Foliage now- October 2009

[Regelian]

The Autumn colours have hit me overnight.  Some are not as good as last season, some are even better.  here are a few shots of Acer cultivars.

Acer palmatum atrolineare- Summer foliage
A. pal.-atrolineare Autumn colour
A. pal.-atrolineare Atumn
A. pal-dissectum atropurpureum AC
A. pal-dissectum variegatum AC
A. pal-dissectum AC
A. seedling davidii hybrid
A. palmatum corallinum 'Sango-Kaku'

[Paddy Tobin]

Jamie,

The acers rarely fail to please in autumn and you have a wonderful selection here, nice cultivars and wonderfully grown.

Good show, Paddy

[Regelian]

Thanks, Paddy,

I didn't include a shot of the strongly variegated A. Phönix', as I know you find them a bit vulgar! .  Doesn't have good Autumn colour in any case, being semi-evergreen.

jamie

[johnw]

Marvellous colour on the maples Jamie.

Fall foliage here:

Photo 1 - Menziesia ciliicalyx v. purpurea
2 - Enkianthus campanulatus v compacta
3 - Rhododendron mucronulatum v. taguetii
4 - Viburnum betuloides
5 - Rhododendron mucronulatum v. taguetii - self sown in a trough
6 - Rhododendron mucronulatum v. taguetii - self sown in a trough

Very heavy rain here yesterday and cold, now warm - +18c - and sunny.

johnw

[johnw]

A few more:

1 - Diapensia lapponica
2 - Diapensia lapponica
3 - Disanthus cercidifolius - one of the best if not the best and starts in August, colour varies from near black to red.
4 - Disanthus cercidifolius
5 - Disanthus cercidifolius
6 - Shortia soldanelloides

johnw

[Ragged Robin]

Simply wonderful Autumn colour hit me in this thread    Thanks so much Jamie and John for showing your images and including the the Rhodos ad other lovelies.

[Paddy Tobin]

Great colour, John.

Paddy

[Lesley Cox]

All are really superb. I am totally obsessed by autumn colour and look for it in small things as well as trees. Hostas and Pleiones are both very rewarding for colour in the fall. (I've NEVER said "fall" before in this context. It must be association with all these Canadians and Americans. )

[johnw]

Lesley -  - Here is one of my own hybrids Rhododendron mucronulatum v taguettii x leucaspis.  Stays evergreen most of the winter.  It managed the hairiness of leucaspis rather well. Unfortunately leucaspis won't do here.

johnw

[Lesley Cox]

That is super foliage John. What are the flowers like? Leucaspis does well for me and I've frequently thought of crossing it with something. Typically, have not got around to it yet but some day.....

I don't think I've ever seen mucronulatum except here on the Forum. I'm sure it will be in NZ but most gardeners here tend to stick with the flashier hybrids which may not be quite hardy for you. Heaps of colour and frilly bits but to my mind, many lack the character of species.

[Lori S.]

Well, in this horrible October we're having, there's been very little of the usual fall colour, mostly just dead brown leaves!  Here's a little bit of colour, though, on Rhododendron mucronulatum 'Crater's Edge'... (since we're on the subject.)    It's completely deciduous here.  Yes, that is more snow.  We had a few inches of wet, heavy snow on Saturday morning that is still hanging around.... ugghh.

[johnw]

That is super foliage John. What are the flowers like? Leucaspis does well for me and I've frequently thought of crossing it with something. Typically, have not got around to it yet but some day.....

I don't think I've ever seen mucronulatum except here on the Forum. I'm sure it will be in NZ but most gardeners here tend to stick with the flashier hybrids which may not be quite hardy for you. Heaps of colour and frilly bits but to my mind, many lack the character of species.

If you had mentioned mucronulatum 5 minutes earlier I could have included some in the envelope I just sealed!   I just yesterday harvested seed from the first rhododendron I bought 35 years ago. It is mucronulatum Woodland Pink x mucronulatum Cornell Pink, clear pink flowers and is now over 9 ft high and losing steam; o.p. seed throws some pinks and they grow like mad and flower in a year.  The seed is for Paul but there's plenty so next mailing. I also collected some pods of mucronulatum v. taguettii (formerly Cheju & var. chejuensis) which he wanted but they've not split open yet -so will send some of them too - purplish but only 20" high x 30" wide in 25 odd years with a huge fat trunk.  I have selected some great pink dwarf mucs from a cross of two selected pink dwarves from a friend in Hokkaido, unfortunately they have been reluctant to set seed so far.   The friend also has a white dwarf muc too. (You should see his dauricum v nanum Album x edgeworthii!)

re: my hybrid

Here are shots of the flower of my leucaspis and my leucaspis hybrid.  I wanted those scrumptious dark anthers but alas. Maybe a backcross is in order.  I love leucaspis, the pollen I used I collected in the greenhouse at Glendoick and I had it labelled pink leucaspis - must have had a tinge of pink otherwise I would never have forgottoen a pink leucaspis with dark anthers!!!

1 leucaspis  

2. mucronulatum v. taguetii (Cheju) x leucaspis

By the way do you grow R. dendrocharis?

johnw

[Paul T]

Crackers of little Rhodos, John.  Great stuff.  Rarely see many of the species around here I must admit, particularly small types.

Glorious colours, everyone.

[Lesley Cox]

The hybrid looks very good John. Perhaps the anthers could be a little darker but I think I'd be pleased with those. Dendrocharis was offered on a Rhododendron Group plant list maybe 5 years ago and stupidly I didn't apply for it. Didn't know it at the time. Dunedin Rh Group is a great group of mainly locals but some throughout NZ and they compile an annual plant list from local and other growers, both of species and hybrids and other plants that one might associate in the garden, with rhodoas; meconopsis, arisaema, primula and whatever. There are frequently rare and very exciting things offered, sometimes just a couple of plants so it pays to be jolly quick.

[Ragged Robin]

I am totally obsessed by autumn colour and look for it in small things as well as trees

I agree with Lesley, variety of foliage and foliage colour is so important at all times of year but especially so in the Autumn.  It's the see-through quality of ageing leaves in the sunlight, too, that adds another dimension to plantings. Hostas are fantastic in this respect but I doubt if I could grow them in the Alps so I will have to admire them on these pages.