A Bit More Fall Color and a Spam Alert
There’s some decent fall color in our garden right now, though it’s an area I’ve identified for future improvement. This long, mild autumn has given us more time to enjoy the seasonal hues, though for some plants it may have delayed the arrival of fall color.
The ‘Autumn Brilliance’ Serviceberry (Amelanchier x grandiflora) looks good as it does every year. When I see these leaves I feel sad that I lost several young Serviceberries to girdling from rapacious rabbits a few years ago.
The leaves on the Cranberrybush Viburnum (V. trilobum) are mostly still green. The exception is the cultivar ‘Wentworth’, of which I have just one.
The Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) turns a nice yellow.
Judy said that from a distance our ‘Golden Raindrops’ Crabapple looks like a bowl of succotash (a dish of sweet corn and lima beans) in that it is simultaneously bright green and bright yellow. The tiny fruits give the cultivar its name.
Grey Dogwood (Cornus racemosa) did not turn golden yellow until early November, just a few days ago.
I’m a little embarrassed to have this Burning Bush (Euonymous alata), which is an invasive species around here and in much of North America. Judy refuses to let me take it down. It does have great color, though.
When I look at the incredible fall Amsonia display at Lurie Garden, I feel disappointed by my handful of little Bluestars (Amsonia tabernaemontana). They will look more impressive as they fill in, I suppose. Though the showiest Bluestars at Lurie are A. hubrichtii.
On the other hand, I really love the color of the Solomon’s Seal (Polygonatum biflorum).
‘Cassie’ is the little rose that never gives up. There are more tiny red hips than flowers now …
but the flowers keep coming.
I’m quite happy with my little patch of Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), a mix of ‘Standing Ovation’ and ‘The Blues’.
Here’s a closer look at how the tiny seedheads glow in the afternoon light.
The Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum ‘Northwind’) is in the process of turning from green to yellow, giving it an appealing stripey look.
And finally, the seeds of the Sea Oats (Chasmanthium latifolium) have fully ripened, just as the foliage is also turning from green to yellow.
Here’s a closer look.
Now, as to that spam alert. What I mean is that the internet gods seem to feel that my comments on many of your blogs should be relegated to the spam folder. I don’t know what I did to offend them, but I will try to make amends. In the meantime, you might want to check your spam folder if I have been a regular commenter on your blog but have been silent in the recent past.
Enjoy the fall color while it lasts, and may the internet gods look with favor upon all your endeavors.
gardeninacity 
I, too, refuse to get rid of my burning bushes, of which I have three. Here in Wisconsin they are also considered invasive, although I think this designation is fairly recent. To clear my conscience, I snip off all the berries to prevent birds from spreading the plant.
That’s a good idea, but it sounds like a lot of work.
Wow, you have a lot of great bushes such as your Cranberrybush Viburnum and your serviceberry. I also planted a viburnum for fall color, but it will be years before it does anything. It’s about 8 inches tall. I have severe grass envy. Maybe next year for me? I do have two Northern Sea Oats.
Grasses bulk up a lot faster than shrubs. I planted two chokecherries this spring – about 18″ tall.
You seem to have a lot of colour in the garden, considering you are getting close to winter ..lovely to see.
I found your comment from my previous post in the spam queue so thanks for letting me know about that. I appreciate the comments even when they are in a spam queue!
The cold seems to be in no hurry to settle in this year. Still hasn’t been a frost.
The golden yellows are so cheering as the days get shorter – you’ve got plenty of lovely colour still. Thanks for the tip about the spam. I will have to check on it more often.
I do like the autumn yellows and oranges best of all the fall colors.
Great colour in your garden, I’m happy that you’ve had a longer autumn to enjoy it this year. I’ve had other peoples comments end up in spam but so far not yours; but I’ll check anyway.
Thanks.
Think I will get out again today to enjoy the color. This is so unusual for us. Thanks for sharing your pics.
Unusual for sure. Enjoy while it lasts.
You do have a lot of color in the garden now. My garden seems to be going straight to brown due to the droughty warm conditions. I have got some fall chores accomplished. I think I am ready for winter. I love that Cassie rose. Those hips are beautiful.
Too bad about your drought. We have had more than the average amount of rain this year, or so it seems. ‘Cassie’ is really a great rose, and very easy.
I’m getting rid of my burning bush this year because 1) invasive, and 2) it is crowding what would otherwise be a spectacular gold mop. Recommended replacement is chokeberry – mine finally died this year (victim of rabbit girdling) so I am glad to have an excuse to plant another. Your post reminded me to look at my serviceberry – yep, red. Other shrubs are taking their sweet time.
Rabbit girdling makes my blood boil.
Nice color! The serviceberry and cranberry bush viburnum are particularly pretty. It’s interesting to see the Solomon’s Seal fall color – I didn’t realize it was so nice. It’s so good to see such a great stand of little bluestem – it’s one of my favorite native grasses.
I didn’t notice the Solomon’s Seal color myself until this year. Maybe conditions were especially good for a nice display.
Oh my goodness, I just went to my spam folder and found six of your comments. Thank you for making us aware. I resuscitated them. 🙂 Tell Judy to keep her bush – it is beautiful. I had a couple in KS when I didn’t know better. When we had our MG fall potting party, we pulled up to the County Co-Chair’s house, and the first thing he did was apologize because he has these two gigantic bushes right by his front door that the previous owner had planted. I guess I need more info on them too because I can’t quite figure out how they invade. 🙂
You’ve got a very colorful yard! Nice to see the roses still blooming. We won’t see one here for a while now.
It’s pretty uncommon to see them blooming here in November.
People have been telling me that they are rejected by my comments but then their comments show up anyway. Who knows what goes on behind the scenes. Love your fall color.
Thanks.
Actually, I know I commented on your last post about the roses and the comment has not appeared.
Beautiful color. Love the spicebush.
It’s really an underused native shrub.
Oh, I haven’t checked my spam for a while, so I will now. Thanks. The same thing happened to me a while back. Anyway, Your fall color is lovely. I like the way you highlight many of the shrubs and trees that don’t often get attention for their fall color–like the Solomon’s Seal, the Crabapple, and the Viburnum. We have those here, too, and they are quite colorful and deserve some praise. We also have two Burning Bushes that I’m planning to dig out–probably this fall yet. It’s tough to do, but… well, you know.
Good for you taking out those Burning Bushes. There are so many shrubs that have good fall color. It’s good to see the colored foliage at eye level, not just up in the trees.
Your garden is beautiful! So many lovely colors this fall! Have patience with your Amsonia–I divided mine several years ago (a job I wouldn’t recommend), and the two plants are now huge. I agree their fall color isn’t as spectacular as the Amsonia hubrichtii, but they do turn a pleasing shade of yellow nonetheless.
I’ve heard that dividing Amsonia is difficult to divide – a very tough root.
So much fall interest in your garden – sometimes we don’t take the time to appreciate what’s right in front of us.
I didn’t realize that burning bush was invasive. I was actually admiring a neighbours only a few days ago and was thinking I should get one for my garden. I’m glad you pointed that out.
It’s not invasive in the obvious way of some plants, like buckthorn. But the birds eat the seeds and spread it far and wide in natural areas.
Great fall colors! Gotta love them! As far as your comments going to spam, I know it often has a lot to do with what the email address is like. Maybe you could make a simpler one? (I don’t know what your email is. It was just a thought.)
You could be right, much of what happens on the internet is totally mysterious to me.
Fall color here has been lacking. I think it’s because of how very dry it’s been. But the giant zelkova in my front yard has turned brown making it look like I have a giant turkey leg planted in the middle of the lawn so that’s something. 😉
Ha! A giant turkey leg … maybe you should put a giant gravy boat right next to it.
Everything looks beautiful there!
Thanks!
Thank you for this bit of color on this dark, dark day. It makes me feel a little better to remember that the sun still rises. But not much.
I’m just trying to hold myself together.
I’ve found that my Amsonia tabernaemontana are slow to bulk up as well – particularly some I have that are growing in partial shade. I have a feeling the ones in sun will get bigger faster.
I’d like to grow serviceberry, but I’ve heard it’s susceptible to the same sorts of fungal problems that have devastated my crabapple. (I have a number of native Juniperus virginiana in my garden that get fungal galls each year and then spread the fungi over to any nearby crabapples, serviceberries, hawthornes, quinces, etc…)
What’s the groundcover underneath your Solomon’s Seal, by the way?
A mix of Wild Geranium, Woodland and Woodland Phlox.