Glittering Autumn Landscape

It is true that this year's autumn colors were affected by late summer drought and high heat. However, even as many leaves are crispy and brown, others now are brandishing their colors in final, glorious defiance of winter, which is coming rapidly. Rain and wind have been bringing these leaves down in great showers. When the weather cleared yesterday, I hurried ouside to take some photos of the display before it is gone. The landscape literally was glittering in the sunlight.

In general, the following trees and shrubs in my garden produce the following colors: 

Hickory trees (Carya), Redbud trees (Cercis), Forsythia, and Winterberry (Ilex verticillata): yellow and gold. 

Maple trees (Acer), Oak trees (Quercus), Dogwood trees (Cornus), Oakleaf hydrangeas, Blueberry, and Burning Bushes (Euonymus alatus): red, orange and purple.

Crepe myrtle trees: yellow, orange, and red.

Clockwise from top left: Oak; Winterberry; Oakleaf hydrangea; Japanese maple.

The Japanese maple 'Orido Nishiki' is green, with a touch of white variegation, through the summer, but the fall foliage is always spectacular:

More autumn scenes around the garden:

This tree with fantastic bark is a trident maple (Acer buergerianum).

I hope you enjoyed my glittering fall landscape a bit as much as I have! Best wishes to you all,  Deb

Autumn Report: Japanese Maples and Other Scenes Around the Garden

We gardeners are so tuned to the weather; it seems I begin every post with a weather report! But I have to say: After summer gripped us with its infernal fingers through September and into October, autumn hardly had a chance to flaunt its colors before frigid winter grabbed hold. Poor autumn. Shaken and frozen, its withered leaves are fluttering to the ground. 

But we have had some glorious days. Recently I took photos as afternoon sun glimmered through the golden leaves of Hickory and Redbud (Cercis) trees and ignited Japanese maples and other plants with fiery sparks of red and orange. Because of the previous drought and then our sudden hard freeze, I am not sure how much more color we will get, but I appreciate the beauty of the moment:

The colors are more muted this year. Many leaves have crispy edges left over from our late summer drought, but they are still lovely. 

The color of 'Feelin'Blue' Deodar Cedar is always striking, but the blue hue intensifies as cooler weather arrives:

I like the following combination of plants in the woodland garden. Starting in the foreground: evergreen Goshiki Osmanthus, also called variegated false holly; Variegated Solomon's Seal, buttery yellow as it goes dormant; Variegated Japanese Pittosporum, another evergreen; and the deep green 'Gunsmoke' Camellia. (Do you get the sense that I love variegated plants?)

Acers, especially Japanese maples, provide many of the fall colors in my garden:Clockwise from top left: 'Viridis'; Unnamed, grown from a seedling of 'Bloodgood'; 'Hana Matoi'; 'Bloodgood'.

These are all shots of 'Sango Kaku', also known as Coral Bark Japanese maple. The stems will turn deep red as winter progresses.The following is another beautiful Japanese maple that started out as an unnamed seeding. It was eight inches tall when I planted it in 1990. The leaves are just turning in this photo, and they should become deep burgundy before they fall.

Acer japonicum 'Aconitifolium' has multi-hued fall foliage. These leaves are all from the same tree:

Here are a few more scenes around the garden, including a photo of Lou, who often calls himself my "yard man." The leaf scoops are helpful when raking piles of leaves that accumulate quickly throughout our wooded garden. The ivy is Hedera Helix 'Variegata', an evergreen, hardy ivy I grow in a hanging basket. The lovely plant with the red berries is the unfortunate, highly invasive (in my area) Nandina domestica. I have removed hundreds of these from the garden, and there are new ones every year:

As we approach the holiday season, may you all be blessed by gardens and other beautiful things.  Deb