What passes for fall color in my garden

Coastal Southern California isn't known for its fall color but we do get a bit.  Here's a rundown of what my garden has to offer this season:

Acer palmatum 'Sango Kaku', recently pruned, always presents a good display

In contrast, my only other Japanese maple, Acer palmatum 'Mikawa Yatsubusa', a dwarf variety, never really colors up

Cotinus coggygria 'Royal Purple' looks especially good when backlit

My garden's star performer for fall color is this persimmon tree, Diospyros kaki 'Fuyu'

A side view of the same tree, which I have to admit looks better without the fence we recently removed crowding it

Closeup of the  'Fuyu' leaves shown on the left.  The fallen leaves are rapidly filling my compost bin (right).

Unfortunately, my other persimmon tree, Diospyros kaki 'Hachiya', quickly drops its leaves without creating much of a display.  Right now, it looks like a twiggy mess but I do intend to prune it.

In prior years, the leaves of the 'Hachiya' persimmon have been a dull brown but this year many of those that dropped did show off attractive color.  I can only assume the change was attributable to cooler-than-usual weather.

The ornamental pear, Pyrus calleryana, makes a terrible mess but it does produce some colorful leaves.  I spent over an hour cleaning them up on Monday but there are far fewer left since it's been pruned.

Roger's Gardens 'Celebration' Impatiens, sold to commemorate the destination garden center's 50th anniversary earlier this year, surprised me by displaying a bit of fall color, which isn't something I expect from Impatiens.  The plant was a gift from a friend.

Since I removed my out-of-control Pyracantha last year, the only colorful berries I have to offer during the fall season are those supplied by Auranticarpa rhomibifolium (aka diamond-leaf pittosporum).

Our neighbor's garden provides a much splashier display of fall foliage:

The neighbors front garden is lined with sweetgum trees (Liquidambers of some variety) with a few Ginkgo bilobas tucked in

More Liquidambers and Ginkgos on the other side of the neighbor's driveway with a yellow blanket of leaves below

The vast majority of my trees and shrubs are evergreens, as is common in a warmer climate like mine.  While I do wish we had more fall color, I nonetheless appreciate the fact that I don't have more leaves to sweep up.

All material © 2012-2025 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party