Intimations of Autumn

Tiger eyes sumac’s foliage is stunning, but usually short-lasting. This year is an exception.

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.  Albert Camus

Fall showcases nature at its most breathtaking.  Reds, oranges, and golds of turning foliage combine with vivid late-season bloomers.  This fall, in particular, is delightful.

Tiger eyes sumac (Rhus typhina ‘Bailtiger’ Tiger Eyes) is outdoing itself right now.  In some autumns, I’ve seen it barely turn red before it’s already dropping its branches.  But this year, this show stopper’s leaves and branches are hanging on, creating a remarkable display.

Pawnee Buttes will soon look like it’s on fire as more of its foliage turns red. Sonoran Sunset agastache blooms complement the sand cherry’s fall color.

Pawnee Buttes sand cherry (Prunus besseyi) is just starting to turn red and won’t reach its peak until after tiger eyes has dropped its branches.

Serviceberries (Amelanchier), including autumn brilliance and regent, are also just beginning their transitions.  Autumn brilliance will turn a fiery orange-red, while regent will complement it with more muted reddish-gold foliage.

Autumn purple ash (Fraxinus americana ‘Autumn Purple’) is showing off deeply colored leaves.  It makes me sad to look at them, though, knowing that the emerald ash borer could eventually destroy many of these magnificent hardwoods.  You may have noticed that many nurseries have stopped selling ashes.

Regent serviceberry’s reddish-gold leaves provide a welcome contrast to the fiery orange-red leaves of tiger eyes sumac and autumn brilliance serviceberry.

Lower to the ground, gayfeather (Liatris spicata) displays its multi-colored foliage, which reminds me of the outstanding colors that the bluestem grasses exhibit this time of year.  Meanwhile, plumbago (Ceratostigma plumbaginoides) adds red foliage to its already beautiful blue blooms and copper seed heads.

Even Angelina sedum (Sedum rupestre ‘Angelina’) is getting into the act.  Her chartreuse summer foliage is morphing into its fall/winter colors of red and orange, which will last all winter long.

If you don’t have enough stunning fall foliage in your garden, consider adding some of these plants.  Other favorites you might include for Colorado’s growing conditions are autumn gold maidenhair tree (Ginkgo biloba ‘Autumn Gold’), bigtooth maple (Acer grandidentatum), western chokecherry (Prunus virginiana melanocarpa), Peking cotoneaster (Cotoneaster acutifolius), golden currant (Ribes aureum and Ribes odoratum), and bloody cranesbill (Geranium sanguineum).