Fall Colors at Welkinweir

Sugar maples along the drive

L: Acer pensylvanicum, R: Heptacodium miconoides

L: Cornus florida R: (R-L) Oxydendron arboreum (sourwood), Cornus kousa, Cornus florida

 

Dawn redwood

Global warming mums

 

Standing here, I could smell the sweet brown sugar aroma emanating from the katsuratree photo center.  Stop by early in the morning and you'll be able to smell them too.  http://welkinweir.org/

Introducing Autumn

Plants are dressing in their best fall colors around Welkinweir.  Reds, oranges, yellows, and browns are slowly replacing vibrant green.  Here is a small sample of a few of the spectacular fall colors.  And this is only the beginning!

'Autumn Joy' sedum

Crataegus viridis 'Winter King', hawthorne

Liquidambar styraciflua 'Variegata', variegated sweetgum

Perovskia atriplicifolia, Russian sage

The ornamental grasses look quite elegant this time of year

As do several sedums in the Barn Ruins rock garden

Several evergreens are also turning colors.

Cornus florida seems to be the trend setter since the dogwoods started to turn almost before anything else. Several of them are approaching beautiful red this week.  Both of the pictures above are of dogwoods, taken on the same day.  The difference is the one on the right is in full sun, resulting in better red color.

And finally, Ilex verticillata 'Winter Gold', winterberry holly, is adorned with beautiful orange fruit, creating a bright spot near the springhouse.  The orange fruit will persist into December.

Brighten up a cold, wet day by taking a walk around the grounds at Welkinweir in the next few weeks to enjoy the colors of fall.  http://welkinweir.org/

Stars of the Plant World

Along the large pond at Welkinweir, in an area that has not been mowed this year, a sea of flowers have been putting on a show for weeks.  One is a wave of delicate purple; the other adorned with lacy white.  When the growing season appears to be coming to an end, asters finish strong.  They are a "must-have" plant for fall interest.  Mt Cuba put together a nice document on asters for the mid-Atlantic region and that can be found here: Mt Cuba Aster Report

The name aster has its origin in the Greek word for "star."  The flowers do give the impression of many twinkling stars.

Asters can be found all throughout Welkinweir, just about anywhere the grass has been allowed to grow tall.

There are many kinds of asters, and I only know the identity of a few I have included here.

New England aster

The purple was much more brilliant the week prior but I delayed photographing it a little too long.

Aster tartaricus

This aster is planted outside the Children's Garden and is taller than me.  It is not yet at peak bloom and may be one of the latest blooming asters.  Asters can be found in many colors, but purple and white are the most common for the ones growing wild here.

The leaves are starting to turn at Welkinweir! Stop by for a visit.  http://welkinweir.org/