Six Autumn Leaves

I’m joining Jim at Garden Ruminations today for Six on Saturday with six examples of the fall foliage we have around here right now, starting with leaves from a young northern red oak – Quercus rubra. If you’re wondering is this tree got its name from the colour of its leaves in the fall, the answer is yes. Younger trees in particular, I think, have a brilliant red glow to them, and the leaves persists on the tree well into last autumn.

Red maples, Acer rubrum, also have brilliant red leaves in the fall. Most of the maples on my property are sugar maples, Acer saccharum, with leaves that will turn yellow and orange but not nearly as red. Here are the tips of two red maple saplings I planted two years ago – not that great colour this year. Hopefully as they mature that will change.

An evergreen – no fall foliage – with a shape I really like, in the early morning light Thursday. False weeping cypress, Chamaecyparis nootkatensis ‘Pendula:’

Shrubs also have lovely fall colours. There’s loads of red twigged dogwood here, with stems that are turning red as well as the leaves:

And a small Fothergilla ‘Mt. Airie:’

Finally, some yellow leaves from a perennial, one of my patches of Solomon Seal, Polygonatum. The leaves will slowly drop off over the next few weeks leaving the stalk, which will eventually topple over under the weight of rain and snow. It’s supposed to be a crisp clear day today so I’ll be raking pathways and mulching leaves all afternoon. Hope you have a great weekend!