This post is 10 of 12 of a series I’m doing this year reflecting back on some of my favorite plants from visiting the JC Raulston Arboretum while attending graduate school at NC State in Raleigh, NC.
October was one of my favorite months to visit the JC Raulston Arboretum. The warmth and light of summer that had spurred growth was now waning, and we saw the last flowers of the year emerge before first frost. The cooler weather and shortening days also meant that the first fall colors began to manifest on trees and shrubs. Such a time was ripe to walk through the gardens and enjoy a harvest of color. I hope these favorite plants from the arboretum inspire you to try a few new ones in your garden.
Lespedeza thunbergii subsp. thunbergii ‘Little Volcano’ is such a focal point in fall with its blue-green foliage that is soon covered with magenta flowers. The flowers are so plentiful they weight the stems down for a few weeks while the plant is in bloom.
I loved this combination of Salvia mexicana ‘Limelight’, Ipomoea batatas ‘Sweet Caroline Sweetheart Purple’, and Euphorbia tirucalli ‘Rosea’ at the arboretum. It is a play off the classic yellow/purple contrasting color scheme with a hint of orange/blue contrast, too.
A close-up of the acid green sepals and indigo flowers on Salvia mexicana ‘Limelight’.
I always liked the height of Aster tartaricus. Many asters tend to hug the ground or be in little balls, but this one can rise in a garden bed.
It isn’t fall without mums! Chrysanthemum ‘Gethsemane Moonlight’ is a very vigorous grower and features soft lemon-colored ray petals.
You probably won’t find Pityopsis graminifolia in many gardens, but it is a cool native. Evergreen silvery foliage that looks more like grass leaves (hence the graminifolia which means leaves resembling grass) than something in the aster family puts forth yellow blooms in autumn.
I always enjoyed seeing these Cosmos sulphureus erupt out of the perennial border at the arboretum in fall. Most years, I wouldn’t even see seedlings until well into summer.
Don’t you love how the ray color of Dahlia ‘Forncett Furnace’ echoes the stems on Hibiscus ‘Holly Springs’ in the foreground?
Students are always amazed in the fall to see yellow aster-like flowers emerge from these funky kidney-shaped leaves. Here a mass of Farfugium japonicum ‘Aureomaculatum’ flanks the side of the new lath house.
You can’t make out much variegation on this Callicarpa americana ‘Berries and Cream’, but the berries certainly do shine.
Aster ageratoides ‘Ezo Murasaki’ was a new aster to me. While it has lovely blooms in fall, it can be a bit aggressive.
I love seeing the bracts on hydrangeas fade. You never know what colors are going to manifest like the soft red on Hydrangea macrophylla ‘REI 05’ Forever & Ever Together.
I had seen the Ozark native Amsonia hubrichtii many times in the green, but this plant at the arboretum was my first encounter with its buttery yellow fall color.
The first time Tilia cordata ‘Winter Orange’ caught my eye was seeing the vibrant orange stems on a chilly day. The second time it caught my eye was at the end of October when the leaves turned a lovely yellow.
Brie Arthur stands in front of Parrotia subaequalis for scale. This more recent Parrotia introduction is beloved for its spectacular fall color.
A close-up of the flaming Parrotia subaequalis foliage.
The lobed leaves of Acer saccharum ‘Flax Mill Majesty’ (or it appears to go by just ‘Majesty’ now) are burning bright against a gray sky.
The Asian persimmons often offer good fall color as seen here with the brilliant red foliage on Diospyros kaki.
And, last on the list is Hamamelis mollis ‘Wisley Supreme’. Its fading leaves are a final call for the end of the season, but tucked just behind are the swelling buds that will soon open and warm winter days.
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