favoritism friday

Hamamelis ‘Diane’

Naturally, favorites this Fall have a lot to do with color. In the shadows to the left is a Nandina in shades of red. Center stage is occupied by a Witch Hazel sold as ‘Diane’. The blazing orange foliage is typical of her and she blooms red, just as she should. Shooting skyward out of the center springs anotherHamamelis altogether, which is currently covered in yellow blooms. For a couple of years, I cut out all of those tall center limbs. More recently, I decided to let her have her way, with these results.

Am I glad I did? Despite the rather peculiar growth pattern, I have brilliant foliage with flowering branches peeking through.

In the east berm,Viburnum ‘Blue Muffin’ adds red notes, a couple of barberries sport a melange of autumnal hues to set off bright red berries and a Heptacodium miconoides towers above it all with those pinky-orange bracts that take over after the flowers have had their turn.

Every once in a while, a combination turns out exactly as planned (hoped for). So it is with Dahlia ‘Karma Sangria’ and an unknown Chrysanthemum.

There are more of the Dahlias atop those tall stems outside the picture frame. A few of the stems bent down accommodatingly to fill in near ground level. Loree at Danger Garden may be abandoning her end-of-month Friday Favorites meme, so be sure to catch what she’s loving right now.

20 thoughts on “favoritism friday

  1. Lots to enjoy in your garden right now, love the Dahlia, Chrysanthemum combo. The stronger of the two Hamamelis will probably take over completely ultimately; do you think it is a root stock and a cultivar or two plants growing together?

  2. Hi Ricki! You’ve got some beautiful autumn colors in your garden right now! I love the variation on your witch hazels. I hope you enjoy the glorious sunshine this weekend!

  3. Good for you for letting Diane and her friend have their way; the result is really lovely. Lots of birght colorful favorites and the dahlia/chrysanthemum combo adds some subtle tones beautifully!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *