Cool and Damp Day

This shot was taken in our Japanese garden yesterday. Note the wonderful light coming thru the redbud (Cercis canadensis) leaves at peak fall color. The gravel looks great in the distance as part of our new and improved "dry sea". It's amazing what the conversion of 100,000 lbs. of gravel will accomplish! Today was overcast from start to finish with a steady drizzle from 9 am thru the entire day. Marv brought in obelisks, yanked plants and picked up pumpkins for our upcoming Halloween Walk. Jerry hauled piles of debris and continues to tidy up the Japanese garden, fern & moss garden and hosta hollow. Marianne pulled lots of plants and tidied up as well as possible considering the rain. Kay joined her this morning and they really took a dent out of the remainder of our seasonal plantings. Rick and Tony bounced between projects and everyone kept busy inside when the rain was the most "vigorous". I've been busy preparing for 6 presentations I have in the next month or so.
The fall color to the right is from a small sourwood tree (Oxydendrum arboreum) that was one of the first trees I planted here 10 years ago. It is marginally hardy for us and we do hope it continue to grow well (hopefully 15-20' tall). Native to the lower Appalachian mountains, branches from this tree were used by Native Americans for arrow shafts. The fall color is spectacular and quite noticeable from a distance. The serviceberries (Amelanchier sp.) are also coloring up nicely with combinations of red, orange and yellow (see to the left).

This time of year is when plant features of fall color, ornamental fruit and ornamental stems/bark come to the forefront. The close-up image at the bottom is the bark of the China Snow Peking lilac (Syringa pekinensis 'Morton'). This tree lilac gets large white blooms about 3 weeks after the French lilacs (Syringa vulgaris) have finished blooming. Reaching heights around 30-35' feet, this small, ornamental tree has stellar ornamental bark and stems and becomes quite interesting in the winter.