Great Garden Combo: Fall Foliage With a Contemporary Twist
The typical fall garden is a fiery kaleidoscope of color and texture, of trees and shrubs layered to create a vibrant tapestry. As beautiful as that is, it is not the only way to create a memorable autumnal display.
Consider the architecture of your home and your own design aesthetic. Perhaps they suggest a pared down approach with restraint in color, placement and number of plant species and with a focus on foliage over flowers. This doesn't mean you have to miss out on a spectacular fall show.
Although this Seattle garden has an elegant simplicity reminiscent of a Japanese garden, it is not trying to mimic that style so much as pay homage to it. There are no stone lanterns, pagoda-style arbors or raked gravel beds. Rather this has a more contemporary feel, a celebration of nature without trying to compete with it. Designer Tish Treherne of Bliss Garden Design has met the homeowners' request for a serene space with subtle Asian influences while adding brushstrokes of intense color from her artistic hand.
Here's how to get the look.
1. Spacing is key. The stars of this scene are undoubtedly the Japanese maples. From the burnt orange Iijima Sunago (Acer palmatum 'Iijima Sunago') to the golden yellow Hogyoku (Acer palmatum 'Hogyoku') and the Pacific Northwest native vine maple (Acer circinatum) closest to the house, each tree is given its own space to not only show off its individual structure but to keep each color distinct. The backdrop of native trees adds depth without interfering visually with the seasonal display.
Clusters of evergreen Japanese sedge grass (Carex morrowii 'Aureo-variegata', hardy to -20°F) are planted at intervals along both sides of the path while low-growing shrubs, including the purple leaf Royal Burgundy barberry (Berberis thunbergii 'Royal Burgundy', hardy to -30°F), provide a middle tier of interest without vying for dominance.
2. Simplicity over abundance. Sleek matte black containers are the perfect counterpoint for such fiery foliage. The temptation would be to plant these with an abundance of fall and winter-hardy plant material, but the designer makes a more powerful statement by adding just one grass or shrub to each pot.
3. Details make the difference. Boulders are placed with care and skill to appear like natural outcroppings and create the ideal niche for smaller plants such as this black mondo grass (Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Nigrescens').
4. Think beyond fall. Evergreens are an essential component of any four-season landscape, and as much as this garden is stunning in autumn we can see the structural bones of the garden ready to exert their influence.
From dwarf pine trees, including Japanese black pine (Pinus thunbergii 'Thunderhead', hardy to -20°F) and dwarf Siberian pine (Pinus pumila 'Blue Dwarf', hardy to -30°F), to prostrate forms of deodar cedar (Cedrus deodara 'Snow Sprite', hardy to 5°F and Cedrus deodara 'Feelin' Blue') and mounding evergreen shrubs such as the multihued Gulf Stream heavenly bamboo (Nandina domestica 'Gulf Stream', hardy to -10°F), this design promises winter beauty.
View this garden throughout the year
