Two wonderful Japanese maples

In the Schoenike Arboretum, there are many great trees, but these Japanese maples are standouts.  They're huge (by garden standards), since they're older than most, and almost always have spectacular fall color.

Fall color

It's been a stand-out couple of years for fall color.

Gingkos near the Butterfly Garden

The droughty conditions in late summer and fall seem to correspond with intense reds, especially if we have just a bit of rain, and a cold spell, followed by clear sunny days.

The dogwoods and maples are at their peak, along with the clear yellows of hickories and gingkos.

The bald cypresses are a wonderful rusty color, starting to drop leaves in an apron of golden brown.

Fall color

Some of the yellows and all of the reds are promising so far this year. The hickory behind the Carriage House is a clear yellow, and the red maples along Perimeter Road have been putting on a show.

But still to come are the gingkos near the Duck Pond (and Children's Garden), the witch hazels, and fothergillas (although the latter are already looking nice.)

Enjoy the color in your landscape if you're in the Eastern U.S.  We live in a special place, and share fall color with temperate Asia, but no where else (naturally) in the world.

A fall afternoon

Late afternoon on Thursday was striking. Even though many of the Garden's trees have lost most of their leaves, the color on the Cameron walk was still nice.

Click on the photo for a closer (and better) view!

Fall color walk

There were a nice group of families on the Fall Color Walk last week. We talked about berries, fruits, leaf color, and seasonal change, in addition to all sorts of other things.

Jessica Nelms, photographer for the Daily Messenger/Seneca Journal, took a great photo of several girls intent on observing dogwood berries.