By Madison Butkus
Hometown Weekly Reporter
Garden enthusiasts were in for a treat this on Wednesday, October 11th, as the Medfield Garden Club hosted a “Fallscaping” presentation at The Center at Medfield. This presentation was shown by “Fabulous Fall Gardens” author and principal of Enchanted Gardens, Jana Milbocker.
Attendees filled The Center, eager to learn about some amazing flowers, plants, trees, etc. that they could potentially fill in their gardens for the fall season. Milbocker presented on more than fifty different kinds of greenery, all of which would be the perfect addition to anyone's garden. As she presented, attendees could be seen taking avid notes and asking any and all questions they had.
At the very beginning of her talk, Milbocker focused on the different design elements and special features that can be placed within any fall garden. “One thing to consider is massing plants. Instead of planting one hydrangea and one salvia, think about large swaths of these plants because this could really create a strong design. This is also the time when you can really add a lot of fall interest plants to your garden for there are many nursery and garden centers that will have them for sale. Oftentimes we can’t get these types of plants in the spring because these garden centers and nurseries are selling what is in bloom. So this is the time to go back to these nurseries to see which plants they have available for the fall season,” she mentioned.
After talking about the design elements, it was time to start digging into all the different types of plants specified for the fall season. Milbocker stated, “So we have talked about some of the design elements and the special features of the autumn season and now we are going to focus on some plants. And I am going to talk about all three levels of the garden: the trees, which are the tallest level, the shrubs, and then the herbaceous plants. It is really important to think about all three of those levels, again, to create interest in your garden throughout the seasons.”
While all aspects of the presentation were absolutely stunning, perhaps some of the biggest hits within audience members were under the Blooming Shrubs category. Majority of these included different types of roses and hydrangeas. As we can all see while driving around town, hydrangeas are a very popular New England plant that are absolutely stunning when they are in full bloom. While many may think these are just a summer plant, some varieties are considered perfect for the fall!
Whether you were a garden expert or a first time gardener, everyone in attendance learned a vast amount of knowledge about “Fallscaping” that they can use year after year.
