You know it as ivy—a clinging vine of attractive evergreen foliage that’s often grown as a houseplant. Tough and vigorous, hedera helix is a smart choice for the autumn landscape as well—its dense growth is an effective weed-blocker and when planted on a slope it serves to control soil erosion. 

Since it’s short, ivy is commonly used as a shade groundcover in areas where it has room to spread. We all know it’s a climber as well, which leads to a number of creative design uses: covering an old fence, wrapping around a trellis, spilling out of a window box or hanging basket…ho hum.

It’s a thriller—tall, dark, and striking, swaying eerily in the moonlit breeze…

We rely on purple fountain grass as a landscaping standard, but at Halloween it can become a compelling design element. Play up those arching bronze-purple plumes to make them appear mysterious or even ominous—or just plain fun.

Although summer ended a while ago, the coleus beds in our display gardens held up remarkably well throughout September. We learn a lot from these gardens: 

We plan to expand our selection of autumn ornamentals that flourish well into the cold season, and we’ve come across some interesting varieties of mustard. They put a different spin on the fall foliage plants we’re used to seeing this time of year, namely kale and cabbage. While similar in color with bright greens and burgundy reds, the leaves on these mustards take unexpected shapes, adding delicate textures to balance the roundness of many cabbages and kales—and for that matter, mums.

These plants are extremely cold hardy and will color up autumn beds and planters all the way to January, if the winter is mild enough. Cold weather intensifies their leaf color, just as it does for ornamental cabbage and kale. Cooler temperatures also enhance the flavor of mustards, which, unlike many other ornamental greens, are grown for eating as much as they are for their showy foliage. Outer leaves can be harvested as needed—these cut and come again varieties are fast growing.