October 2021 in the Northern Hemisphere

[GordonT]

Yesterday we took the dogs for a walk in the forest of the Acacia River valley, something we all enjoy. This is an area populated by Trillium undulatum, Cypripedium acaule, Clintonia borealis, and Epigaea repens, to name a few. Autumn colours are only now starting to show up in the landscape,but when found, they can be quite spectacular. There were large colonies of Osmunda cinnamomea along the stream banks, beginning to fade to yellow and rust.



Further along the path, a young Red Maple caught our eye, every branch was clothed in mottled red and green leaves. In another week or two (barring any truly hard frosts), the whole tree will be ablaze with colour.



Even the water itself held its own in terms of colour, catching and distorting the reflections of the trees and sky above. Martin actually took a video of the water...watching its undulations for any length of time might have "Mind Altering" effects! This still photo doesn't have quite the same impact, but you can probably imagine the effect.



A surprise discovery along the route was a small colony of Cucumber Root, Medeola virginiana. The plants had already shed their dark purple-black berries, but the upper whorl of leaves still showed their flashes of red... looking almost Trillium-like in the dappled shade.



Of course, the Autumn forest is a haven for fungi of all kinds and shapes. We missed the Chanterelles this year but near the end of our walk, we were greeted by a brilliant clump of what I think may be Scarlet Wax Caps, Hygrocybe coccinea. They were hard to miss against the rich green moss of the forest floor.

[shelagh]

Super pictures Gordon and I certainly can't match them for rarity but a few shots from the garden yesterday.

Earlier in the year I showed pictures of our two Melycitus alpina plants in full flower, well the bees have been busy and here they are in fruit.

Moving on to the raised bed the Erodiums are still flowering that's at least 7 months not much else can beat them.

Also Geranium Elka is having another flush of flowers and Iberis Masterpiece just keeps on giving.

[shelagh]

Sedum spectabile is still attracting the bees.

The blue/purple Aster looking good.

An unexpected addition to the raised bed but quite an attractive one.

Cyclamen hederifolium foliage, must admit I didn't see the snail till I looked at the photo.

The weeping Cotoneaster has berried up nicely.

[shelagh]

The last two are the Hollies at the bottom of the garden. Well at least the birds are sure of a meal this winter.

[fermi de Sousa]

...Earlier in the year I showed pictures of our two Melycitus alpina plants in full flower, well the bees have been busy and here they are in fruit.

Well done, Shelagh, those bees deserve applause!
Thanks for sharing your pics,
cheers
fermi

[Leena]

Gordon, how nice to see a place where Trillium undulatum grows in nature.

Shelagh, beautiful flowering still in your garden.

Here leaves are falling from trees, and hostas are turning yellow and slowly going dormant.
Some Colchicums are still flowering.

[Andre Schuiteman]

1. Gentiana lawrencei. For me, one of main reasons to look forward to autumn is the flowering of the autumn gentians. Is there anything more beautiful? Here in the south of England they are difficult to maintain in the open garden (of the ones I tried only Gentiana Strathmore succeeded for more than one season), but they do reasonably well in pots plunged in trays with damp sand and kept away from full sun during the summer months.

2. Sarracenia × excellens. Some of the sarracenias, especially S. leucophylla and its hybrids, make most of their growth in the autumn. Sarracenia × excellens is a natural hybrid of S. leucophylla and S. minor. Earlier this year I showed the flower, see https://www.srgc.org.uk/forum/index.php?topic=18550.msg422504#msg422504.

[Maggi Young]

I agree, André  - gentians are especially beautiful in autumn.  Even in North East Scotland the autumn gentians can be tricky - they seem to grow best in "new" soil - but it's not always possible to give them a new area of vegetable patch !!

[François Lambert]

Flowering very late this year, Helianthus Maximiliani, with slightly chocolate scented flowers.

[Mariette]

A surprise discovery along the route was a small colony of Cucumber Root, Medeola virginiana. The plants had already shed their dark purple-black berries, but the upper whorl of leaves still showed their flashes of red... looking almost Trillium-like in the dappled shade.

(Attachment Link)

Beautiful impressions from the area where You live, Gordon! This Cucumber Root is new to me, but certainly one I´ll try to look for!

[Andre Schuiteman]

I agree, André  - gentians are especially beautiful in autumn.  Even in North East Scotland the autumn gentians can be tricky - they seem to grow best in "new" soil - but it's not always possible to give them a new area of vegetable patch !!

Fortunately, they are easy to propagate from cuttings, but these must be taken early in the year, around May, otherwise they may not survive the following winter.

[Tristan_He]

The asters are nice this year, though the rain and wind lately has left them a bit battered.



A nice dark form of Cyclamen hederifolium, originally from Ashwood Nurseries.



Cyclamen coum is now well in leaf.



Crocus nudiflorus.

[cohan]

Many beauties in garden and wild, everyone!
Here there are very few flowers left now- mostly a few things that have been blooming for a long time-- Gypsophila repens, Dianthus nardiformis. A warm, dry spell in September means many plants were able to finish late bloom and head to seed before recent serious frosts (we've been to -8/9 a few times, and snow flurries in recent days, which is not early-- most recent years we had snow in September a time or several).
Even autumn colour has peaked and passed, though Tamarack/Larix laricina has just hit peak- it is always after the other native trees.

A few views from a frosty morning a couple of days ago.
Berkheya multijuga a few years from seed, no flowers yet, but the plant got some size this year.



Cyclamen purpurascens usually flower until it is buried in snow or really serious frosts- it seems to have been able to wrap up flowering this year in the last week or so.



Dianthus nardiformis flowres from mid-late summer- has been going for ages now, and seems unconcerned by recent cold nights. The foliage is also purply now that it has been cold.



This Erysimum ( I sowed a couple the same year, unclear which this one is, as the plants with tags didn't make it!) has serious issues with flea beetles exactly at flowering time, though it still manages to put on a bit of a show.. later in the season it is fine and growing quite happily!

[cohan]

Many Rosaceae are grown for flowers, but most are also great for foliage- from those species that keep vibrant green rosettes through winter to many that have great autumn colour (native R acicularis lights up the understory here in autumn from late August through October!).
Geums are great here in the garden for a shot of green when there isn't much, here Geum montanum



G coccineum has a bit of colour also.



Rubus idaeus colours variably over many weeks- some still green, some subtle to bright colours- this is an overgrown garden bed! (not a raspberry bed, those are all wild plants)



Most of the Potentillas tend to more modest colour change if any, but the leaves are always pretty, and look great with frost. This is Potentilla argyrophylla



Finally Inula rhizocephala, monocarpic, it manages to seed itself in well enough to keep going. Some years it has issues ripening seed in damp cool late season weather, this year it had no problems. This plant will flower next year.

[cohan]

Paederota bonarota in fall colour on  sunny Tuesday afternoon, then yesterday morning! (all melted by afternoon)