The autumn garden

Once September hits, our minds tend to turn to all things autumnal.  I gear up the leaf blower because my neighbor's maple starts dropping leaves before Labor Day; my husband rallies friends and family members for the annual football pool (so we, in turn, are very careful about what we say to him lest our comments be the humorous but humiliating topic of his weekly email wrap up); I even had a dog who would begin sitting by the front door each afternoon when she heard the school bus coming down the street.  Years after my kids graduated, she'd still wait by the door each day in the hope that one of them would show up with a friendly greeting.  This is my first autumn without that faithful friend. Sigh.

In fact, we New Yorkers all breathe a collective sigh at this time of year, don't we?  A bittersweet sound that's one part relief as we happily bid farewell to steamy temperatures, and two parts regret, since the summer went so fast...how could it be fall already?

One thing I've done to try to hang on to the color and foliage of my garden through the autumn months is to fill the garden with plants that not only survive while the others are wilting, but actually thrive during this time of year.

One such plant is the Physalis alkekengi, pictured above.  Commonly known as Chinese Lantern for it's bulging, papery seed pods, this plant ushers in the fall with a festive orange hue.  I love to see bright shots of color in the fall garden that complement the turning leaves.  As shown above (lower right side of photo), it transitions flowerbeds from the last of the Rudbeckia and Echinacea, giving garden visitors something pleasing to focus on.

This interesting plant from the nightshade family looks a lot like a tomatillo, or husk tomato, from the same family, so the resemblance is understandable.  Tomatoes, peppers and eggplants are other family members, and are just as easy to grow--though not as showy as the Chinese Lantern, which boasts lovely white flowers in the spring.  And like its cousins, the fruit of this plant can be eaten, though it's not very tasty.  A word of warning:  the leaves and unripe fruit are poisonous, so patience pays off big time when attempting to taste the seeds from the papery pod.

Perhaps the biggest attraction of this unique plant is the fact that the bright pods can be used in floral arrangements.  Simply cut off the leaves and leave the pods dangling--they'll last for years!