Manager's Message
by Judy Zatsick, Site Manager, Green Spring Gardens
Judy Zatsick
Fall is planting time!
We’ve had many gardeners in our community comment that they’ve stopped planting in the late spring as the hot and dry summer weather we experienced stresses the plants and results in failure. As gardeners we are used to losing a few to the cause, but fall planting is a great solution to our changing climate.
With the recent nourishing rains we’ve enjoyed, the soil is soft and perfect for planting. Daytime temperatures are more moderate, and nights are cooling, but the soil is still warm. It’s an opportune time to reconsider parts of your garden that you’re no longer happy with, create a new planting area, or refresh a bed. Plus, the mosquitoes have finally abated!
I want to share a few staff fall planting favorites with you.
Adam Bucher, our Natural Resource Manager, is partial to the shrub Aronia prunifolia, purple chokeberry, for its starry white flowers in the spring, brilliant fall color, and deep blue fruit that the birds adore. He also enjoys native succulent Sedum ternatum ‘Larinem Park’ in a container in which he combines cheerful annuals that change with the seasons. Another favorite is Panicum virgatum for its silvery foliage and rosy blooms in the fall.
Manager on Duty Karen Aftergut has a soft spot for witch hazels. She has purchased five of them for her garden. She loves Hamamelis ‘Aurora’ for its large highly fragrant blooms and ‘Gingerbread’ for its brassy blossoms and wide, spreading habit. Green Spring manages a nationally recognized collection of more than 200 witch hazels. These shrubs do well in our climate and offer winter interest with their curious spidery, sometimes fragrant blooms. Try one of these easy-care shrubs in a sunny spot in your garden.
Gardener Jennifer Dasmalchi adores Gentiana ‘True Blue’ for its gorgeous two-inch blue flowers. This beauty will stop you in your tracks with its sapphire-colored blooms. It flowers later in the season, a striking complement to the burnished tones of autumn.
I love winterberry hollies, and they do so well for us in northern Virginia. I have several in my yard where the soil is a little moist and even soggy when it rains. They thrive in these conditions. Best in full sun, they provide glorious winter interest until the birds strip them of their berries. Cut a few branches for your holiday décor. Lovely Ilex verticillata ‘Berry Heavy Gold’ is not the more common orange-ish color of Ilex ‘Winter Gold.’ ‘Berry Heavy Gold’ is actually yellow! I might have to sacrifice something in my already packed garden for this beauty. ‘Mr. Poppins’ will be needed for fruit set, as these natives are dioicous. Underplant with NOVA native Packer aurea, golden ragwort, and a hardy hibiscus or two, and you’ll have a great start to a gorgeous garden.
Enjoy the fall, and—as always—thank you for your generous support of Green Spring Gardens!
