6 on Saturday – 19OCT2024

Chris Mousseau

Although we’re well into autumn, a lovely south wind is bringing balmy, 20c/70f degrees and sunshine this weekend – thanks Texas and Florida! A few light overnight frosts this past week have, unfortunately, succeeded in killing off the more tropical annuals (Tithonia and Lablab purpurea are not a pretty sight…), while leaving some of the hardier flowers, even the tall dahlias, still pushing out blooms. The chilly temperatures have also coaxed some colour into many deciduous tree and shrub foliage, and that’s the focus of today’s Six. Check out Jim’s site, Garden Ruminations, to see fall colours around the world (spring colours as well, from southern hemisphere gardeners.)

Staghorn Sumac – Rhus typhina – is considered by some a weed tree since it spreads so quickly here. There’s loads of them around the edges of my yard and I love the screening they provide at the front plus the fall colours, like the featured photo, above. Birds like the berries they produce; I’ve never cooked with them or made tea, although I know it’s a bit of a trend these days.

One of my favourite shrubs for both spring flowers and fall foliage are Viburnums. This native nannyberry – Viburnum lentago – is a reliable representative of the genus.

Maples are of course the main attraction for spectacular fall colours in much of Canada. Most of them on my property are sugar maples – Acer saccharum – and the leaves generally turn a nice yellow and orange, not the scarlet often seen in red maples (Acer rubrum).

Many dogwood trees and shrubs also have fabulous fall foliage, including this native red twig Cornus sericea.

A few dogwoods don’t do much in my garden. The leaves of this C. alba – Siberian dogwood – for example, usually get mottled like this, then shrivel up and fall.

Not that mottled leaves can’t be attractive. I like how the foliage of Kentucky Coffeetree – Gymnocladus dioicus – look as it starts to decompose. These leaves are huge, and described as ‘doubly compounded, with secondary leaflets also compounded.’ In a few weeks this young tree (just a few metres high at the moment) will look like a big stick coming out of the ground. It’ll branch out as it gets older, but will still be quite identifiable by its lack of twigs and small limbs.

It’s Pumpkinfest Saturday in Wellington (Ontario) today – I’ll be heading out to enjoy the festivities in a bit. Hope everyone has a lovely weekend!

21 Comments

  1. Sumac is one of our most dependable sources of autumn color. Without the spectacular maples and such, we make do with what we have! I laughed at your comment about the dogwood getting mottled, then shriveling up and falling. I’m not falling yet, but a little mottling and shriveling is more noticeable than I’d like!

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  2. The native Cornus florida has been decimated by a wood borer in these parts although I do have one good representative in my yard. It is nice layered and colorful this week aided by the shade of some Southern loblolly pines.

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    1. LOL – it’s all about context eh? We have a few more days of 20 degree, sunny days this week – and no frost forecast for at least the next 10 days. My dahlias are still blooming!!!

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  13. Lovely colours, especially the Sumac. It grows wild in a few spots near us, and we would love some to settle in to the garden… not too near the house though as I know it can spread a little too vigorously! The golden maples are just as pretty as the red in my view. A pumpkin festival sounds good and hopefully involved some delicious food. 😃

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