The Common Sweetshrub (or Carolina Allspice) wears a dark green leaf all summer and turns into a shimmering pile of gold when the sun hits it just right in fall. I have to confess that this is the first year I've really noticed its fall color - and I've grown this shrub for nearly twenty years! Either it's not as exciting every year, or I'm just plain not very observant! To me, it's sort of an odd shrub; not one I pay a lot of note to in the general course of events. My mother gave me a rooted cutting and I stuck it in some rather lousy soil, where it has remained to this day. It doesn't get as tall as it could (six to nine feet (2-3m), and that is likely due to the soil it's in, since this species prefers a nice, deep rich soil. They do equally well in sun or shade, but, supposedly stay shorter in sun. Mine gets a bit of morning sun, but is basically shaded most of the day. These, too, are adaptable and tough plants who sucker and self-layer a bit. Interesting, rather than beautiful or showy, dark reddish brown flowers with slender cupped petals are borne in late spring and sporadically through the summer. They do have a fragrance, said by some to permeate the garden, but my plant does not do this. I understand the fragrance can be variable, so sniff before you buy.
Some leaves don't all change color. Lady's Mantle is actually more or less evergreen for me. Severe winters cause it to retreat to a tight rosette at ground level, but mild winters will find some green leaves on each plant. Those that are going to depart for winter change from green to gold to speckled brown.
Goat's Beard is another that fades from green to brown. It's generally a graceful fade, with some leaves containing both colors. This is a grand, tough perennial for shady gardens, like an Astilbe on steroids.
And, then, there are the leaves that work their way from green to oranges and reds. This particular geranium will give you the entire range where its leaves receive some sun. It is evergreen for me, and since mine are all in quite shady spots, only some leaves develop color. This is one of my favorite groundcovers. It asks nothing of the gardener. In return for this nothing, it gives not only good foliage, but late spring flowers (all season for northern gardeners) and an intriguing scent when its leaves are disturbed.
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