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

Fall Through the Lens

One reason I enjoy photography is its ability to encapsulate a picture. Photography forces me to see what I am looking at and to put boundaries on the view. Otherwise the periphery runs on forever, often taking away from the immediate outlook. It is fun to focus on an image through the lens. Japanese maples are a reliable source of color from October through November.Here are some recent shorts taken late in the afternoon when low autumn light ignited the foliage. A lot of color comes from Japanese maples, dogwoods, hickory and oak trees, as well as various shrubs. Evergreens set off the explosion of color. Enjoy!Autumn creates a tapestry of colors in my garden.

The colors across the front garden in November are wonderful.

Sango kaku, also called Coral Bark maple is particularly lovely in fall when the orange-red leaves become flushed with pink and the coral stems become prominent. The colorful stems are also beautiful in the winter landscape. The name "Sango kaku" means coral tower.

I recently moved the concrete bench to a new location in the woodland garden. The shrub next to it is a Carolina allspice.The yellow leaves in these two shots belong to a hickory tree.

Juniper 'Saybrook Gold' frames the view toward the woodlands from our drive.This is a view of dogwoods edging the lower front lawn.A fallen oak leaf on left and Chinese Pistache leaves on the right.

Oakleaf hydrangeas are noted for their fall colors.

A section of a glass wind chime glimmers against fall foliage.

A hosta is lovely even as it goes into dormancy.

This old brown birdhouse awaits its new tenants next spring.

The dried seed heads of a Limelight hydrangea will remain through most of the winter.

This colorful Japanese maple is in front of our dining room window.

The strong limbs of an oak tree rise behind a Japanese maple.

By the time I had wandered around and taken all of the above photos, plus many more I am not showing you, it was late in the day and I was quite chilly! One last image caught my attention. I looked up to see smoke coming from the chimney.

Time to go inside and enjoy the warm fire!