Enjoying the seasons, such that they are
Is it just me, or do the autumn leaves look more than
extraordinary this year? The reds leaves seem more brilliant and
the golds sizzle in the wind. I have driven past our parks, along
our shade-lined streets, through the back roads into the hills to
admire our version of
”
Autumn Color.
”
The maples, locusts, Chinese pistasches, gingkos, liquidambers
and birches are wonderful. Add the colors of the grape vines, mix
in the persimmons, viburnums and cotoneasters, and fall
– South Valley style – is beyond gorgeous. .
Enjoying the seasons, such that they are
Is it just me, or do the autumn leaves look more than extraordinary this year? The reds leaves seem more brilliant and the golds sizzle in the wind. I have driven past our parks, along our shade-lined streets, through the back roads into the hills to admire our version of “Autumn Color.” The maples, locusts, Chinese pistasches, gingkos, liquidambers and birches are wonderful. Add the colors of the grape vines, mix in the persimmons, viburnums and cotoneasters, and fall – South Valley style – is beyond gorgeous. .
If you’re thinking about adding a tree – or many trees – to your landscape, this is a perfect time to make the choices. Whether you are going for evergreens, pines, or the vast array of deciduous trees, the fall season gives you a good gardener’s view of what to expect.
Take my birch trees, for instance. When my husband said “birch” I thought, duh! White bark, tiny leaves, so what? In 10 years, these three European white birch trees have grown 40 feet tall, with subtle peeling white bark, and graceful airy foliage that turns brilliant gold in November.
My neighbor has a liquidamber tree, specifically Liquidamber styraciflua ‘Palo Alto’. The leaves turn a molten burgundy in late November, and the leaves drop almost all at once. Two weeks of raking and he is done. I consider it the most beautiful and colorful tree in our neighborhood. If you consider liquidamber, go for ‘Burgundy,’ ‘Festival’ or ‘Palo Alto’ — all of which were developed for California and color better here than any others. An added note: Liquidamber drops spikey spears the size of walnuts just before it sheds its leaves, and these are a nuisance to rake up. Worth it for the nice summer shade and spectacular fall leaves, though.
My neighborhood also has a lot of Ginkgo bibola trees, also known as Maidenhair trees. These big airy trees are a spectacularly golden sight in November, but all the leaves seem to fall at once. If you have a gingko, you know to keep the rake handy. They are a huge bonus for the compost pile. Always plant a male gingko since the female tree produces a messy, smelly tiny fruit.
Speaking of fruit, the persimmon tree is one of fall’s best bets. Not only do you get really nice-looking foliage, but after the leaves fall the persimmons hang on the bare branches like shiny orange ornaments on a holiday tree.
There is a choice of persimmon types, with Fuyu and Hichiya getting high marks. The Fuyu persimmon is the size of a baseball and flattened like a tomato. Hachiya is a big, slightly pointed fruit. Sample the different persimmons at your produce department and you’ll know which one meets your taste needs. Wait until January to plant a persimmon tree from bare-root stock. The tree is virtually care free – it needs no pruning, no spraying and works as a lawn tree.
Fall foliage trees can be added to the landscape this month, or in early spring. What you plant this season will reward you with picture-book color next fall.
***
A Reader Wants to Know: I am wondering how to prune a hydrangea shrub. Do I cut the new suckers or the old wood? Can you point me in the right direction regarding pruning?
– Y. Kochiyama
Joan Says: There are different kinds of hydrangea shrubs, but the one most commonly grown here is the big-leaf hydrangeas with big round flower heads. The flowers are borne on previous season’s wood. Prune after flowering, or wait until the frost blackens the leaves. On an established plant cut back thin, weak shoots to the base. Prune back previous season’s flowering braches, cutting to fat buds. These fat buds will produce flowering shoots. Hydrangea is deciduous so it is correct that it sheds all its leaves.
A top pruning book that should be on every gardener’s book shelf is “The American Horticultural Society Pruning and Training” by Christopher Brickell and David Joyce (DK Publishing). The illustrations are excellent and include details on pruning various hydrangeas. Your local bookstore can order it for you if it’s not in stock, or you can find it at www.barnesandnoble.com
***
Tip of the Week: It’s time to reduce your irrigation by one-half. For instance, if your summer watering schedule was 24 minutes three times a week, you can now reduce it to 12 minutes three times a week. By mid-December you should turn off your irrigation system for the winter. That’s assuming, of course, that the rains are falling steadily by then.
