The rainy season has begun in Portland.  It hasn’t been terribly cold, but we’ve had several fires in the fireplace.  After a day of sloshing around in the garden, it’s nice to sit by the fire and dream of sunnier times.  Like last week…

We had one bright, sunny day last week, and I went looking for fall color.  Here are eight great shrubs that caught my eye:

This yellow-leaved form of Himalayan honeysuckle (Leycesteria formosa) was outstanding.  The fruiting structures on this plant are beet-red and the fruits themselves are inky purple-black.  Zone 7.  It can be cut to the ground in spring like a butterfly bush or smokebush, and in a harsh winter, it might die back to the ground anyway.