Saturday
Jan022016
2015 Fall Flame-out
Saturday, January 2, 2016 at 9:15PM Winter is here.
The new year has begun with typical dreary skies and monochromes around the garden, but less than a month ago the 2015 fall flame-out occurred, with spectacular Japanese maple colors, like the grand finale of a fireworks display. Here are photos taken the first two weeks of December, before wind and rains and cold temperatures stripped the limbs bare. It is something to remember!
While the leaves were expiring in glory, I found this ghost of a fuchsia:
And these hardy begonia seed-heads:
Compare this very recent view toward the woodland garden (with Feelin' Blue Deodar Cedar in the foreground) to similar views above, taken earlier in December:
Welcome winter, and Happy New Year!
Reader Comments (17)
Dear Deb, your fall "flame-out" truly has been spectacular! The discrepancy between your earlier December photos and how it looks now is unbelievable. The play of the colors of nature seems to be uncommonly extreme in your neck of the woods. Thanks for letting us participate in this miracle of nature!
Wishing you a wonderful New Year 2016 as well! Hopefully it will be a good garden year, too!
Warm regards,
Christina
Happy New Year Deb. Those Japanese maples are indeed spectacular. I hope 2016 will be a wonderful (garden)year!
It's amazing how vibrant the colors are each Fall! Happy New Year!
Those colours are truly amazing!, To think you had all that colour just over 2 weeks ago, we have had rain for so long now, but it is very warm, even my early daffodils are over, I can't believe it!
Wishing you a wonderful year in 2016.
Love the amazing pageantry in your photo series, truly the essence of what makes our world so beautiful and so special. Have a wonderful New Year.
I love all that late fall color. My coral bark maple provided no fall color this year - I think summer hung on too long and drained all the color from the leaves. However, I noticed yesterday that my dwarf Japanese maple ('Mikawa Yatsubusa'), which produced new green leaves when the nights finally cooled in November, now has a touch of orange color. Sometimes you just have to have patience! Best wishes for a wonderful new year Deb!
Happy New Year, Deb! Your images are beautiful, as always. Winter also arrived here this past week -- but in our case, it meant that the drab colors were finally brightened up with a coating of snow. Serious arctic air gets here tomorrow (overnight lows below zero and daytime highs in the teens); it will be a bit of a shock after the unusual warmth we've been having.
Hi Deb! Every season is beautiful in your garden! The fall pictures are stunning, but I also like the last picture: those architectural trunks serve as a great background for evergreens.
Happy New Year!!!
A very Happy New Year to you and your family Deb; how amazing that you had that wonderful autumn colour right up until Christmas, it makes the winter seem much shorter when it doesn't start in November. Your woodland is always beautiful, whatever the season but autumn and spring are my favourite times.
Happy New Year, Deb! :)
You really have such a wonderful tapestry of color in Fall. Winter sometimes can be so bland. Up here, winter is in its bland attire. We finally got a bit of snow today. Hooray!
It happens way too fast, doesn't it? Wow, photos 4, 5, and 6 look like fire! What species of Acer? I think your autumn was more colorful than ours this year! Happy New Year!
Hello everyone! Thank you for your comments! Beth, that particular acer was an unnamed seeding when I planted it twenty-five years ago. It was tiny, and I feared it was destroyed when a worker stepped on it! Fortunately, it survived, and look at it now. The leaves do look like fire! Best wishes to you all! Deb
Happy New Year Deb! Winter is here too. I love your flame-out and is one of the best views of your gorgeous garden! I would love to see it in all 4 seasons!
Beautiful remembrances. It is so cold here now, down to 14 degrees last night, brrr. Hopefully it won't last long.
Nice that you had so much color at the end of the year. Love the orange and red foliage. A happy new year to you.
Gorgeous! Happy New Year!