Acer Palmatum "Shidava Gold"

Our new Acer in the front flowerbed is almost at peak Fall color. As its name indicates, it has turned a lovely golden color. We have been watching it and watching it all Fall. It was among the last of our trees to begin changing color. We started joking that it had decided to just stay green. But finally, as Thanksgiving approached, the transformation began. Considering that it is still a young tree, and thus not very full, it is still putting on a really nice display.

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!

The morns are meeker than they were,

The nuts are getting brown, 

The berry's cheek is plumper,

The rose is out of town.

The maple wears a gayer scarf,

The field a scarlet gown.

Lest I should be old-fashioned,

I'll put a trinket on

Emily Dickinson

Welcome November

And just like that, November has arrived. In our part of the world, November signals peak autumnal color. Thanks to our record October rainfall, we are enjoying more color this year, as the trees aren't quite as stressed from months of endless drought. Right now the Sweet Gum trees are finishing up for the season, but there are still a few crimson leaves hanging on until the next wind storm.

October Arrives

And suddenly, October arrives. The days are cooler now and the nights have a chill to them. Across the road from the Big Garden, is this wonderful old building, covered in trailing vines. For most of the year it doesn't draw your attention. But come October, the vines turn scarlet and the whole scene is picture perfect.

Fall Foliage

Bit by little bit, the outdoor world is transitioning from Summer to Fall. No where is it more noticeable than on the leaves of the various trees and shrubs. Walking around today, I found a few examples of some early Fall color. First off, there was a small smattering of leaves on the "Royal Raindrops" crab-apple that had switched from their Summer purple to their Fall scarlet red. The tree will be a knock-out when all of the leaves have changed.

In the west-end flower bed, I found the first leaf on the current bush turning a lovely orange. And pictured below, one crimson leaf hanging one of the three Sweet Gum trees. It will be late October before the full Fall color display peaks but until then it is fun to catch some early glimpses.

Hawthorne Berries

We have a number of "wild" Hawthorne trees on our property. In our part of the world, Hawthorns are considered an invasive species. None of our "wild" Hawthorns were purposely planted by us. Instead, birds most likely deposited their berries across our acres. Sadly, every Hawthorne that I have found on our land has yet to bloom in the Spring. Why is this important? Because it must bloom in the Spring to set berries in the Fall. Luckily, right on the other side of our fence, is a sweet little Hawthorne that is just covered in red berries.

Tonight after work I walked down with my camera to take a few pictures.

Its branches are just dripping with clusters of glowing red berries.

 They must not be quite ripe yet, as the birds are leaving the berries alone at this point. I am guessing that sometime in the next month, the birds will arrive en mass and strip the branches clean. Until then I can enjoy this pretty Fall display.

November Color

Since the rains finally returned in late October, we are starting to see some decent Fall color here and there. The Big Leaf Maples have a bit of color now, after getting fairly stressed last month. They aren't too pretty up close, but from afar the browns and oranges are nice.

Our little Ginko bush has put on a nice display. That's what faithful hand watering will do for you!

I always forget what pretty Fall color the Witch Hazel plants have. This is the red Witch Hazel by the front steps. After the first frost we need to move it to a better location where it will have more room to grow.

Each leaf has all of the colors of Fall.

The three Sweet Gum trees are also doing well.

It is interesting that the leaves on the far right tree are turning a strong purple/red color while the leaves on the other two trees are turning red/orange.

It is so nice to finally see some lovely colors in the leaves. It wouldn't be Fall without colorful leaves, mild days, and cool nights.

I also discover a few other bits of color walking around the property. Scarlet certainly jumps out against the muted brown tones of Fall. Pictured above, one last wild blackberry hanging on the vine. Below, a spray of wild rose hips in the hedgerow.

Early Fall Color

October means peak Fall color here in the Willamette Valley. This year it is a bit different however. Our hot and dry Summer has carried over into the Fall. With the exception of two wet days in September, we just haven't had any appreciable rainfall since the Spring. It is taking its toll on the trees. The early Fall color that we normally get with the Ash and Cottonwood trees has been almost nonexistent. The leaves are going from green to dark brown and immediately falling off. Ironically, the one plant that is still having a great Fall color display is the poison oak! Right now the forest is full of shiny, velvet red leaves. You have to admire its tenacity and beauty - just from a distance!

More October Color

I had hoped to get a good picture of the potted Japanese maple before it shed it's golden canopy. As you can see, I am too late!

But there is still beauty to be found in the mass of fallen leaves on the ground.

A wet jumble of browns and golden yellows.

Our little Ginkgo tree is currently in full Fall color mode.

While they are an invasive pest, even the blackberries put on a show in the Fall.

It was hard to get a good picture of this wild cherry tree growing deep in the woods.

The big leaf maples have had a good Fall. Late September's rain stopped the leaves from turning brown and prematurely dropping as they have the past two years.

More glowing color in the forest. One of our wild dogwoods.

The bracken ferns have turned a caramel brown.

I was also too late to get a good piciture of this maple in our first meadow.

The ground beneath it's canopy is now buried with a blanket of yellow. And in the brush that surrounds the meadow, another blackberry species also glows this Fall day.

The Neighbors Maple

About half a mile from our house, our neighbors have this volunteer maple growing on the edge of their property. For the past week it has been at peak color. I kept telling myself, every time that I drove by, that I needed to stop and take a picture of it ASAP! Thankfully the leaves hung on and today I was able to take a walk down to capture its beauty before it was too late.

October Outdoors

This past weekend I had a chance to do a bit of hiking around the property as I marched back and forth from the dahlia garden. Fall is officially here, wherever you look. The fir cones, which were soft and green a few months ago, have now dried. I love the geometry and patterns that make up each cone.

The wild honeysuckle can be difficult to see in the Summer. But by Fall, the plants have produced clusters of scarlet berries. Now the vines are quite visible, rambling through the trees and bushes.

The bracken fern have already turned a soft yellow and now are drying and turning brown. More great geometry in the forest.

The wild apple tree down by Dorothy's creek is almost void of fruit. The apples have transitioned from a lovely soft green with a pink blush to scarlet red. Most of the fruit has fallen off of the tree and been happily consumed by the deer.

This Vine Maple, down by a creek, is turning some pretty shades of red & purple. Unfortunately, most of the Vine Maple leaves on our property have dried and turned brown without going through this lovely stage. Three months with no rain was too stressful on the trees.

Our big maple next to our driveway is its full Fall glory. Thankfully, it seems to have survived this dry Summer and early Fall just fine. That canopy of golden yellow just glows in the sea of green that surrounds it.