Hovenia dulcis fruits

Back in September, I noticed across from my daughter’s school a tree with odd looking fruits.  When I got closer I recognized it as the Japanese raisin tree, Hovenia dulcis.  I first encountered this tree when I worked at the Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore College.  The fruits- actually the fleshy branches are (according to Michael Dirr, chewed by the Japanese and Chinese and are “actually not bad tasting.”  I have nibbled on them and found the taste unremarkable.  Still, I am drawn to their curious look.  Native to China, this unusual exotic makes a good medium size shade tree (up to 30’ tall) and is hardy to Zone 5. 

Taxodium distichum -immature cones

Some of my best plant sitings happen when I walk our dog in my neighborhood.  Recently I noticed a group of bald cypress loaded with 1” green cones.  I will have to check back as they should be mature (brown and looking more like cones) in a year.  What’s surprising about this tree is how adaptable it is.  Native to swamps bald cypress, Taxodium distchum will also grow in full sun and in a well drained soil.  In mid- October the foliage is just beginning to turn orange, brown and red. This deciduous conifer is known for its “knees” which only occur when they grow in or near water.  I have fond memories of canoeing at Trap pond in October when the trees were completely russet color.  Located in  Laurel,  Delaware this pond is home to “the northernmost stand of natural bald cypress in the United States.”  There’s something magical and mysterious about these trees that appeals to me at every season. 

Aesculus parviflora foliage in October

Some trees like Cercidiphyllum japonicum , also known as katsuratree  offer their own special brand of fragrance when the leaves begin to change color in the fall- shades of yellow, red and orange.  On a recent trip to Seattle, I was at Lakewold Gardens touring the collection and wham, that welcome scent of burning sugar or cotton candy, you decide, hit me before I saw all the leaves on the ground and realized it was the now leafless katsuratree  that was responsible. 

With ample moisture and space this tree can become quite large.  One of my favorite specimens is located at Dumbarton Oaks, a public garden in Georgetown, a neighborhood in Washington, DC. 

Cercidiphyllum japonicum at Dumbarton Oaks

As a group many magnolias offer colorful and fragrant flowers in spring.  But there are also those with interesting fruits and foliage.  One of my favorites, Magnolia macrophylla (big flowers, big leaves) offers its own form of fall interest when the leaves turn yellow and then drop to the ground, exposing silver undersides.   Even the ordinary Magnolia grandiflora displays colorful fruits in October.  Great for decorations if you get to them before the critters do. 

Magnolia grandifolora fruit in October

A trio that caught my attention last fall at the Atlanta Botanical Garden includes our native dogwood, Cornus florida, a red  maple and Stewartia pseudocamellia.

Cornus kousa fruits in October

Cornus florida fruits are red and shiny but not very large.  This is not the case with Cornus kousa, which produces fruits that look like large raspberries.  They are edible but probably appreciated more by squirrels and birds. 

Fall foliage

Heptacodium miconioides in Fall

These are just a few of the gems that add interest and color to one of my favorite seasons in the garden.