Acer japonicum foliage November 15

With Thanksgiving less than a week away, here in Atlanta there are still some remnants of fall color in my garden, neighborhood and at the Atlanta Botanical Garden.  If there were a competition this year among the different genera of trees for “Best in Show” it would be hard to pick a winner but the maples, especially the Japanese maples, Acer palmatum, ( Zones 5 to 8 ), have been luminous.  Even my non-gardening friends have noticed.  An unnamed seedling in my yard (I inherited it when we moved to this property about 6 years ago) held on to its brilliant red leaves for several weeks and just a few days ago Acer japonicum (several different cultivars) at ABG was still turning shades of orange and red.  (Zones 5 to 7 )  Ginkgos continue to be one of my favorite trees for fall, and this year is no exception.  Thinking about Ginkgo biloba (Zones 4 to 9 ) and its fascinating history I am grateful for the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University (established in 1872 ) and their long history of plant exploration and conservation.   For an interesting read check out arnoldia, Vol. 41, No. 4 The Ginkgo in America by Peter Del Tredici  http://arnoldia.arboretum.harvard.edu/pdf/issues/74.pdf

Acer palmatum 'Dissectum' November 15

Ginkgo biloba, November 12

Ginkgo-- another view

In addition to maples, ginkgos, hickories (different species of Carya), oaks, sourwood (Oxydendrum arboreum) and sweetgums, I am impressed by the late showing of the crapemyrtle, Lagerstroemia ‘Natchez’ ( Zones 6 to 9 ) and Parrotia persica,( Zones 4 to 8 )  commonly known as Persian parrotia, this handsome witchhazel relative has beautiful bark, curious small red flowers in winter and rich green leaves all summer.  The leaves on native American beech trees, Fagus grandifolia  (Zones 4 to 9 ) are now turning from bright yellow to golden tan and will continue to turn brown, then almost gray or transparent, persisting late into winter and early spring.

Parrotia persica November 15

Lagerstroemia 'Natchez' November 15

Nyssa sylvatica (tupelo) foliage- November 12

oak foliage-November 5

I look forward to these last few weeks of fall its lingering blooms and fading foliage.  Before you know it,  winter with its own delights will be here but not too soon ( I hope ) I still have bulbs and plants to get in the ground.

Liriodendron tulipifera, tuliptree, Nov. 3, Zone 4-9, large specimen tree

The fall color this year (2011)  in my Atlanta, GA neighborhood is spectacular.  Here are a few more plants that I photographed on my morning walk.

Acer palmatum, Japanese maple, Nov. 3

Acer rubrum, red maple, Nov. 3

Amelanchier selection, serviceberry, Nov. 3, Zone 4-9

Cercis canadensis, eastern redbud, Nov. 3, Zone 4 -9, native

Cornus florida, native dogwood, Nov. 3, Zone 5 -9

Ginkgo biloba, ginkgo in early Nov., plant male selections to avoid the smelly fruits in autumn

Oxydendrum arboreum, sourwood, Zone 5-9, fall color Nov. 3

Quercus phellos, willow oak, Nov. 3, Zone6-9, tolerates heat, drought and stress

Quercus rubra, red oak, Nov. 3, Zone 4-7, adaptable tree

maple foliage in fall

While I find it hard to choose a favorite flower, naming a favorite season in the garden is much easier.  Fall or autumn with all its finery never disappoints me.  Unlike spring which seems to  explode almost overnight with color and fragrance and then fade quickly (especially in the South) when heat sets in, fall often lingers and delights  us with a last flush of roses, colorful berries and foliage that ranges from pale yellow to brilliant shades of orange and red. 

Rosa 'Penelope' (hybrid musk) blooms in late October

roses with Japanese maples in background, November

Yesterday, I decided to take my camera along when I walked the dog so that I could document some of the fall show in my neighborhood.  I also made one of my biweekly visits to the Atlanta Botanical Garden.  What follows are photos of a few of my favorite shrubs, trees and perennials in fall. 

Cornus florida, native dogwood-a four season beauty

In my own small garden, Acer palmatum ‘Sango kaku,’ coralbark maple glows with its yellow leaves that are tinged  pink.  Single chrysanthemums (unnamed seedlings from a friend that owns a nursery) are most welcome at this time of year.  The botanical name  for these fall-flowering mums is now Dendranthema x grandiflorum  (Zone 5-9) .  Whatever you call them, they are as my English friends would say “good doers.”  I favor the “ Daisies,”  single daisy-like flowers with yellow centers.  To keep them from getting leggy and floppy, cut them back (by ½ is fine until the 4^th of July. 

Acer palmatum 'Sango kaku' and smoke tree

Dendranthema x grandiflorum (unnamed seedling) in November

Oxydendrum arboreum, sourwood- a great native, Zone 5-9

Hamamelis virginiana, witchhazel-fragrant flowers in November, Zone 3-8

Hamamelis flowers up close

Symphoytrichum oblongifolium (still an aster, ) 'Raydon's Favorite'

Cercidiphyllum japonicum-katsuratree-when the leaves change color and begin to fall they have a fragrance like burning sugar or cotton candy

Fagus grandifolia -native beech tree with seed pod

bird with beechnut

Hydrangea quercifolia, oakleaf hydrangea in November

hickory foliage in fall

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.

 

It has been a busy fall so far.  I never thought that in one week I would be dressing up as a pea pod twice to promote my daughter’s school garden and then making an eggplant costume for her school play.  The things we do for love, and to get our kids to eat vegetables.  Now I am ready to focus on my own garden and the bulbs I need to plant.  I have a big crate of various types of Narcissus that I ordered from Brent and Becky’s bulbs (rodents don’t bother these bulbs because they are poisonous)  www.brentandbeckysbulbs.com that I hope to get in the ground by the end of this week.  I am also waiting to receive 3 different varieties of heirloom apple trees (I selected varieties that should do well in the South) from Big Horse Creek Farm in Lansing, NC www.bighorsecreekfarm.com .

Ginkgo, Camellia and hollies

Until this past week it didn’t look like we would see much fall color in the landscape but this is not the case.  Hickories, maples, oaks, elms, crape myrtles, Japanese maples, beech trees,  dogwoods and of course my favorite ginkgo in a nearby neighborhood,  are all glowing even on this overcast and rainy day.  Familiar favorites like our native dogwood, Cornus florida and Japanese maples of all sizes and shapes are brilliant despite a summer of record heat and extended periods with no rain.  Shrubs like Fothergilla and Itea virginica  also display  garden worthy autumnal foliage.  

Itea virginica 'Merlot'

Often combiantions surprise us like the Hydrangea, Carex ‘Evergold’ and Arum italicum ‘Pictum’ growing close by a Japanese maple seedling in my side yard. I would love to have more Arum but it seems slow to spread in my garden, probably due to root competition from trees.  Even ordinary forsythia (it was here when we moved in five years ago) displays yellow and red leaves this year, perfect for adding to arrangements.  Soon there will be more leaves on the ground then on the trees so be sure to enjoy the show while it lasts.  It’s also a good time to add many of these same plants to your garden. 

Arum italicum 'Pictum' with Carex and Hydrangea

japanese maple seedling

Fothergilla 'Mt. Airy'

Osmanthus fragrans aurantiacus

The Southern autumn garden offers an abundance of interesting plants, including those with fabulous flowers, striking foliage and colorful fruits.  And, let’s not forget our extended growing season.  Fall with its cooler temperatures (and this year plenty of moisture) offers the ideal time to add plants to our gardens.  This includes winter vegetables, shrubs, trees, perennials, bulbs and cool season annuals like pansies and violas.    I have already planted some Peach Frost Sorbet violas with wonderful pastel colors and this weekend I  will add  Darwin Hybrid red tulips called ‘Comeback’ which Brent Heath of Brent and Becky’s bulbs (www.brentandbeckysbulbs.com )  says will come back reliably.

As a garden writer often I am challenged to come up with sources for new and unusual plants that I am excited about so I was thrilled to visit GardenHood, an inspiring  new garden center in Atlanta with an extensive offering of  ornamental plants.  Don’t expect your standard nursery with plants grouped by type, instead they have created rooms of color combinations.  One that I really like is the yellow group, highlighting plants with yellow flowers, foliage and even bark.  A sampling includes the selection of Florida anise, Illicium floridanum ‘Florida Sunshine’ with golden leaves and red stems, a juniper, Juniperus conferta ‘All Gold’ and the striking bark of the Japanese maple, Acer palmatum ‘ Bihou.’

Acer palmatum 'Bihou'

A variegated Chinese holly, Ilex cornuta ‘O’Spring,’ with foliage that is green, cream and gold, is a plant I have written about but this is the first place I’ve seen it offered for sale.   A selection of Arborvitae, Thuja plicata ‘Daniellow’ also grabbed my attention.

In an effort to address the needs of  urban and surburban gardeners with small or tight spaces, GardenHood offer a number of shrubs and trees for special situations such as fastigiate trees for narrow planting spaces like the sweet gum Liquidambar styraciflua ‘Slender Silhouette,’   the fringe tree, Chionanthus retusus ‘Tokyo Tower’ and the columnar  hornbeam Carpinus betulus ‘Franz Fontaine.  A dwarf parrotia called ‘Henny Dwarf’ grows only 15 to 20’ tall with colorful fall foliage and handsome peeling bark.  Perfect for containers is the dwarf Japanese zelkova, Zelkova serrata ‘Goblin’ which matures at 4’ tall.  I have always enjoyed our native sweetbay magnolia and was charmed to meet the  dwarf cultivar, Magnolia virginiana var. australis ‘Sweet Thing.’   For the winter color in pots, the tiny  Chameacyparis pisifera filifera ‘Snow’ is ideal especially in combination with colorful violas.

Ilex cornuta 'O'Spring'

Screening is an issue for gardens, both large and small, and some of GardenHoods offerings include hardy Loquats and evergreens like  Viburnum tinus ‘Spring Bouquet, ’ Viburnum odartissimum ‘Awabuki ,’ and, covered in fragrant orange flowers in autumn, the selection of tea olive, Osmanthus fragrans aurantiacus.

Many of the plants I talked about as well as numerous  others are available for purchase at GardenHood, located at 353 Boulevard, Atlanta, GA 30316, 404-880-9848  www.gardenhoodatlanta.com