And it’s to October we look ahead in our gardens and landscapes, as Burning bushes (Euonymus alatus and varieties) begin to display their sole reason to grow them: brilliant carmine foliage. Two weeks of Technicolor, and fifty weeks of humdrum.
Such ephemeral beauty doesn’t come without a price, however. To produce the color that inspired its common name, Burning bush requires sun, good soil and plenty of water. Lacking one or more of these, the plant will sulk and disappoint you with pale green leaves all summer, which become a lackluster pink before dropping to the ground. A greater cost is to the local environment, as it has been determined that Burning bush is an invasive species (commonly defined as a plant of exotic origin which has aggressively spread beyond cultivation and displaces native vegetation.) In short, Burning bush is a known thug, and has been prohibited from sale in New Hampshire and several other states.
So, what’s a gardener to do?
First, if you have Burning bush in your yard, the choice of whether to keep or remove it is up to you: there is no squad of Plant Police. That said, it certainly is sensible to remove seedlings that may have arisen elsewhere on your property, at the very least.
Second, there are several alternatives to Burning bush, and they are superior, as they offer multiple seasons of interest as well as being native. None will approach the final size of Burning bush (even the “dwarf” variety of which will become a 10 or 12 foot globe,) and the fruiting forms will attract birds.
Here are a few:
Red Chokeberry (Aronia arbutifolia ‘Brilliantissima’) A native shrub, growing 6 to 8 feet tall, with clusters of pure white flowers in spring followed by glossy red berries later in the summer. The berries are edible but astringent, an aspect which yields its common name. Fall foliage is spectacular – a fiery scarlet. Preserves can be made from the fruit which is loaded with Vitamin C and antioxidants.
Black Chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa ‘Hugin’) Also native, and similar to Red Chokeberry, but bearing inky berries on shrubs that rarely grow above 6 feet tall. Excellent fall foliage.
Diablo Ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Diablo’) A superb purple-leaved selection of the native ninebark shrub, becoming reddish-orange in autumn. Handsome burgundy-tinted white button flowers in late spring. To 8 feet tall.
Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum and hybrids) Spring flowers, tasty summer fruit, and incredible vivid scarlet leaves in the fall – what more can you ask for? Blueberries are deserving of space in the home landscape for their gustatory as well as ornamental attributes. The Lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium) offers itself as a good ground cover, with the same features. Both are native.
Witherod (Viburnum cassinoides) Another splendid, if underused, native shrub, with fantastic fall foliage that leans toward brilliant red adorning hardy bushes rarely growing over 6 feet tall. Add that to the creamy white flowers in spring which become multicolored berries by summer, and you’ll forget about Burning bush. And the same qualities can be given to the closely related Possomhaw, Viburnum nudum ‘Winterthur’.
A few exotic (but decidedly non-invasive) options:
Paperbark maple (Acer griseum) Growing to twenty-five feet tall, more or less, with excellent red to orange fall foliage. Named for its exfoliating, cinnamon-colored bark which provides year-round interest, but particularly in the winter.
Japanese maple (Acer palmatum and varieties) Most commonly found in its burgundy-leaved forms which offer stunning fall tones of red and orange, but even the green-leaved types can transmute into exquisite cerise hues that rival rubies. Growth heights from six to twenty feet.
Red-veined Enkianthus (Enkianthus campanulatus and varieties) Fall foliage is variably red and orange, but can include purple tones. Lovely dangling bell-shaped flowers in spring. Although capable of growing large, it rarely seems to exceed 10 feet tall in New Hampshire, slowly developing a picturesque branching habit. Of Asian origin.
Any of these shrubs can be safely planted until about the middle of October. They, and many others not mentioned, will do more than simply light up your fall garden. They will delight you throughout the year.
