Early Autumn

SEASONAL

ALL-STARS

SUNFLOWER & RUDBECKIA

DAHLIA

OTHER SEASONAL

HIGHLIGHTS

ASTILBE

QUEEN ANNE’S LACE

SEDUM

ORNAMENTAL GRASSES

CHRYSANTHEMUM

KALE

DRIED LEAVES

With our climate in such flux due to global warming and the usual idiosyncrasies of nature, it is rather difficult to plan and plant a garden that will respond to a reliable calendar. Some flowers that we remember blooming only in September in the Northeast now appear as early as August, while others that should bloom in October are in full flower in early September. Nevertheless, if you plan carefully in the spring, you can plant to keep flowers—sunflowers, rudbeckias, bee balm, monkshood, and beautiful dahlias—in view until the first frost.

At the farm, the cooler days of autumn tend to rejuvenate the garden. Many of the plants that were sad and wan come back to life with stronger stems and brighter flowering. The cosmos, snapdragons, and nicotiana produce colorful blooms perfect for autumnal arrangements. The Formosa lilies bloom in September, and they are glorious as we ready the gardens for winter. For me, dahlias are the highlight of the late-flower garden. They come in so many different types, sizes, and colors, and they are easy and wonderful to arrange.

Kevin and I comb through the gardens, looking for plant material that will complement the exotic dahlias and the blooms from the sunflower and rudbeckia family. We use fully opened flowers as well as those that are just beginning to open. Vines, seedpods, and fruit on branches such as figs, kiwis, and crab apples make wonderful additions to bouquets. Autumn-blooming clematis, scented geraniums, and grapes can be used as accents in arrangements. And be sure to visit the vegetable garden for late-producing varieties like okra, kale, and cabbages. I remember being entranced by a dinner table decorated with small red cabbages. Savoy cabbages, too, with their crinkly leaves and formidable size, can be extremely effective on buffet tables. Edible vegetables, such as pumpkins, gourds, and squash can be artfully carved to serve as flower containers, or incorporated into arrangements on tables and sideboards.

As winter approaches and your garden is truly laid to rest—cleared of branches and leaves, and top-dressed with manure or compost—think about what you would like in next year’s garden and begin the important yet gratifying process of planning. A note of advice, even caution, however, to home gardeners: don’t be too eager to clean up your flower beds and put them to sleep. Rather than cutting everything down to the ground, just carefully deadhead and prune. You may be pleasantly surprised by the many plants that keep offering great foliage, seedpods, and dried blooms late in the year. They can look beautiful and colorful in the garden as well as indoors.

LEFT: Working with a warm, golden fall palette, Kevin anchored this arrangement with ‘Autumn Joy’ sedum, which blooms from August to November and changes in color from pink to copper as it matures. He wove Gomphocarpus physocarpus (see this page) seed heads and dried hydrangea through the sedum and emphasized the color scheme with his choice of a rustic pail to contain the flowers. RIGHT: When green has shifted to brown, red, and gold in the garden, make arrangements using branches still bearing fruit, like these persimmon examples. Rust-colored foliage fills in the empty spaces among the branches, and a similarly colored, narrow-necked jar holds everything in place.

Once the blooms are gone from the garden, a display of dried foliage can provide the same punch as a vase full of flowers. Don’t overlook the many varieties, color hues, and patterns of the leaves left on plants and in the cutting garden. Here, some leaves are inverted so as to show the striking silver underbelly—the contrast is especially effective when arranged in a ceramic vase with metallic accents, alongside a collection of smaller pewter and silver vessels.

Chrysanthemums are often underrated as an arrangement flower, considered little more than filler for grocery bouquets. But the pop of a ruffled blossom can add warmth and deep color to any setting. Here, the mighty blossoms of golden chrysanthemums are studded with dark cranberry-colored Heuchera leaves and placed on a painted tin breakfast tray laden with tea and sugar. The frilliness of chrysanthemums lend themselves to full, dense arrangements, and the petals can stand up to being packed tightly together.

One of my favorite plants is Gomphocarpus physocarpus, which produces white flowers in summer—but its true usefulness in arrangements comes later, in early autumn, when the large, furry seedpods (or “hairy balls”) appear in a vibrant lime green. Here, a single-variety arrangement reflects the green surroundings, the golden edges of the pods playing off the candlesticks. The seedpods are easy to dry and use throughout the fall.

Ornamental kale allows for extended flower production throughout the fall; with creamy white centers accented by a blush of pink, this variety is sometimes known as an ornamental cabbage. For this arrangement, Kevin removed the green outer leaves and paired the richly colored center flowers with lady’s mantle and fall leaves from the garden. A set of three smaller arrangements can have the same visual presence as one large display—in this case, without interfering with the artwork above.