration to surrounding natural landscapes.
Moving closer to Anna’s house, a sunny foundation bed is equally piled with plants for four-season interest. Various evergreens provide lasting structure and color, while pink roses put on a daytime show before getting joined by pricklyburr (Datura inoxia, Zones 9–10) blooms at dusk. Another common name for this plant in angel’s trumpet, but don’t get it confused with the related angel’s trumpet in the Brugmansia genus (which features similarly-shaped, but pendulous flowers).
The hydrangeas in Anna’s are awe-inspiring! What a dream to have the space to grow these shrubs to the size she does. Of course, I’m not ignoring the beautiful hibiscus (Hibiscus moscheutos, Zones 5–9) supplying a radiant red in the foreground.
A peek at the loveliest of seating areas surrounded by plants, and a closer look at more of Anna’s incredible hibiscus. The smaller, bright white variety appears to be Luna™ white (Hibiscus moscheutos ‘Luna White’, Zones 5–9).
Endless layers and layers of beauty, and the most adorable little hedgehog statue.
Lastly, dahlias are incredible for another dose of color in the late season. This peachy-pink color is sublime surrounded by various white flowers.
Thank you for this fabulous fall update on your garden, Anna! Year after year and season after season, your garden continues to delight.
And don’t forget, I’m constantly taking new garden submissions. Whether it’s an update on a garden you’ve submitted in the past, or you conjure the courage to submit your garden for the first time, we never hit “max capacity” for garden photos. Follow the directions below to share your garden, or send me a DM on Instagram: @agirlherdogandtheroad.
Have a garden you’d like to share?
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, 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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