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

Hanging in There, not Dead Yet!

Drought and burning temperatures persist. Here is what my front garden looks like now:

The arborvitae ferns (in the foreground) are turning brown in the triple digit heat. The azaleas above them are turning yellow, definitely not a good sign. The good news is that neither the ferns nor the azaleas are dead yet, and the temps are predicted to be 15-20 degrees cooler next week. We may even get some rain this weekend. So if we can hang in there a little longer, things may get better. 

The 50% chance of rain makes me nervous. I would like better odds. Too many times black clouds have hoodwinked us with unfulfilled promises. I took these photos just last week, but the deceptively dark clouds passed over without releasing a drop:

I usually can find beauty in the garden, no matter what. I can appreciate the dead stuff, but it would be easier if the following shots were taken in November or December:Nature created this collage of prematurely dead leaves.

A dead branch fell on a chair in my woodland garden, creating an accidental composition that appealed even to my drought weary eyes.

Leftovers from a squirrel banquet made me genuinely smile. Someone really enjoyed those pinecones!

Despite the premature aging in the garden, there are spots of color. Autumn crocus is a delight. I put these in only a couple weeks ago, and already Colchicum 'The Giant' is blooming. These were an experiment, and I plan to plant more:

Spider lilies (Hymenocallis) appear like magic every year, supplying bright color for very little maintenance:

Eupatorium coelestinum, also called hardy ageratum and blue mistflower, are favorite wildflowers. They will reseed themselves around but are easy to pull, and I do not consider them invasive:

Somewhere in my closet are long-sleeved shirts. I am looking forward to digging them out. I may even sit a pumpkin or two outside to celebrate the new season, once the temps drop enough so that they don't cook in the sunshine.