Fall is an exceptional time of the year in the garden; as cooler weather intensifies, so do the foliage colours of many vines and groundcovers. With shorter days and lower nighttime temperatures, the green chlorophyll that masked the original pigments in the leaves of deciduous plants throughout the season is no longer produced, allowing their true colours to blaze. The fluctuation between warm, sunny days and cool nights accentuates carotenoid, which produces the scarlets, yellows and oranges in plants such as ‘Gro-Low’ fragrant sumac, while the pigment anthocyanin shines through to create the blues, purples and magentas of Virginia creeper and the ground-hugging rockspray cotoneaster.
Groundcovers, which so generously spread to cover bare spots in the garden, have a quiet attractiveness throughout spring and summer. Come fall, however, specimens such as dwarf blue plumbago burst into glamorous masses of magenta buds and gentian blue blooms.
Not to be outdone by the showy groundcovers at their feet, many vines play a dramatic role in the autumn landscape, too. There’s no missing the brilliant maroon foliage of Virginia creeper and its Asian relative, Boston ivy.
Care checklist
Soil and Exposure
- Full sun (for better foliage colour and flowering) to part shade.
- Moist but not soggy soil, preferably well-drained, loamy and organic; amend heavy clay with compost, leaf mould or sand.
Maintenance
- Plant in spring or autumn and mulch with shredded bark or small wood chips to prevent weeds.
- Moderate- to fast-growing vines and groundcovers may need to be contained by edging or raised beds; site them carefully so they don’t overpower diminutive neighbours.
- Apply two centimetres of sifted compost or slow-release, granular, 10-10-10 fertilizer annually.
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1 Comment
Hi, I'm not sure if this is a repeat comment as I'm new to the website, but have been receiving the magazine since Janurary. I live in Armstrong, B.C. and I have a viginia creeper that was approx 15 years old and full of white flys this summer. It was facing southeast and crawled up our stucco house. I wish it looked like your photo but I decided to cut it or remove it entirely as the investation was brutal, and it started affecting my crawling rose bush in close vicinity. Anyways I had a question as to cause, and solution to that problem plus I experienced a few other issues in my garden that I would like to get some advice on. Not sure where to navigate those questions. Appreciate some direction so I can deal with this before the snow flys here. First question, I'm really not entirely sure what zone I'm in. My 10 year old bing cherry tree has had a rough summer despite it had a bountiful crop. Organic oil and dishsoap spray was used to keep down the fruitfly and green dangling worm, but all the leaves prematurely browned, curled and have transparant spots. My 50 ft approx mountain ash tree just decided to turn brown every single leaf, no red berries and now there is mushrooms growing out of the bark. Is is dead??? Because it looks dead, no bird will come near it. Thanks I appreciate any feedback. Susan