Taste of Home-Grown Autumn

I know I am not alone in feeling a little gypped every autumn. So much of the country gets a real shot of the season, with wildly colorful fall foliage and frost on the pumpkin. We get Santa Ana winds.

If you need a fix, you can always visit Colorado or New Hampshire.

But “Autumn Gardens” by Ethne Clarke (SOMA Books, $35) is a less expensive alternative. Lavishly illustrated by Jonathan Buckley, it includes some lovely gardens at their wistful autumn best. There’s some spectacular fall foliage shown in Eastern gardens, but Westerners are not left to simply dream about nippy mornings--plants that grow here are included too.

The author lives in Texas, another region not famous for its autumns, so she offers other options, such as the beauty of seed heads backlit by the sinking sun, or flowers that bloom after summer. Be sure to look up each plant mentioned to make sure it can grow here. Many of those pictured haven’t a chance, but the lion’s tail or the red-berried Arum italicum (shown in a wonderful pairing with felty lamb’s ears) will do great.

Since it’s still warm outside, just curl up on the sofa before an imaginary fire with this very pretty book, and you’ll get not only a good dose of fall, but maybe a few ideas for the garden that will make it look more seasonal.