Fall garden musings
After a couple of weeks out of the country, it was good to come home last week and enjoy a quiet weekend in the garden.
Despite the unseasonably hot weather, I can see that the garden has accepted Mother Nature’s cue to start closing down for the season: a handful of papery leaves are scattered across the lawn and the garden has a decidedly relaxed feel. It’s as if the garden breathes a collective sigh — the pressure to succeed is over — it can relax and enjoy the glorious transition and colours of autumn.
At the very back of the property, a corner of the new shade border has settled back with an interesting colour palette of pink, red and lime green. A single red dahlia blossom pokes its head through a cloud of soft-pink hydrangea blossoms. The hydrangeas opened white and turn delicate shades of pink and rose as they mature, eventually the panicles will turn papery brown, but they are not in hurry to do so — if only more plants understood the value of aging gracefully. A fringe of golden taken grass, dotted with violet supertunias, skirts the hydrangea; while a screen of switch grass (Panicum ‘Chicago Blues’) screens the young planting from the afternoon sun.
As October approaches, the long the south facing border reaches maturity, animated by a steady stream of bees, butterflies and songbirds. Northern sea oats, Dahlias, canna, Joe Pye Weed, stachys, zinnias and a host of annuals and ornamental grasses create a soothing palette of green, pink, burgundy and silver. No one plant is screaming out for attention, it’s as if they’ve all settled back and decided to enjoy each other’s company. It’s a good time of the year.
Before we settle into our fall garden chores, let me introduce you to a container plant that was new to me this year — it’s quickly become one of my favourite plants.
Yoke-leaved amicia (Amicia zygomeris)
A tiny nursery pot bearing a cluster of glaucous, pea-like leaves came home with me from Canada Blooms this spring and spent the first part of the season in our little greenhouse. The foliage looked so delicate, I suspected it needed a little extra care just to stay alive, and so it sat on the greenhouse bench and waited patiently for summer to arrive.
I had never heard of amicia, but the pretty leaves and winecoloured stems, along with a tag describing it as “an upright grower with green heart shaped leaflets with mounded pale green and purple red stipules; Really unusual foliage accent for containers. 90 centimetres, sun, semi-shade,” paired to earn this humble little pot a spot in the greenhouse. And so my amicia sat, neither thriving nor dying, for the better part of three months, before it was tucked into the back of a container planted in shades of purple/ pink: Iridescent purple/green/ silver Persian Shield, tri-colour sweet potato vine ‘Pink Frost’, pink verbena and angelonia.
Within a couple of weeks, the amicia shot up, looking like an awkward teenager with gangly arms and legs, standing head and shoulders above its companion plants — suddenly it cried out for a pot of its own. I might have given up on this clumsy looking plant if its the bluish green leaves and wine-red stipules had not caught my eye. One evening I noticed the leaves folding at dusk, like a pair of hands poised for evening prayers. This happens every night, like a monk reciting evening vespers. I was hooked.
Hailing from Mexico, this woody perennial is known for its unusual, heart shaped leaves with rounded, pale-green and red stipules. If you study the plant carefully, the stipules pop open to reveal a new pair of leaves, folded like an intricate origami design, tucked into the rounded capsule — a fascinating design. Picking up the wine-red accents, sturdy, fuzzy stems can stretch up to two metres tall; and continually offer fresh clusters of leaves. Welldrained soil and full sun are ideal, but my amicia didn’t object to afternoon shade on the deck. Amicia’s architectural silhouette is particularly striking when backlit by the rising sun.
Amicia zygomeris has been one of the most interesting plants to follow as it developed. We came home from a recent holiday to see it had stretched up another 30 cm while we were away. It is said to bear yellow flowers late in the season. I’m hoping our latest push of hot weather will encourage the plant to flower before the cold weather sets in. My research suggests it is hardy to zones 8 to 10, so I’m going to try my hand at bringing a cutting indoors for winter — I think it’s worth the effort.
Over the next few weeks, we’ll start thinking about fall garden chores and celebrating the beautiful autumn season before putting our gardens to bed for the winter — it’s good to be home.
— Theresa Forte is a local garden writer, photographer and speaker. You can reach her by calling 905-351-7540 or by email at theresa_forte@sympatico.ca.