Fall color comes in various forms

With cooler temperatures, we've finally seen a bit of colorful foliage in my part of coastal Southern California.  My garden is still mostly green but I appreciate the bright touches where I find them and wanted to share them.  I haven't restricted myself to foliage color either.  Some flowers and berries put on a great show at the start of our all too short cool season as well.

I showed Acer palmatum 'Sango Kaku' (aka coral bark Japanese maple) in my foliage post earlier this month but its color is more pronounced now.  It's yet to start dropping leaves en masse but I suspect that's coming soon.

The color of Aloe vanbalenii x ferox isn't provided by its leaves but by the budding flower stalks

The berries of Auranticarpa rhombifolium (aka diamond leaf pittosporum) have been later to develop this year, possibly due to delayed pruning on my part

The color of the smoke bush (Cotinus coggygria 'Royal Purple') is more vivid now than it was weeks ago

Closeup of the Cotinus foliage.  The water droplets were delivered courtesy of another 0.07/inch of precipitation on Wednesday.

Along with the Japanese maple, the 'Fuyu' persimmon (Diospyros kaki) is at the top of the list of the most colorful trees in my garden

In contrast to the 'Fuyu' persimmon, the foliage of my other persimmon, Diospyros kaki 'Hachiya', is muted in color but its fruit is more colorful.  The fruit I wasn't able to reach is gradually being "picked" by critters.  (Like many people I know, the critters appear to like the 'Fuyu' fruit better - they took care of the fruit of that tree much more quickly.) 

My Ginkgo biloba 'Autumn Gold', planted in 2021, is still struggling to live up to its potential

Including Grevillea 'Superb' in the lineup of this post is a bit of a cheat as it blooms year round but I couldn't resist.  All it takes are cooler temperatures and a tiny amount of rain to make the shrub shine.

Nandina domestica (aka heavenly bamboo) contributes both colorful foliage and bright red berries at this time of year.  Regrettably, the poisonous berries of the Nandina are off limits for inclusion in floral arrangements, especially with a young cat now in residence.

This succulent was labeled as a Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera bridgesii) but, based on the leaves, I think it's actually a Thanksgiving cactus (S. truncata)

Tagetes lemmonii (aka Mexican marigold) blooms in spring as well as fall but it deserves a shout out during both seasons

Our ornamental pear tree (Pyrus calleryana) is notably absent from this survey as it's off to a particularly slow start this season.  My blueberries are also unimpressive at this time but then I think they may have been in their pots too long.

Overall, my neighborhood is relatively short on fall color too but there are some notable exceptions.

The sweetgum trees (Liquidamber styraciflua) across the street put on the best show to be found in our neighborhood

There are 3 Ginkgo trees tucked into that neighbor's mix too.  Their success gives me hope for mine.  These trees were already mature when we moved in almost 14 years ago so I'm giving my 3 year old tree a break.

This tree is in another section of that same garden.  My best guess is that it's what's known as the tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima).  It's considered invasive in California but it is pretty.

I can't identify this shrub growing within a mass of other shrubs in another neighbor's garden either.  My phone app thinks it may be a blueberry but I've never seen any berries on it.

The fall color in this garden is composed of the Aloe arborescens (candelabra also) in the mix.  The Bougainvillea, hard-pruned by this neighbor many months ago, and the spires of Euphorbia tirucalli 'Sticks on Fire' make this a dramatic color mix.  Bougainvillea bracts and the Euphorbia "sticks" are always more colorful at this time of year.

Still another neighbor has a great crop of tangerines ripening up

The colorful element here is another flower, the red "bottle brushes" of a Callistemon.  This neighbor lives 2 doors down from us but I could swear that I've never noticed it in flower before..

Pyracanthas shine this time of year.  I had our self-planted shrub cut down to the ground but I appreciate the large, thorny shrubs in other people's gardens.

Beyond the trees fronting the road directly across street, fall foliage color is in short supply in my neighborhood.  Bougainvillea is the notable exception in providing flashes of color but then those shrubs aren't specifically characteristic of the fall season.  The bright berries of Pyracantha are the most prominent elements this time of year.  I'm surprised that I haven't seen Japanese maples anywhere nearby but then I only have two of them myself.  (The dwarf variety doesn't color up much.)  I've tried introducing additional Japanese maples in my garden but I've discovered that they need protection from the intense summer sun, as well as the powerful bouts of wind we get at times, and I just haven't found any other areas that allow them to thrive.

If you're in the US, I hope you enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving and that you have the opportunity to celebrate the holiday throughout the weekend.

All material © 2012-2024 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party