Fall Leaves

[RickR]

Thanks, Trond.  In my neck of the woods, spruce is preferred for bending, at least to make snowshoes, because the wood will hold its shape better.

[McDonough]

Autumn foliage is peaking in my area now.

1     Street view in Groton, Massachusetts USA (inc 1650), with Red Maples and Sugar Maples in bright red and orange shades.

2-5  Same town center, in most years this particular old Sugar Maple turns an amazing fluorescent red.  It looked orange a week ago, but now the outer canopy is turning red, notice in the close-up photos that the leaves start taking on a black red color, glowing with a golden yellow center to the tree.

6-7  I know, I keep showing my Sourwood Tree, Oxydendron arboreum, but the color is just so good, and with the persistent white flower pedicels, I get a strong impression of Christmas whenever I look at this superb tree.  On the "side view" photo, notice that the tree colors on the right side (south-facing side) first, still with some green leaves on the left side (north-facing side).  It's been colorful for nearly 2 months.

8    A view looking beyond the Sourwood Tree to other trees not yet colored up, but in the center is Chionanthus virginicus of Fringe Tree, taking on chartreuse color; it will turn a fairly good yellow.  I'm pleased with this tree, as I have trained as a single trunk (often Fringe trees are ungainly multi-stemmed affairs) as experimented with pruning between the long bud internodes to see if the lanky branches could be stimulated into better branches, the answer is yes.

9    Euonymus sachalinensis, after a fantastic display of red and orange capsules and seeds, this species has a nice flush of opeachy orange color.

10   Syringa meyeri 'Palibin' - such a great small shrub, I plant them strategically placed such as near my front door, to enjoy the intense perfume in late spring, but the pink-to-reddish-pink fall foliage is interesting too.

[McDonough]

This morning it was mild and misty, making for some seductively moody views of the garden dressed in fall color.  Here's a miscellany of images:

1-2   View from my roof, looking down at Oxydendrum arboreum at peak color in the foreground, Chionanthus virginicus (fringe tree) starting to turning yellow in the center, and Stewartia pseudocamellia in the background turning a darker shade of red this year.

3     Ground level view, with Spiraea japonica 'Gold Mound' turning deep red on the right, Magnolia salicifolia (Japanese Willow-Leaf Magnolia) behind it with yellow foliage.

4     Acer pseudosieboldianum with beautiful fall color.

5     Stewartia pseudocamellia (red) and behind it, Halesia monticola in yellow.

6     Stewartia pseudocamellia, coloring late this year, and instead of the fiery rose-orange color, it
      is mostly red with highlights or orange and yellow.

7     Oxydendrum arboreum (again Roll Eyes) - we were supposed to have a hard frost a couple nights ago, but it just barely reached the freezing point, enough to stimulate added brilliance to fall foliage, never have I seen my Sourwood Tree color as brilliantly as this year.  This photo was taken in afternoon light yesterday.

8-9   Views from my roof looking down at my deck, the brilliant flame color shrub under the deck is Spiraea japonica 'Candlelight', a truly colorful cultivar that is brilliant gold in spring, glowing chartreuse all summer, and red-orange-pink in autumn. The white mound next to it is Aster pilosus (Symphyotrichum pilosum, Frost Aster or as I call it the Vanilla Cookie Aster)  To the lower right is Rhododendron 'PJM', a cultivar required in every yard in New England ( ) which shows surprisingly good fall color.

10    A late afternoon view from my living room, yellow-orange glow of fall color.

[Booker]

The Oxydendrum arboreum is absolutely stunning, Mark! 

Oh to be in New England now that Fall is there!

Very good of you to clamber onto your roof for us. 

[Hoy]

I love trees and shrubs, Mark, and with the added bonus of fall color they are irresistible! I have some in my garden but they seldom show good coloring. Oxydendrum have I tried to sow but not succeeded with. Maybe they need warmer summers?

[Jan Jeddeloh]

I have a leaf shredder which is basically a string trimmer in a tube.  You shove the leaves down the tube and it gobbles them right up.  Mine will even handle Big Leaf Maple (Acer macrophyllum) leaves which are these huge, plant smothering monstrosities.  My shredder came from Sears but it was obviously made by Flowtron.  I don't believe Sears sells leaf shredders any more, however.  I recently saw an ad for a leaf shredder from a company called (I thinK) Worx.  There may be other companies out there for all I know. 

My Meconopsis 'Linghom' loves its yearly top dressing of shredded maple leaves.  I've managed to have blooming blue meconoopsis for several years now and I credit the mulch and the soil benefits it brings for my success.

Jan

[McDonough]

Jan, I have always wanted a leaf shredder; I have heard and seen testimony on the great beneficial effects of regular (annual) application of a layer of shredded organic matter on plant beds.  Just attended a local NARGS Chapter meeting and Bill Cullina gave a talk, always worth catching his excellent presentations.  He is currently Director of Horticulture/Plant Curator at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens:
http://www.mainegardens.org/home/

He showed actual cross-section cut-away excavations of soil showing the difference that the annual application of a generous layer of compost creates; amazing.  The shear act of top-dressing definitely improves the soil below, even without turning it under, most impressive.  In my own experience, top-dressing beds with pine bark mulch every 2-3 years, shows similar benefit.  In my case however, over time I actually try to dig the decomposing pine bark mulch into the soil with a trowel or pitch fork, and over time my heavy rocky clay tames to a nice workable soil.

[RickR]

Big leaves are definitely smothering.  fortunately, a big leaf maple, like my tulip tree (one of the few that grow this far north), are relatively thin leafed and shred rather easily.  When I can get them, I prefer oak leaves.  They are much more substantive, and though they break down slower, they have more to add to the humus layer of the soil.

I have to say, though, that the sweetest smelling compost I have ever sniffed is from shredded Sugar or Norway maple leaves.  Turning said composting leaves is really quite joyous!  I can't wait until my Katsura tree is large enough to compost its leaves in quantity.  They are said to smell of cinnamon!

[Hoy]

I let the fallen leaves lie except in the paths. The earthworms do a great job removing the leaves in a season or two.
I have a shredder, not one of the fast, noisy leaf-shredders but one to cut twigs, branches and young shoots. Some of it I store in plastic bags for a couple of years. Then it is added to the soil. What I don't store i use as mulch under shrubs etc. Works fine!

Rick, I have two Norwegian Norway maples but never shredded the leaves! Have to do so, I suppose, to smell the product. I haven't composted the Katsura tree leaves either!

[Weiser]

Falling leaves do not work too well in my garden. I grow too many species that grow in low humus soils. These desert plants have not adapted to deal with the heavy loads of fungi and bacteria that break the leaves down. If I leave too many leaves around my cacti I have problems with rot. So removal of the bulk of the leaves is a fall duty.
On my grass lawn I just run over them with the mulching mower and let them lay.