Piet Oudolf names a few of his favorites and explains their appeal
Garden designer Piet Oudolf has win international celebrity for his imaginative planting . One of his intention scheme is to include many plants that bloom late and look honorable as they go to seed . The result is a garden that look just as appealing in fall and winter as it does in saltation and summer . The perennials recommended here are characterized by invoke seed heads and distinctive structural outline .
Links in the lists below will take you to full descriptions of the species or genus inFineGardening‘s Plant Guide .
Plants that provide structure
1 . Autumn gayfeather ( Actaea simplexand cvs . ; formerlyCimicifuga simplex ) , Zones 4–82 . Culver ’s ascendant ( Veronicastrum virginicum ) , Z 3–83 . Jerusalem sag ( Phlomisspp . and cvs . ) , Z 4–104 . Joe Pye weeds ( Eupatorium purpureumandE. maculatumand cvs . ) , Z 3–95 . Meadow rues ( Thalictrum aquilegiifoliumand cvs . ) , Z 5–96 . Miss Willmott ’s ghostwriter ( Eryngium giganteum ) , Z 5–87 . world-beater of the prairie ( Filipendula rubra ) , Z 3–98 . Sages ( Salvia nemorosaand cvs . ) , Z 5–9 ( after a cutback and a second crop of flowers)9 . Sea lavender ( Limonium latifolium ) , Z 4–9
Plants with attractive seed heads
10 . Asters ( Asterspp . and cvs . ) , Z 4–811 . Bee balm ( Monardaspp . and cvs . ) , Z 4–912 . Burnets ( Sanguisorbaspp . and cvs . ) , Z 3–813 . coneflower ( Rudbeckiaspp . and cvs . ) , Z 3–914 . goldenrod ( Solidagospp . and cvs . ) , Z 5–915 . batch wool ( Persicaria amplexicaulis ) , Z 5–816 . Orpines ( Sedum telephiumand cvs . ) , Z 4–917 . royal coneflower ( Echinacea purpureaand cvs . ) , Z 3–918 . Sneezeweed ( Helenium autumnale ) , Z 4–819 . sensationalistic wax - bell ( Kirengeshoma palmata ) , zee 5–8
Plants with a distinct winter shape
20 . Eulalia grasses ( Miscanthus sinensiscvs . ) , Z 4–9 * 21 . Feather grass ( Stipaspp . and cvs . ) , zee 7–1022 . Feather reed rat ( Calamagrostis× acutifloraand cvs . ) , zee 5–923 . jet grasses ( Pennisetum alopecuroidesand cvs . ) , Z 6–924 . Prairie dropseed ( Sporobolus heterolepsis ) , Z 3–9 * 25 . Purple moor grasses ( Molinia caeruleaand cvs . ) , Z 5–9 * 26 . Switch weed ( Panicum virgatumand cvs . ) , Z 5–9 * 27 . Tufted hair shit ( Deschampsia cespitosaand cvs . ) , Z 5–9 *
- Denotes a grass that turns a distinctive colour in fall or other winter .
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Summer: Autumn snakeroot offers “gently bending spires for shade.”
Autumn snakeroot in autumn.
Summer: Queen of the prairie sports “fluffy plumes that fade to chestnut brown.”Photo: Virginia Small
Queen of the prairie in autumn.
Summer: Joe Pye weed flaunts “majestic, umbel-shaped flower heads.”Photo: Jennifer Benner
Joe Pye weed in autumn.
Summer: Bee balm spans two seasons with “buttonlike flowers” and “tawny seed heads.”Photo: J. Paul Moore
Bee balm in autumn.
Summer: Coneflowers provide “bold daisy flowers and dark seed heads on strong stems.”
Coneflowers in autumn.
Summer: Grasses add “strong, graceful, long-lasting structure.”Photo: Virginia Small
Grasses in winter.
