Appreciating Late Fall Foliage

When we first moved into this house in 2000, we had two very large Bradford Pear trees in front of it. They are very controversial trees in Dallas and pretty much everywhere else. They are fast-growing and (were?) popular among builders up here. And, I could understand why. They have abundant white blooms in the spring, nice fall color and great thick, green, foliage all summer. (Ours did not produce fruit.) But as fast-growers, they are weak. The high winds we have here, along with tornado season and the potential for ice storms wreak havoc on them. They split very easily. The do a number on foundations as their roots go far and wide. We experienced this destructive aspect of them more than once....and it was expensive. They also have a short lifespan. 

Alas, although ours were reported to be some of the largest certain arborists and tree-trimmers who came to render aid to them had ever seen, they had to be removed several years ago. They were dying, a risk to the roof, and a safety hazard. I was sad to see them go in one sense because I knew we'd be starting over with some very small trees, certainly by comparison. But we were excited because we ended up having our entire front yard professionally re-landscaped. We ended up replacing them with two Shantung Maples. (I love Maple trees and we now boast four Japanese Maples as well in our front yard. I hope to have a bit of a forest of them at some point in our backyard.)

All this as set up to say that they are really coming into their own this year in terms of fall foliage. I'll say it again. This year was the best fall we've had - in every respect including fall foliage - since 2013. Our Shantung Maples are no exception. They turn colors a bit later than most other things. They are not alone. The Red Oaks are just coming into peak even as so many of the other trees in the area that peaked at least two weeks ago are now much more muted. This year I realized I have a true appreciation for the muted colors as well. It's more of the change in me that has learned to give each part of each season it's due. 

Today, I think our little trees peaked.

This is our larger one. Initially, they were comparable sizes. But this one has out-paced its sibling. I suspect it's because that side of the yard is exposed to slightly less harsh conditions. It is more shaded, so the ground does not dry out as much. It is also on the more eastern side of the yard and doesn't get as much full sun as the other side. In fact, everything on that side of the yard is slightly larger than their companions on the other side of the sidewalk. It's been interesting - and slightly frustrating - to watch and try to remedy. 

That is a Bradford Pear in the distance. See? It has very nice color. But you can tell it is sparse now. They get spindly when they get older and start dying. 

Our smaller one. I made sure it got a good bit more water than usual this summer to try to help it catch up.

These are Orange Rocket Barberry (which Toby and I have been calling "Red Rockets" for years; I just learned that's a type of crepe myrtle). I think our description is more accurate. They never look orange. They have already lost some leaves, but those which are left are really bright now! In the summer, they are more maroon. In the spring, they start out green and go to read. They are interesting little bushes. 

Things are still so pretty, except for my plants at the front door. They did not survive the freezes we've had. I hope to spend some time creating living arrangements in my planters that will take us from Thanksgiving into Christmas and then Nativity. 

I am growing very eager for Thanksgiving (Break!). I have more professional and homeschooling hurdles to get over first, but I hope we can at least get the shopping done this weekend. 

Thanks for reading!