Gardening with Gael - Planting for autumn colour

 

The warm weather lasted so long I feared we may never get the autumn colour I enjoy so much. June, the first month of winter has arrived and with it some crisp clear days interspersed with torrential rain.

Up at The Block the autumn colours are everywhere. The first trees to turn were the liquidambars, their five pointed star shaped leaves truly every shade of amber, carpeting the walkways and mulching the rhododendrons and vireyas. I hesitate to rake them off the lawns, the leaves form such a pretty carpet. It will have to be done. They need to be piled up around all the acid-loving trees, providing mulch and food as they rot down. It’s amazing how quickly a large pile disappears. Left on the lawns they will rot, ruin the lawn and become slippery. In the nine years we have had them they have quickly become well-established shade trees that we now walk underneath. Something I dreamed of.

Elsewhere the maples are changing colour. They have more intense colours than the liquidambars and as they grow I am more and more delighted with them. They have a shallower root system and are less tolerant of drought, their roots need to be kept cool and moist in summer.

With this in mind I planted them sparingly. There was no need. I haven’t lost one and each year I add to the collection. One great advantage is that some of them enjoy filtered light so can be grown amongst other trees. Palmer’s Garden Guide lists 150 varieties. I have about seven and I can’t pick a favourite. They grow from one metre to seven, something for every situation and stunning at this time of the year.

I have mentioned Nyssa salvaticas or tupelos before. These trees have the most amazing autumn colours, rich bright reds, some leaves almost a dark bright pink. There was a beautiful specimen in the village but it has recently been cut down. My friend Marg and I mourned it’s passing. These plants do like a moist area. They do not like to dry out. For colour they are spectacular.

For small gardens with no room for large trees but where autumn colour is still desired, choose one of the smaller maples or, even better, plant a persimmon. I know this time every year I mention my old favourite, mostly because of the fruit and the shape of the trees. Their autumn colour makes them highly desirable. We pruned The Block persimmons last year. They had grown too low and wide and were becoming impossible to mow around. Box was more ruthless than I have been and they responded beautifully. In fact, I would make a case for them to be espaliered against a fence if available space was limited. 

My plant at the beach has grown into a lovely mid-sized weeping tree. When it’s branches threaten the clothesline it gets hacked back without any problems. Right now the leaves are starting to glow orange (see accompanying photo). My friend Rosie grew some persimmons from seed and I have two in The Block garden. Although I am still waiting for fruit, the shape of the trees and their autumn leaves guarantee their position, fruit or not.

Shades of amber fill the garden at this time of year, but I just have to rake the leaves.