SpotlightThe Great Outdoors

PLANTS TO ENHANCE YOUR AUTUMN – Green-Thumb Gardener

Chinese Lantern Plant
With Halloween just around the corner, let’s think about some of the fun plants that can enhance this spooky season.

Chinese lantern:
The flower of this plant looks very ‘pumpkin’ like as it matures and takes on the orange color in September. It makes a great dried flower. You can start from seed, but choose an area that you can dedicate to this plant as it is a vigorous grower. Be aware that it is a member of the night shade family and so has these toxic characteristics as well. Be careful with pets and children.

Witch hazel:

This is a shrubby tree that prefers some shade (about 4 hours of sun) and grows 15-30 feet tall and wide. The native variety produces a yellow, broom-like flower in the fall. It is hardy to our area.

Monstera split-leaf philodendron:
This is a beautiful tropical plant with the natural holes in the leaves as they mature. It is a very vigorous grower, however, so make sure you have the space to accommodate its sprawling nature and very bright, indirect light.
Spider plant: The house plant variety (Chlorphytum comosum) is commonly known and people enjoy the relatively easy care it requires. The prolific ‘baby’ spiders produced in good growing conditions are a fun conversation piece and can be used to start new plants to share with your friends!

Cockscomb:
This variety of celosia is commonly used in the fall due to its vibrant color choices and long-lasting blooms. The flower reminds people of a brain. Supply it with sun and maintain moisture and it will be a happy annual for the season.
Eyeball plant (spilanthes): This annual blooms from June through September or longer in full sun to part shade. The unique flower looks like the pattern of an eyeball.

Ghost fern (athyrium):
This beautiful fern with the silver sheen is hardy to our area and brightens those shade areas you have.

Venus flytrap:
This and other carnivorous plants are always intriguing with their ability to trap live insects and digest them. They are all bog plants that require consistently moist conditions. These moist soils in nature don’t provide all the nutrients they need, so they evolved the ability to capture insects to gain that needed protein. Be aware that while very fun to observe, they can be hard to maintain long-term in our home conditions.

This article is sponsored by McNamara at Sand Point, which has 2 acres of production greenhouses, retail florist and gift shop, as well as retail garden center and wholesale plant business. Contact McNamara by calling 260-747-4131 or visit 4322 DeForest Ave, Ft. Wayne, IN 46809.

The Waynedale News Staff

Marla McAfee

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