It’s easy to decorate your outdoor living spaces for fall, but it takes a bit more work to spruce up your landscape. The summer flowers have faded, and we’re seeing more tan, brown, and grey than we would like. Now is the time to brighten things up with our top fall landscape ideas.
Fill your gardens and flower beds with color and texture for a fall landscape that will rival the pictures in gardening magazines. Not sure where to start? Google “fall landscape ideas” and check out all of the beautiful images. Then, combine ideas to suit your house and your style.
“Fill your gardens and flower beds with color and texture for a fall landscape that will rival the pictures in gardening magazines.”
Some tips to keep in mind any time you are planting:
Purchase your plant material from a local nursery or garden center whenever possible, as they are more likely to have native plants that are adjusted to the Maryland climate.
Image credits: Monrovia.com
Fall is the ideal time to plant trees and shrubs because it allows them to get an established root system before the heat of summer. Buy the biggest and healthiest specimens you can for immediate gratification. But be careful to plant them far enough away from the house or other structures. You want to plant them where they can reach their full size with ease.
Before digging a hole for any tree or shrub, you should call 811 and have your utility lines marked.
Viburnum, Witch Hazel, Sumac, Oakleaf Hydrangea, and Virginia Sweetspire are all great choices for shrubs with foliage that turns brilliant colors in the fall. Smaller trees that are great for fall color include Dogwood, Redbud, Serviceberry, and Ginkgo. Larger trees include maples, oaks, and river birch.
When you decide what to plant, think about using native plants, as well as plantings with four-season interest.
Virginia creeper is a groundcover or climbing vine that turns bright red to purple in the fall. But you must monitor its aggressive growth, as it can smother trees if allowed to grow and climb unchecked. It does well on slopes and hillsides, and can help prevent erosion.
No fall landscape would be complete without adding some fall flowers and ornamental plants. Favorites include masses of chrysanthemums in your chosen color(s), and ornamental cabbage/kale. Celosia adds bright color and vertical interest.
Fall is also an excellent time to add hardscape elements to your landscape. You avoid the heat of summer but can enjoy your efforts for months before deep winter hits. Consider incorporating a vertical structure such as a pergola or arbor. A stone fence, retaining wall, or flagstone pathway are all good choices.
Lastly, take care of your lawn as well. Rake up or mulch leaves, and plant new grass seed in any bare spots. If you have a spot where grass just doesn’t like to grown, consider turning the area into a flower bed or rock garden.
If after all of the digging, planting, and mulching you’re exhausted and things still aren’t quite right, consider hiring a professional landscape design team like LiveWell Outdoors. Fall is a great time to plan ahead for a spring landscape design overhaul.
We’d be happy to work with you. Schedule a call, and experience nature’s beauty.
