My name is John Markowski. I garden in Zone 6B, in rural New Jersey, where I’m surrounded by deer and the soil is wet clay 24/7. Because of that, I focus on native shrubs, perennials, and my personal fave, ornamental grasses.
It is all about seed heads and fall foliage in this photo. Tall Japanese silver grass (Miscanthus sinensis, Zones 5–9) rises up in the background, with a mass of Autumn Joy sedum (Hylotelephium spectabile ‘Herbstfreude’, Zones 3–10) in the foreground. On the left, a Viburnum shrub is starting to color up for autumn as well.
With the right choices, your perennials and shrubs can provide just as much color and interest in the fall as the foliage on the trees.
A dark-leaved ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius, Zones 2–8) flushing even darker and more dramatic with fall sets off the gold foliage of Amsonia hubrichtii (Zones 5–8).
Though the reds and yellows are wonderful, all the shades of brown are a beautiful part of the fall garden.
There are a few blooms still in the garden—such as the purple trumpets of obedient plant (Physostegia virginiana, Zones 3–9) in the lower right corner—but the fall foliage is the star of the show.
The ornamental grasses look beautiful, and the red maple (Acer rubrum, Zones 3–9) to the right is living up to its name with incredible fall color.
We’ve visited John’s beautiful garden before, so if you want to see what it looks like at other times of the year, check it out: John’s Garden in New Jersey, Revisited.
Have a garden you’d like to share?
Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit!
To submit, send 5-10 photos to gpod@taunton.com along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden.
Have a mobile phone? Tag your photos on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with #FineGardening!
Do you receive the GPOD by email yet? Sign up here.
Fine Gardening Recommended Products
Planting in a Post-Wild World: Designing Plant Communities for Resilient Landscapes
Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.
Featuring gorgeous photography and advice for landscapers, Planting in a Post-Wild World by Thomas Rainer and Claudia West is dedicated to the idea of a new nature—a hybrid of both the wild and the cultivated—that can nourish in our cities and suburbs.
The Crevice Garden: How to make the perfect home for plants from rocky places
Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.
A crevice garden replicates the environmental conditions of mountain tops, deserts, coastlines, and other exposed or rocky places on earth. These striking garden features provide perfect conditions for the plants native to these far-off places, bringing the cultivation of these precious gems within everybody’s reach.
The Nature of Oaks: The Rich Ecology of Our Most Essential Native Trees
Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.
The Nature of Oaks reveals what is going on in oak trees month by month, highlighting the seasonal cycles of life, death, and renewal. From woodpeckers who collect and store hundreds of acorns for sustenance to the beauty of jewel caterpillars, Doug Tallamy illuminates and celebrates the wonders that occur right in our own backyards. He also shares practical advice about how to plant and care for an oak, along with information about the best oak species for your area.
Comments
Thank you FG GPOD for having me!
Really nice.
Beautiful use of grasses, particularly in the fall.
Wonderful pictures, great plant combinations and a very satisfying solution to your challenges! I love the viburnum and ninebark as anchors in the 'sea of grass' - they look like they might be newer additions. Great job!
You've made the natural land look so beautiful.
I'm amazed at how it's been gardened- yet no un-natural borders or plants that don't look like they belong in the landscape.
So fabulously natural- I love what you've done!
John, you have created a natural masterpiece in an area that would be a challenge for most gardeners. It's a beautiful vision!
Great garden - you've created a beautiful quilt of color, shape and texture. Isn't ninebark a fantastic plant? I have one in a front bed that people stop on their walks to admire, especially when it's blooming - looks like something from a Victorian Valentine card. Thanks for sharing your beautiful place.
Which switchgrasses are showing in your photos? Thom
John, always love seeing your garden and reading about it. In the next to last photo, where you have a bit of obedient plant still in bloom, what are the large shrub with the yellow leaves in the left background, and the large yellowing grass in the right background?
Log in or create an account to post a comment.
Sign up Log in