A perfect Fall day

Before I bombard everyone with vacation photos, I thought I would share some that I took today in the garden. It was great to be back at home and, either I was re-energized from vacation or perhaps it was the time change, but I got a ton of chores done. I bought groceries, mowed, cleared the leaves (and was amazed at how many had fallen since we left one week ago), restocked the bird feeders, cleaned the urn fountain, and spent an hour taking photos.

When we left last Saturday, the leaves had just begun to change color. The colors really popped during the last week. 

The first thing I noticed as we approached the house was how pretty the
Sweet Gum tree (Liquidambar styraciflua) is this year.

Acer rubrum "October Glory" is just as colorful - you just have to look up to see it.

Witch Hazel "Diane" (Hamamelis x intermedia 'Diane') is a dud of a shrub
but the fall foliage almost makes me want to forgive it.

Lespedeza is always a vibrant yellow in fall. We have both the purple and white
flowered varieties but aside from flower color, they look the same.

Sweet Shrub (Calycanthus floridus) is a great old-fashioned shrub.

Japanese Maple "Sango Kaku" (Acer palmatum) is one of my favorites.
The bark will turn red in the winter.

Another Japanese Maple that I would not want to live without is "Crimson Queen", a threadleaf variety that spreads wide but stays low. Ours is over fifteen years old and is not over 4 feet tall.

 
Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy