Autumn in the Garden
Autumn is a time of metamorphosis in Bryant Park, bringing a change of palette and texture to the garden. As temperatures cool in the evenings, the flowers and shrubs take on a greater intensity of color. The blue salvias deepen to a rich indigo, and the buds of Pieris japonica (on this issue’s cover) turn burgundy, making the plant a beautiful accent in fall and winter. We use it extensively as a centerpiece in our planters, which also feature forms of gold and green Chaemycyparis, Juniper, and English Ivy, keeping the Bryant Park entrances and plazas welcoming and lush in the winter months.
As summer turns to fall, the green and white variegated leaves of Cornus alba ‘elegantissima’ drop off to reveal striking red stems which seem to glow against the dark green of Taxus baccatta and Boxwood. Other perennials, including Abelmoschus manihot (our highlight plant) and grasses such as Miscanthus sinensis, are an especially interesting feature of the sunny side in the fall. And on the shady side, Liriope muscari becomes covered in lavender flower spikes which turn to black shiny berries sometime in October or November. The flowers of oak leaf hydrangeas, too, have their winter aspect, turning a rich brown. We make a point of not pruning hydrangeas or liriope until early spring, so as to enjoy their contributions to the garden all through the winter.
-Maureen Hackett, Director of Horticulture
Download a PDF of this season's Garden Notes
The Bryant Park Gardens are generously underwritten by Bank of America.
Autumn Highlight: Abelmoschus manihot
This tall (4-6’) elegant hibiscus-like plant always elicits the admiration of garden visitors for its soft lemon-yellow petals and the large palmate leaves surrounding the light green stem. As lovely as it is in winter, it is even more interesting in the fall, when the beautiful flower turns into a long silky grey seed pod that resembles okra, a close relative. But the Abelmoschus manihot - which goes by a variety of common names, including ‘Sunset Hibiscus’ - has more than just ornamental value: its high protein content makes it one of the world's most nutritious leafy vegetables.
green matters
DON’T BE TOO QUICK to tidy up your garden as fall approaches! It’s better not to cut back the perennials and shrubs too severely: the flower heads of hydrangeas, liriope, and astilbe provide visual interest all through winter, and leaving some vegetative growth deters cold damage to the plant. The same holds true for such evergreens as boxwood and Taxus and for shrubs with ornamental stems: even if they are a bit overgrown, resist pruning them late in the season. As for the organic debris, what it may lack in aesthetics, it more than makes up for by providing an insulating blanket for the planting beds and organic replenishment for the soil. So don’t remove all the debris with blowers, which tend to remove all the organic matter and topsoil as well; a rake does a much more careful job.
