New Jersey’s varied climate, which comprises heavy downpours, coastal storms, especially in the Southern regions, and heavy snowmelt calls for a well-thought plant selection and landscape design.
Creating a stunning landscape in New Jersey involves selecting plants that thrive in the region’s varied climate and offer vibrant colors, combined with thoughtful designs to maximize their impact.
This article gives a detailed guideline for choosing the most appropriate plants and design tips for creating a breathtaking fall landscape scene.
Best Plants for Fall Color in New Jersey
Trees
Fall landscapes can be beautiful
Acer Saccharum, or is popularly known as sugar maple, makes a classic fall tree, known for its brilliant yellow-orange, or red foliage that matches the season. For a strong pop of color, the bright red leaf fall from red maple will bring out the charm. The fan-shaped leaves of Gingko Biloba turn vibrant yellow before shedding gracefully, while sweetgum provides a stunning combination of yellow, red, mixed with orange and purple hues.
Shrubs
Popularly known as a burning bush, Euonymus alatus is famous for its fiery red foliage, while fothergilla displays brilliant hues of red and yellow mixed with a touch of orange that highlight the season.
Perennials and Grasses
Aster makes a great candidate for a stunning fall, given its colorful purple, pink, and blue flowers late into the fall season. Sedum is another great option, with its deep pink blossoms that mature to give a rich, copper color. With their foliage and plume turning red, gold, or bronze during the season, ornamental grasses introduce texture and movement to the season.
Design Tips for a Stunning Fall Scene
Layered Planting
Layering plants by height and form creates depth in the garden, ensuring the space is filled with a mix of color, texture, and form. Layering in gardens is achieved by taller tree and shrub species at the back, average-sized shrubs and perennials at the front, followed by fall-blooming annuals and lower-growing plants like groundcovers.
Blend of Evergreen and Deciduous Plants
Mixing evergreens like pines, junipers, and hollies with deciduous plants is a perfect way of striking balance in your yard, striking a year-round charm. Evergreens offer a fallback for fall’s dramatic color, while at the same time maintaining structure during winter while deciduous species shed leaves.
Incorporate Hardscaping Elements
There is no better moment to highlight your hardscaping elements than the fall. Features like stone paths, benches, and fences can frame a garden, and provide visual contrast to the bright foliage. Rustic wood, natural stone, or metal features complement the earthy tones of fall.
Use Contrasting Colors
The combination of bold colors is relied upon for its visual contrast in the garden. For instance, a blend of fiery red of burning bush and bright yellow of ginkgo or goldenrod trees is a clever contrast. Color blocking can also be achieved through plant forms and textures, for instance, the fineness of ornamental grasses next to the rich foliage of shrubs.
Seasonal Containers
Another aspect that often goes overlooked is the impact of container plantings in creating stunning gardens in New Jersey. Fall-themed planters filled with mums, ornamental cabbage, kale, and trailing vines like sweet potatoes add splashes of color. The best thing about these is that they can be moved from one point to another to areas where gaps need to be filled in the yard.
Garden Lighting
With days getting shorter during fall, comes with partial darkness, making garden lighting an essential part of the yard. Strategically placed path lights, up lighting for trees, or lanterns around seating areas can highlight the warm glow of autumn evenings.
Mulching and Leaf Management
A fresh layer of mulch protects the roots of plants as the temperatures drop and gives the garden a clean polished look. Fallen leaves and prune clippings can be composted into organic fertilizer for sustainable farming.
Maintenance Tips
Pruning
Pruning helps to remove dead branches that could transfer diseases during wet and cold winter months ahead. It also relieves excess weight on trees, ensuring better performance under the excess weight of winter snowfall.
Fertilization
Applying fertilizer with low nitrogen levels prevents the growth of young branches that cannot withstand snowfall in winter. For sustained growth throughout the winter months ahead, use a slow-release fertilizer.
Dividing perennials
Some perennials can be divided and replanted in the fall. Doing this provides them an opportunity to form roots before winter arrives.
By picking the appropriate plants and implementing clever design hacks, you can achieve a fall landscape that reflects New Jersey’s autumn colors and natural charm and one that offers enjoyment season-round.
