Thanksgiving

"We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures." ~Thornton Wilder

It's been a lively year. Acer palmatum 'Baldsmith' And while it seems in some sense to be winding down, it's also a very exciting time in the garden. Fall color is everywhere and indian summer weather calls us out to enjoy it a little longer. Sunny days now come packed in clear blue skies.

Acer palmatum 'Crimson Queen' .
This dewy morning I am "conscious of my treasures", and happy to share a few. The Japanese maples are all reaching their peak reds, yellows and golds. Their various shapes and sizes dance among the conifers, and reflect the colors of the larger trees.

Ginkgo biloba 'Princeton Sentry'
Ulmus parvifolia 'Burgundy'

Pistacia chinense

Taxodium distichum 'Cascade Falls'

Lindera angustifolia

Thanks to my friends and family for all the wonderful moments and days of this year, and to my plants, who are all smiling.

"Autumn, the year's last, loveliest smile."

William Cullen Bryant

The Needles of Fall

I often give talks about conifers. It is one of my favorite plant groups because of the year round range of colors, habit, texture, size, and uses. At this time of year I am reminded of that special, small subgroup of conifers for the SE that are deciduous. Made up of Taxodium, Metasequoia, Pseudolarix, Ginkgo and a few others, this group often goes unnoticed and unloved in the blaze of the deciduous flowering trees in the fall.


So, let's take a quick look. Taxodium distichum , including it's various forms and cultivars, is the Bald Cypress. Most people know this to be the large tree that grows in swamps and has "knees". It was the conventional wisdom that these knees provided oxygen that would be in short supply under water. However, this does not seem to be the case. (U.S. Forest Service Silvics Manual: Taxodium distichum) More likely is that knees in or near water function as a secondary method of buttressing in addition to the wide lower trunk. These trees are very valuable for a number of reasons. The ecosystem of the swamps and its function as protection of the interior land areas is essential in the southeastern coastal areas of the US. The wood from these trees is of enormous economic value as a sustainable raw material for building. And as an ornamental tree, there are increasing numbers of cultivars being selected to provide choices for many garden uses.
 One such cultivar is a cross between T. distichum, and a variety called mucronatum which grows in Mexico. It is called 'Nanjing Beauty' because the cross was made in China, but it is a stunning choice for SE gardens. And this magnificent color holds on for the entire winter!


Metasequoia glyptostroboides is the Dawn Redwood. This is a relatively newly discovered Chinese species (first described in 1941), but has an archeaological history that goes back over 5 million years. This "living fossil" is a fast growing tree that achieves a height of up to 120' and is usually an upright pyramidal shape.


Both Taxodium and Metasequoia have a soft, ferny texture to the foliage, and each has a beautiful bronze fall color to the foliage.

Another lesser known but equally magnificent deciduous conifer is Pseudolarix amabilis., or Golden Larch. It is as heat tolerant as Bald Cypress and Dawn Redwood, and has a soft look and texture. It's needles are arranged in whorls around the stems,which give it quite a remakable, noticeable appearance. It's fall color is copper, and it holds this foliage for weeks before the cold rains and harsh winds of the coming winter take them down.


Last but certainly not least is Ginkgo biloba.

Technically Ginkgo is a gymnosperm, which is a precurser to conifers. It's leaves look very much like a flowering plant, but do not have the same kind of veination. It also seems like a fruiting plant because the female trees have yellow fruits that look something like a small plum. Apparently these fruits are delicacies in certain forms of Chinese cuisine. But if you've ever walked by a female Ginkgo that has dropped her fruit, the nauseating rotten egg smell defies the logic of eating these things. No doubt, whether you know about Ginkgo fruit, or botany, or any of the many cutivars, most everybody recognizes it's fall color.

Once again, I must quote Elizabeth Lawrence:
"Everyone must take time to sit and watch the leaves turn. "
But watch for the needles, too!