A Cool Day (literally and figuratively)

Nice clear fall color of the ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba) above. When ginkgos get their best fall color, they drop their leaves within a day or so of that. Typically you'll see a ginkgo drop all of its leaves in one day. Ginkgos existed over 270 million years ago and were thought extinct until they were found in Japan in 1691. There were actually ginkgo species native to both North America and Europe that have been verified by fossil records and no longer exist. Ginkgo has also become a very popular botanical supplement and is popular for many uses.
The weather was frosty this morning but warmed to be a typical October day. I'm not sure we have any more 70 degree days left but maybe....Janice worked with both Kay and Kristine to start cutting back perennials and removing annuals in our sizeable shade garden. Our debris clean-up is monumental in scale but we're on track to get most of it done this month. Larry and Bill worked on removing a large willow tree in the Japanese garden that not only had a severe lean/curve but was in a tough spot. They did a good job and Rick and Tony hauled off the debris between working on path repair and other tasks. Jerry hauled back all sorts of debris and continues to do a great job with clean-up. I ran my first 2,000 feet of extension cords for our Holiday Lights Show and started with the cords that are the most difficult to run. We'll really transition to working on this event as we sure don't like putting lights up and running cords in the snow! The tree above and to the left is the fullmoon maple (Acer japonicum 'Aconitifolium') that is green during the spring and summer but turns an awesome red with hints of orange and yellow. What a nice specimen! The image to the right is another shot of the Amur maple (Acer ginnala) with light coming thru the leaves.
Looks like plenty of rain on the way which wont be bad for the plants but sure affects our special events set-up. We've been accumulating various indoor tasks for the Holiday Lights Show so we can keep active inside as the weather dictates. Tomorrow I'm speaking at Boerner Botanical Gardens for the Milwaukee area Master Gardeners. I'll be speaking about container gardening and tropical plants. I always enjoy visiting that garden and will try to get some pictures in the afternoon. Below is a collection of Autumn Blaze pear leaves (Pyrus calleryana 'Autumn Blaze') that has a superior, wine red color with other leaves in the yellow and orange range. I think the color of this variety is also the best ever and while pears have been overplanted in urban environments, this regret is never in fall when some of the varieties become the real focal points in the late season landscape.