Some more fall color

Leaves of that 'Dancing Peacock'

Blueberry Bob,
Always happy to rekindle dreams but please tell the dw I would be worried for you Saskatoon berry picking in the wilds of Saskatchewan isn’t that where the abominable snowman lives? Then again if you could successfully pitch your business plan perhaps the snowman would be willing to come on board and who better to show you hidden dells of Serviceberry bushes as well as speedy pick and run techniques that have only been a dream to us common man…oops I digress.
Thanks for your response to my pruning question it was nice to read that I am not the only pruning phobic gardener. After having butchered too many trees and shrubs (sometime to give you all a good laugh I should post a photo of my Crape Myrtle it looks like a cartoon character) I am beginning to wonder if I will ever be able to SEE the intended form of a tree or shrub. Is it just me how do most folks learn pruning techniques??
”You don't like the taste of Blueberries? Good thing you only planted 32 bushes!“ Thirty one shrubs are for the birds and in exchange they save me a handful which is ok because I am even odder than your sister and prefer apples but sadly don’t live in an area where they can be grown. I was thinking I can’t be alone in this how many things have you planted simply because it grows successfully in your region? kt
David,The fall color you have is amazing I love your dancing peacock. Do you choose a plant based firstly on fall color?


This message was edited Oct 19, 2006 6:41 PM

I do actually choose some plants for fall color and I think fall is one of the best times to shop for woody plants for that reason. It also happens that, often, there are great sales on plants in the fall. People around here think the gardening/planting season is over on October 1, and everything goes on sale except mums. Little do they understand that there are still 2 months of gardening time left...

I personally think that, in cold northern climates like MI, WI, IL, like many of the other posters here, fall is a neglected season and can be the very best part of the garden year. With a garden backbone of woody plants, many with fall color and berries, conifers, asters, grasses, many other fall blooming perennials, good foliage plants carrying over from spring and summer, fall as a garden season can last from August into December and be the longest, best garden season. And gardens which peak late like this look better all season than those which are primarily for spring or summer.

So, in my new garden, I am putting in the backbone of woodies, and the 'infill' will come later.....

It is hard to compete with David's photos of his Dancing Peacock, "Arnold Promise," and fothergilla, but I did come across some handsome plants in their fall finest this afternoon. Incidentally, no color here yet on fothergillas or witchhazels, but soon.

Quite unexpectedly I came across a witchhazel relative, Corylus americanus. Normally, not much of a thing to look at, but in its fall dress it was just shy of stunning.

Scott

My Viburnum nudum is still in its prime. I think this is the 5th or 6th week of good color, and if I hadn't pulled off all the fruit for seeds it would still have a bit of blue fruit to add to the display.

scott

Did you all know that Quercus prinoides has exceptional color? I didn't.

Scott

Cornus alternifolia.

Scott

And one more picture of my sourwood, which amazes me each time I see it.

Scott

Today was a gloriously sunny fall day, so I took some pictures. First up: Amelanchier x grandiflora.

Scott

Then there were the maples. Acer saccharum.

Scott

Acer rubrum.

Scott

Acer x freemanii.

Scott

Magnolia macrophylla.

Scott

Asimina triloba.

Scott

Last, but not least, Fagus grandifolia.

Scott

Simply Fallfabulous!

Scott, what is that tree in the background of the freeman maple picture? It's shaped like an old elm.

Escambia,

It sure does! I'm not sure. That tree is up near the overlook and I don't normally go up there. I'll check it out tomorrow or Monday on my way home from work.

Scott

Hey Scott, don't mean to be picky, but the leaf lobes on your A. saccharum picture sure look pretty serrated to me.......are you sure that isn't a red maple? It's a beauty anyway, and sure is a nice red. And to me, the one labelled A. rubrum actually looks like it has 3 main lobes, not 5 at all, though I know some red maples are a bit like that.

I know, I know, there's one in every crowd.....
:o)

Hi David,

I've never been any good at figuring out the differences between red and sugar maples, so you are probably right. Tell me how to tell them apart. I always kind of fudged it and called three-lobers (as in the 2nd pic) a sure Acer rubrum, and five-lobers a sugar, knowing full-well there'd be times when I'd be wrong. I am, however, 90% certain that three-lober with the good red color is indeed a red maple. Now, toss in black maples (Acer nigrum) and I'm really lost! Where's VV when I need him?

Escambia,

You'd be proud of me. On a gloomy, blustery, cold day I went back to that park on my way home from work forgoing a few extra minutes watching my beloved Bengals (whom I was certain would lose, but indeed did win) to visit that elm-like tree. Fact is, it indeed is an American Elm, quite large and stately and seemingly in good health. Of all the hundreds of times I have been to that park, I had never noticed that tree before. Strange. Here is a picture of the elm at Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum, which is the biggest I know of, although there are many large elms in this area. I believe this tree is the State Champion. This photo is from earlier this summer.

Scott

One more picture of that elm to show its full splendor.

Scott

I don't know why, but when I looked at the picture of the Freeman maples my eyes zoomed right to that elm.

Unfortunately, most of our cemeteries are bare and don't have many old trees. I can't think of many beautiful cemeteries around here.

Hi Scott. The leaves of sugar maple (and the very closely related black maple, and incidentally also Norway maple) are ENTIRE -- that means that the margins are smooth. The leaves have 5 lobes but the edges of the lobes are all smooth and do not have serrations ("teeth").

The leaves of red maple are SERRATED. that is they have a jagged or toothed margin to the sides of the lobes. There are lots of other differences, bark, twigs, buds, but while we are talking fall color, the leaf difference is all you need. You can see the 'saw tooth' leaf margin of a typical red maple leaf in your picture labelled "A. saccharum". Around here nearly all leaves of A. rubrum have 5 lobes rather than 3, but I believe they can be more 3 lobed, and the serrated margins of the leaf in your second picture are typical of A.r.

In-your-face Fothergilla

...and it's not all trees and shrubs all the time, as the Spiranthes are still blooming....

Holy guacamole, Kevin! That fothergilla is awesome. Mine still has not shown an inkling to changing color yet.

And my Spiranthes is also still in bloom, along with a Chrysanthemum or something of that ilk. I thought it was Chrysanthemum weyerichii, or something like that, but it is much taller and salmon color in comparison to something that was previously given to me under that same name. Both plants come back every year and give reliable late season floral displays.

Scott

So many beautiful photos. I love all of them. Great color display. It's like the 4th of July in October.

Carpinus caroliniana

Acer griseum--normally a bright red, but good orange this year. The other one I have is starting to turn red, but 24 degrees F looms tonight.

Viburnum dentatum 'Red Feathers'

Viburnum x burkwoodii 'Chenaultii'

The 'White Tigress' snakebark maple twins. Just to show how well the deer fence blends in, it's about 20 feet behind these trees, in front of the large oak. Look close(base of the oak) and you'll see the post there.

Fall colors are not just leaves, how about fruit and needles? Here's my best producing crabapple(unknown variety) paired with the big Taxodium.

I can't quite figure out what's going on with my V. dentatum 'Blue Muffin'. We've had numerous hard freezes (mid-upper teens) since early October, but it doesn't seem to want to color-up. Is this a normal trait for Arrowwood? It's located on the north side of garage and not especially protected.

About half the V. dentatums here have no fall color this year. Luck of the climatic draw I guess. The 'Blue Muffin's here look the same as yours, no matter where they are planted.

My V. dentatums have no fall color either. One of the larger ones is still basically green. The others are turning a dull yellow. Funny, this has been a great color season for most 'coloring' plants.

The late fall color plants are now turning -- japanese maples, C. kousas and hyrbid dogwoods, parrotia. These plants all have a distinctive color season after most trees here have lost their leaves (which they did after the windstorm this weekend).

The prize winner in my garden now is the japanese maple 'Osakazuki'. It has just turned its consistent deep ruby red. If I can manage to get home while it is still light enough some day this week, I will send a picture

Pecans may not be as showy as other hickories, but they are stunning when the evening sun hits them just right. The picture doesn't do it justice.

I have always loved pecan trees!

Here is one more with it's amber glow.

OK, I've got to show some of Louisville.

Kevin:

Here's what your little tigrettes are aspiring to.