Nature still has many shades in November

By: 
Rob Zimmer
Columnist

For many people, November is often a forgotten month in the garden. Most of our trees and shrubs now stand bare of leaves, and most of our perennials and annuals are dormant for another season. Yet, November is a beautiful time to take notice of the many different textures and the subtle beauty of the shades of autumn.

Hydrangeas, still full and lush as their blooms fade and dry beneath the November wind, have transformed into shades of bronze and copper and gold. Leave them standing throughout the winter season, when their elegant forms are tufted in pristine white snow.

Ornamental grasses are the stars of November, dancing in the autumn breeze and filling our gardens with vertical flair, incomparable texture, elegant beauty, as well as an important food source for migrating songbirds, along with those that choose to overwinter here in our area.

Some of my favorite grasses during November are native prairie dropseed, now colored in rich golden yellow, as well as Japanese silver grass and all of the miscanthus, or maiden grasses. Blue fescue is also stunning in powder blue with tufts of snow decorating its textured form.

Many of our trees and shrubs take on a whole new look during November, when their leafless forms make it easier to appreciate their textured bark, subtle colors, graceful forms and the habitat and shelter they provide for wildlife and birds.

Some of my favorite trees and shrubs for interest in November, as well as all winter long, are red osier dogwood, yellow twig dogwood, highbush cranberry, conifers in all shapes and sizes, hydrangeas, roses, as well as all of our birches, hickories, and crabapples that provide abundant food sources for winter in birds.

White birch, especially, is important for overwintering birds such as American goldfinches, common redpolls, juncos, as well as other songbirds that feast upon the abundance seeds that now fill these trees throughout the winter season.

Of course, there are the oaks, many of which hold their richly colored leaves throughout the winter season and provide bountiful acorns as food for many species of backyard birds, as well as squirrels, whitetail deer and other garden visitors.

Our most beautiful backyard trees reach their peak in November. These are the tamaracks. Tamaracks are native throughout the state and often found in large colonies in swampland and bogs, especially in our area. The only conifer found in our area that drops its needles each year in November, tamaracks turn a brilliant yellow, then orange, before finally shedding their needles in the November wind.

Many gardeners in our area still have annuals blooming in garden beds and containers, as warm weather throughout much of the month has kept hardy annuals in bloom. Even with the snowfall, I’ve seen snapdragons, marigolds, and others still adorning containers and landscape beds this past weekend.

Take a closer look at your garden and backyard over the next month and enjoy the subtle beauty of the shades of November.