My name is Maria Clemente, and I live in northern New Jersey. Working in the garden design industry for over 20 years has inspired me to create several garden areas around my own property. While I try to design gardens that display beauty in every season, I am always surprised at how the autumn garden seems to be my favorite.
Since I heard Danielle and Carol talking about the pink Sheffield mum (Chrysanthemum ‘Hillside Sheffield Pink’, Zones 4–9) on a recent episode of Let’s Argue About Plants (love the new podcast format by the way!), I felt a need to share the photos of my autumn garden, as that particular mum is one of my favorite plants!
Check out the podcast episode that features Maria’s favorite mum: Episode 148: Wish List Plants
‘Hillside Sheffield Pink’ mum takes center stage in the fall garden. Behind it is the tall Aster tataricus ‘Jindai’ (Zones 3–9) with purple flowers and a oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Ruby Slippers’, Zones 5–9) with beautiful fall color.
Here’s another view of the same planting, seen through a spray of Calamagrostis × acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’ (Zones 5–9). The soft pink of the mums is such a great contrast to the brown and tan colors that dominate in the fall.
Brown seed heads from Allium ‘Millenium’ (Zones 4–8) in the foreground and a Japanese maple (Acer palmatum, Zones 5–9) in the background set off the mum flowers perfectly.
A closer look at the oakleaf hydrangea reveals leaves that are just beginning to shift into their warm autumn colors.
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