designing a garden with fall in mind

fall is here, and i am ready for all of it. cooler days, fire pits, apple picking, sweaters, and watching the leaves slowly change and fall. there’s something about this time of year that makes me want to be outside as much as possible before winter settles in. the light changes, the air feels different, and even the garden seems to slow down a little. i hope you enjoy every bit of it.

fall is on my mind all throughout the year, just like all the other seasons, when i’m designing a landscape. it’s easy to fall in love with a garden in may or june when everything is fresh and blooming, but i also want it to feel beautiful in october. which trees will turn a gorgeous shade of orange or red? which shrubs will develop berries? which ornamental grasses will catch that low autumn light? what will still be standing and interesting after the flowers have faded?

some of my favorite plants really come into their own in fall. serviceberries, maples, witchhazel, chokeberries, hydrangeas, ornamental grasses, sedum, and amsonia are just a few that can bring another layer of color, texture, or movement to a fall garden. even dried flower heads and grasses left standing can be beautiful, especially when the morning frost arrives.

and fall interest isn’t only about plants. when we’re creating a landscape design, i’m also thinking about the bones of the garden. a natural stone patio, an old piece of limestone, a winding walkway, a dry-laid stone wall, or a fire pit surrounded by plantings can become even more noticeable as the garden quiets down. these are the pieces that help carry a landscape from one season into the next.

whether we’re designing a new planting bed, natural stone patio, fire pit, retaining wall, walkway, or complete backyard landscape in naperville, aurora, plainfield, yorkville, batavia, geneva, glen ellyn, wheaton, downers grove, lisle, or elsewhere in the western suburbs of chicago, i want the landscape to have something to offer all year long.

a garden doesn’t have to peak in summer and then disappear. with thoughtful landscape design and the right mix of trees, shrubs, perennials, ornamental grasses, evergreens, stonework, and outdoor living spaces, every season gets its turn.

for now, though, i’m happy to let fall have the spotlight. here’s to crisp air, changing leaves, evenings around the fire, and soaking up every last bit of time outside.