Red and yellow autumn foliage in my garden
Fall color in Austin was surprisingly good this year, including the show put on by the ornamental trees in my own garden, like the species Japanese maple (Acer palmatum).
Most years it goes rusty red in mid-December, coordinating with the red Christmas balls I hang from an agave near the front door. But this year’s early cold snap (I guess?) encouraged it, along with trees all over Austin, to blush and go yellow weeks earlier than usual.
My live oak-shaded, deer-infested garden is mostly evergreen, so I especially enjoy colorful seasonal moments when they occur. That’s a sedge lawnette (Carex leavenworthii) in the foreground, with variegated flax lily (Dianella tasmanica ‘Variegata’) and Mexican honeysuckle (Justicia spicigera) block-planted behind it.
As I write this, the maple’s shriveled leaves lie strewn on the ground. But a week ago when I took these photos it was glorious.
Eve’s necklace (Sophora affinis), a native tree in the lower garden, goes mostly unnoticed for much of the year. But this fall it turned buttery yellow and became a star along the blue-bottle path.
Eve’s necklace showing off golden fall color
Mexican buckeye (Ungnadia speciosa), another tough native tree, reliably turns yellow in fall. Here it is, just starting the show.
Last week the ‘Wonderful’ pomegranate was just beginning to turn yellow. See it beside the tall Yucca rostrata? This week its faded leaves are dropping. But the stock-tank pond still looks as pretty, its water plants tinged with copper and gold. I am thankful for all the moments in the garden, brief though they may be.
How was the fall color in your own garden this year?
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Digging Deeper
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Pam, I agree with you about the unusual fall color this year. The color came early and was more intense than normal. The one plant that I look forward to each year is the Green Smoke Tree and it was truly stunning. One early morning as I left to walk I was surprised by the tree’s glowing color. I only wish the leaves stayed longer but now they are all gone and we look forward to a new season!
The smoke tree sounds lovely, Melody. Fall color is fleeting, but that makes it all the more special.
I envy you the fall color, especially the red of that gorgeous maple. Although it’s been unusually cold here for the past 10 days, it seems too late to spark color as the hotter than usual temperatures in October and early November, combined with our Santa Ana winds, turned many leaves a crispy brown.
You’ve had a tough fall this year, Kris. I hope you are finally getting some relief from the heat and wind.
We had an unusual fall this year. Most of the leaves in my garden were flash frozen. They didn’t turn a particularly pretty shade of fall colors. The one plant that did make a splash was a native shrub I planted this year Northern Spicebush Lindera benzoin. Those leaves were the most brilliant yellow. I now want to plant another one in the garden.
That sounds beautiful. Yes, plant more!
I wouldn’t have figured your Austin garden would have any fall colors to show, but indeed it does!
Not a ton, but I’ll take what I can get! And this year was better than most. 🙂