A bit of fall color

WOW -- that is some freakish fruit! Be fruitful and multiply indeed.

Those are, across the board:

**Viburnum dilatatum 'Asian Beauty'
**Viburnum setigerum
**Viburnum dilatatum 'VV Vagrant' (stray seedling)
**viburnum dilatatum

Hey, you're giving vagrants a bad name!

Actually - as handsome as that plant and its fruiting is - I think it elevates their status...

Hard to argue with that. But let me just add...

Write faster.

Here's another: Viburnum dilatatum 'Driveway Dilettante'...

Incredible fruit display! (applause)

Maybe unrelated but dogwoods seem beautifully fruitful this year, here.

Not much fall color in my yard yet, although my Hamamelis virginiana has one arm in its yellow coat.
Thanks for all of the beautiful pictures, everyone!

I went out and caught some Winterberry wonder this morning...

1. 'Oosterwijk'
2. 'Cacapon'
3. 'Quitsa'
4. 'Shortcake'
5. 'Tiasquam'

Which of your Winterberries scores highest on the f-ing list?

Now, now - although it's cold as witch's britches up in yonder Great White North, I think the ice upon which thou hast begun to tread does yet be thin.

I am growing more than 30 selections in the deciduous holly clan (Ilex decidua, Ilex verticillata, Ilex verticillata/serrata crosses). I don't think I can score them fairly, because each brings different things to the game.

If I had to break them out, I'd do it by best of the long term performers - some I've had almost the two decades that I've lived at the Valley. Then, top performers of the newer members I've acquired - the 5 to 10 year residents. Finally, there'd be the up-and-comers - less than 5 years on trial here. Will that earn me a new moniker - Vacillating Viburnum?

Long term: tie between Ilex verticillata 'Winter Red' , Ilex decidua 'Council Fire', and Ilex x 'Bonfire'

Newer tribe: tie between Ilex verticillata 'Winter Gold' and Ilex verticillata 'Tiasquam'

Up/Comers: tie between Ilex verticillata 'Oosterwijk' and Ilex x 'Sparkleberry'

You could always cruise through the PlantFiles, and see the evolution of thought and imagery there. I might also start an entirely new thread on the subject, especially after the rest of the leaves come down and all the fruit is flaming.

great shots VV - and the winterberry I showed originally started in the valley - finally moved them down back closer to the pond and they like it better

I planted Ilex x 'Sparkleberry' and 'Apollo' this summer - they were nice-looking shrubs until the deer found them. I guess I should be thankful that the deer saved me from having to decide whether to prune them to be shrubs or small trees. I saved them with my super cheap yet very effective deer spray* and have decided they will be tree-shaped...unless I give up and move them to the backyard.
* beat 1 tbs. baking powder with one egg yolk and blend into 1 quart water

Pinus virginiana 'Wate's Golden'

This message was edited Oct 28, 2013 6:32 PM

This message was edited Oct 28, 2013 6:33 PM

Very nice gold on the pine. I'm partial to conifers that turn color with onset of cold. That's when we need some color! I thought I had purchased a WG, but it turned out to be Taylor's Sunburts. It's a fine tree, but no winter gold.

Here's a few pics I took today of Larix laricina located in the coulee region about an hour south of me. It's an impressive sight to drive past and see a pure stand of glowing Larix.

impressive indeed!!

gorgeous
have to make do with dogwoods

Sally, your dogwood does have a huge amount of fruit - the birds and squirrels will be so happy! What kind of dogwood is it?

Regular old Cornus florida was growing here when we bought 23 yrs ago.

Lots of fall color all over now in my area.

Some fall color in my yard: Hamamelis virginiana and Fothergilla 'Mount Airy'.

VV, you'll be glad to hear that I have 3 Viburnum dentatum growing behind the Fothergilla. They're starting to turn yellow, but are still too small to see. They were bare root seedlings that I planted in May.

Gotta start somewhere.

And they grow up so fast...

I'll put my Ozark Witch-Hazel up against yours, muddy! I'm just kidding, saplings usually have good Fall colors on alot of different trees I noticed. Nice Fall colors on your big OWH and Fothergilla.
Here is also a stunningly red Swamp White Oak from last year, here in this second pic.
Will

That is a nice red, Will, and your OWH will grow quickly. I can't remember when I planted my witch hazel, but it grew to 12-15 feet pretty quickly even though it doesn't get much sun. I never pruned it, but wonder if I should have. Are you planning to prune yours, or just let it do its thing?

Thanks, Muddy. The only branches that I might prune on the Witch Hazel are a bunch of multi-trunks if it gets them. The time to prune multi-trunks off is when it is somewhat small so the cut doesn't show much in the future.
I'm not a fan of a big multi-trunked look, maybe only 2 or 3 left at the most as it's supposed to be somewhat multi-trunked. I don't plan to let it go on it's own, just forgetting about it. I plan on possibly trimming 30 or 40% of the limbs off, so it don't get all spindly looking and blocking any view, (I'd like it to kinda be a centerpiece back there. Also. that particular one doesn't have alot of room, I may need to prune it away from that fence eventually.
There are about 15 other ones in the back of the yard, I'll probably let them go naturally as they are just a sort of screen.

I bought these in a bundle of 25 from the Missouri nursery program, they were quite small when I got them in the spring of 2010. I hope mine grow as fast as yours. I'm all for buying cheap seedlings and everything but they need more size!
Will

After some online reading, I realize that my witch hazel probably is a Hamamelis vernalis (OWH) rather than H. virginiana, because it blooms in late winter/early spring. I bought it before I started saving plant tags. It blooms in late winter/early spring before the dead leaves fall off, so I take it that rules out H. virginiana.
I don't prune any shrubs in my backyard unless necessary to promote flowering because I want that screening effect. My neighbors are great, but I'd rather not see their houses. They love looking at my shrubs and small trees, so it's win-win.

a bit of fall color in Boston today - mostly confetti, world series trophies, fans in red and blue, oh and on the walk to watch the parade hit the water in duck boats some more traditional fall colors.

Go SOX!!!!

C'mon wha - act like you've been there.

While I don't share Wha's enthusiasm for those #@%! Sox,
I've been finding solace in some other joys of October other than baseball.
#1 acer shirasawanum Palmatifolium
#2 acer mono
#3 acer japonicum Vitifolium
#4 acer palmatum Corallinum
#5 zelkova serrate Goshiki

wow, Wee.

and we always speak so highly of St. Louis fans allowing Sox fans into the park back in 2004....
with that pitching staff i'm sure your team will get more chances Weerobin - really nice jm color!

VV after waiting 86 year for 2004 and knowing how hard it is to get there and win - i'll enjoy everyone to the fullest.

Somehow, I find it odd that Sox fans always talk about how great Game 6 was back in '75...

No one seems to remember the last team that won in 4 straight - two consecutive times at that - when they were previously in the World Series.

It's funny about my 2 Ozark Witch-Hazels, one is in a pot and one a few feet away is in the ground.
Although, they both came from the same bundle and are the same age, (approx. 4 years), one is in the full Fall color of yellow and the one in a pot is still green! They are only separated by a car.

Here is the yellow one first and the green one second. -

I still have a Persimmon tree that is looking nice. - third photo

That third photo is looking North, up that driveway is quite an incline. I've boasted before that there is a little of a microclimate here because of the steep hill on the North. This area in KCMO, (Sugarcreek is a suburb of Kansas City, MO.) is zone 6a at best, I have a Rose rated zone 6b growing (and overwintering) back there, 'Royal America'. - http://www.helpmefind.com/rose/pl.php?n=5522 I doubt that it's much different in the backyard in Winter but maybe a half a zone! Believe me, I don't plan on planting Coconut trees or African Violets in the ground! : )

Nice pics, Weerobin, Japanese Maples and alot of Acers have outstanding Fall colors.

I am even from Missouri, (but not St. Louis) and I rooted for the Red Sox, not the Cards, in the Series, the Red Sox hadn't won a World Series since 1918. The Cards have been winning the Series pretty regularly the last few years. I have some family that was rooting for the Cards so I had to keep quiet..lol I am a Chiefs fan all the way though and they are now 9 and 0!
Will

Hmm, interesting Shortleaf, which one seems happier?

Thanks all for sharing your gorgeous specimens. I still can't get over Psuedo's Larix!

Good question, Mipii. I never noticed any drooping or any kind of ailment in either this year.
I wouldn't say either has looked bad at any time. I'm a little astonished at the size of the green one, actually. It seems to be feeling well in the pot. I used to say it was the biggest plant that I've ever dug up and potted, up until about a year ago or less it was planted in the ground but in a future-bad spot.
As far as size of the same aged plants, I'd say the green one has grown bigger. It has grown pretty significantly since it has been in a pot. It's roots may be able to navigate the soil in the pot better, the ground here is clayey and kinda hard most of the time, (when it's dry). I coulda put some quality soil in that pot, like part MiracleGro potting mix maybe. I wouldn't put ALL MiracleGro in the pot though, that pot's too big and I'm not diamond jim like that. lol

I'm sure you remembering to water it Shortleaf has given your potted plant another good advantage.

Hehe.. I watered them both about equally this year. The one in the pot may have retained the water better. I am a regular waterer in the Summer though.

I only have one OWH, but I noticed this year that the side that gets marginally more sun starts to turn yellow first, so perhaps your green one is somewhat shaded by your car.

No, that car has only been there for a few days. I don't know if it would cast any shade, that's a small car, it's a Hyundai. But, it's possible that the sun in a further position away now could shade it more with the trees not far overhead. I am curious on that now, I'll look at the shade situation tomorrow.