By the autumn most of the summer-flowering crops are all however over and, though there are lots of crops which is able to present a show of flowers in September and October, and even into early November, a lot may be achieved to make the backyard colourful in these months by planting a few of the shrubs and bushes the leaves of which flip sensible colours earlier than they fall. The depth of coloring and its period varies yearly, as a lot appears to depend upon the climate. A gentle, calm, however not too dry, autumn following a sizzling summer time might end in a show of shade lasting for a number of weeks, the leaves turning progressively from one shade to a different and remaining on the crops for a very long time. Conversely, in a moist windy autumn following a boring summer time, the leaves might flip rapidly, the colours might be much less sensible and the gales might rapidly strip a lot of the foliage from the bushes.
Nonetheless, the gardener ought to all the time take the long-term view, notably when planting such everlasting specimens as bushes and shrubs. It’s value remembering when making a collection of such crops that a lot of them will give two and even three seasons of magnificence; the primary after they flower, then when their leaves flip, lastly when their colourful fruits cling from the leafless twigs, including their quota of shade to a boring scene in late autumn and winter.
Probably the most sensible autumn leaf colours are discovered among the many Japanese maples (Acres), however, sadly, the flowers are insignificant and the fruits, if they’re shaped, are however smaller replicas of the winged fruits of the widespread hedge maple. Even so, there’s a lot magnificence within the leaves earlier than they flip shade for they’re usually much-lobed, divided into as many as eleven slender segments, giving the small tree or shrub a fragile, ethereal look. Among the many finest of those Japanese maples is Acer palmatum septemlobum osakazuki, the many-lobed leaves of which flip to essentially the most fiery scarlet. Others flip all conceivable shades of crimson, bronze and gold. There’s a wide variety, together with some which have bronze, crimson or yellow leaves throughout summer time
Amelanchiers can often be assured to provide good autumn foliage shade they usually have extra to supply as they produce engaging trails of white flowers in April, adopted by maroon fruits. These, alas, are too engaging to birds to stay on the tree lengthy. The deciduous azaleas are very a lot two-season crops, colourful in spring after they flower and once more in autumn when their leaves flip. Others of this sort, lovely in flower and leaf, embrace a couple of of the spring-flowering cherries (prunus), the Chinese language wych-hazels (hamamelis), the buffalo currant (Ribes aureum) and sure viburnums Amongst these with good-looking fruit in addition to worthwhile autumn shade are a number of crabs (malus), viburnums, together with the native guelder rose, V. opulus. and mountain ashes (sorbus).
Conifers, on the entire, present little autumn shade. The exceptions are Cryptomeria japonica elegans, a type of the Japanese cedar by which the foliage turns a pleasing reddish-bronze with the strategy of winter, resuming its regular inexperienced in spring; Ginkgo biloba, the maidenhair tree, the fan-shaped leaves of which flip a very good yellow earlier than falling; Metasequoia glyptostroboides, the daybreak redwood which turns pinkish-brown, and Taxodium distichum, the swamp cypress, the foliage of which turns bronze-yellow earlier than falling.
For additional particulars of the cultivation and propagation of the bushes and shrubs offering autumn shade, reference must be made to the entries below bushes and shrubs.
