What do you see on your garden walks? 2012

[Tim Ingram]

Really like the Cotinus. This species is not much grown here, but looks even better than coggygria for autumn colour.

This Actaea (pachypoda 'Misty Blue') has been a striking plant through the year for its silvery-green leaves. The combination of fruits and red stalks is very eyecathing even on a young plant like this - I wonder if the seed will breed true?

[RickR]

Love those cyclamen at the base, too, Tim.  The leaves are so vivid!

Cotinus coggygria has poor fall color here.  Some cultivars have none.  Cotinus obovatus is susceptible to verticillium wilt, and a couple years ago in a wet summer my tree had a bout with it, but recovered well.  I had removed about a fourth of the tree.  Verticillium wilt is very prevalent in my area.  I don't even try to grow Asian maples anymore.  The American Smoke tree grows in a very dry part of the yard, so I wonder if the fungus just isn't normally there.

[Lori S.]

Nice scenes, Michael, Rick and Tim!  Your "bear sighting" reminds me that woolly bear caterpillars used to be common when (and where) I was a kid... we see them very rarely here now.   Love the Cotinus, Rick, and the Aster ericoides looks like a really good form (I've got a wild one in the front yard that is quite a dud in terms of flowering - should get rid of it, really).

Well, there's nothing so picturesque here anymore, but I guess I'll show these anyway.... even this will be gone soon!
Cotoneaster colour; Aster sedifolius; peony foliage; Hylotelephium 'Autumn Joy'; first flowering of Asyneuma canescens; and 'Waterlily' colchicums:
          

[Hoy]

The snow didn't last long Lori? Still some colours in your garden!  My 'Waterlily' colchiums are totally flattened due to heavy rain

[Lori S.]

I wish my Allium thunbergii 'Ozawas' would bloom like that.  It will be another two or three weeks before it begins. 

Wow, I can't believe how long the season is in your area!

The snow didn't last long Lori?

We've had two brief bouts of snow now, with it melting the next day, but starting today and all next week, the daytime highs are forecast to be zero at best, with snow, so this may be the end of our extended fall.  It's snowing now.

[cohan]

Yesterday was 17 or 18C, today's high is -1, still -2 at noon, probably 8-10cm of snow on the ground, and all week forecast to be below freezing as Lori mentioned- probably a bit colder here than in Calagary..

1-crab apple
2- Salix (non-native-large pussywillow)
3-wild trees in the yard- mainly Betula in front
4-Philadelphus, Malus etc between the houses
5-Tilia cordata
6-wild trees in the yard- Lonicera involucrata and Amelanchier alnifolia
7-native  Picea glauca (and one planted blue spruce!)
8- the blue spruce with Sorbus (always forget which sp is which- its the one with fuzzy buds)

[cohan]

I thought it would be fun to see a couple of the same trees/shrubs shown above on Saturday covered in snow, in shots taken on Friday on a sunny warm fall day..

1- Tilia cordata
2- Lonicera involucrata ( I know this has has a change of genus, I just never remember it!) with Amelanchier alnifolia; this is a little wild grove maybe 10 m from the house
3- Sorbus with blue spruce

[Hoy]

Cohan, that kind of weather change is rare here where I live at the coast - now we have had 8-12C for weeks, mostly rain but a few days with some sun. However, in the mountains and inland it is not uncommon although +18 would be something to write about!

Snow-covered trees have their charm too 

[AmyO]

While walking around the gardens at Rocky Dale Gardens where I work I took a few shots of 'Deer Leap' the cliffs overlooking the gardens, when it started to sprinkle. The sun then peeped out and presented me with the most gorgeous rainbow!

[Lori S.]

Looks like a beautiful setting, Amy, even without the neat double rainbow!

[Hoy]

Looks like a beautiful place to work, Amy, both with and without rainbows!

[Hoy]

Beautiful weather here today for the first time in weeks. However I was busy  tidying up in the garden while my wife went for a little sunday stroll.
I had time to take a stroll in the garden though!

The unknown annual Impatiens is still in full flower and so is Lilium poilanei, still a small plant though. The orchid Vanda is flowering now for the second time (inside now!) after spending the summer months in the garden.

Some shrubs like Enkianthus campanulatus and Euonymus elata are draped in full autumn splendour!

[AmyO]

Wow Trond!  That is quite spectacular! I was checking out all my Cyclamen today too and while most are sending out lots of nice leaves there aren't many flowers. 

[Spiegel]

I especially like the enkianthus picture.  This is an underpraised shrub with good flowers and excellent fall color.

[cohan]

Beautiful place, Amy!

Trond- esp like the Cyclamen in the red leaves Looks very mild there stiil, but then it always is by my standards 
I do like the trees draped in white- snow or frost, it is one of my very favourite tree looks of the year!