Well, my last blog talked about the upcoming Garden Writers Association (GWA) annual symposium to be held here in Indianapolis. I’m sure you are all dying to know if I won the Gold in 2011. As a matter of fact, no, I did not. GWA did not award the Gold in my category this year. Both my competition and I had to settle for Silver. As my friend Scarlet once said, “As God as my witness, I’ll never go hungry again”. Now, what does that statement have to do with this blog? Frankly my dear, not a damn thing. It’s just what came into my head and I have to get those things out of my head right away sometimes. Anyways, I’m quite proud of my Silver Award in Electronic Media Writing.

From all the comments I heard, the symposium was quite a success. From the networking, to the breakfast catered by Nourish, to the gardens visited, to the lectures attended, most seemed very pleased. As is so often the case, they were surprised and delighted at the qualities of our city. The folks at Plants Nouveau (Angela Treadwell Palmer and Jim Martin) were so giddy over being here they got hitched – multiple times I think.

We had not one but two camera crews to film here. One was with Oklahoma Gardening. I saw host Kim Toscano shooting with Chad Franer, Director of Horticulture, about the green roof on the Sutphin Mall.

The other crew was Growing a Greener World (a series on Public Television and online) with Joe Lamp’l. They did a piece with Chad on the Rain Garden. Speaking of the Rain Garden, here’s what one GWA attendee said about ours: “Now THIS is a rain garden!  THIS is what it’s supposed to look like!” Jim and Chad did a fantastic design job on that garden.

We visited gardens four of the five days of the symposium. This was three days split 50/50 gardens and lectures, then a full day post-symposium tour. All in all, we visited one urban vegetable garden, four public gardens, two retail gardens, and ten private gardens. It is a lot to pack into four days. Here are a few details and images.

We started our visit to the Wishard Slow Food Garden in White River State Park with yoga.

The Children’s Garden at Garfield Park was a hit with attendees.

It also won the first Jim Wilson Mentoring Award from the GWA. That included a much needed $1,000.

Here’s the overview of the award from GWA: The Jim Wilson Mentoring Award will be presented to the individual or organization in the area of the Annual Symposium that has demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to sharing their knowledge and enthusiasm for gardening, encouraging others who may not otherwise come outside to experience, learn, and have success in garden.

White River Gardens and the Zoo were big hits as well. White River Gardens grows these Victoria waterlilies from seed every year! Can you imagine?

I forgot to take any pictures while we were at the IMA. I was terribly busy, along with the rest of the Horticulture staff, being a good host.

Avon Gardens was a perfect spot for lunch and shopping.

And then you could drop a few more dollars at Soules Gardens.

But I must tell you, it is the private gardens that gets people’s hearts astirrin’ and minds awhirrin’ with story ideas. The private gardens are why people go on the tours. And I think we really impressed them.

So my first ever experience helping to plan a national symposium is over. I want to thank all involved but especially Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp who had the dream and gumption to make it happen. And likewise a special thanks to all my co-workers in Horticulture. I know you have had to come in on many week-ends this year for programs and this was another one. You worked extra hard to make things look so beautiful and I do so appreciate it. And yes, I know there have been times you thought there was a live hand grenade sitting at the table with you.

But bless you all, you didn’t even say a thing to me. Not even when my head went flying across the garden and hit that brick wall.

And it’s a good thing. I’m in close touch with my inner femme fatale.

I wanted to touch back on a blog I wrote in January, the first one in 2011. In that blog I talked about Hydrangea paniculata Little Lime™.

This was a new cultivar from Proven Winners^® and Spring Meadow that was supposed to be more dwarf than “Limelight.” Well, according to my plant at home, it really is. I put a two or three gallon plant in last fall. As you may remember (it has been awhile), we had a very wet spring. Hydrangea paniculata prefers wet over dry. I also had mulched my garden with rabbit manure. My soil is already pretty good. Despite all those conditions for large growth I am happy to report my Little Lime™ is in full bloom and barely 2 feet tall. But look how wide it is compared to height. Very nice.

You may notice the blooms extending with new buds, forming to create the traditional cone-shaped blooms of most H. paniculata.

I’m thinking the dry weather sort of shut down bud formation. Then, when I started watering, the plant decided to finish development. I waited as long as I could to start watering at home. It’s gonna be tough to decide whether to pay the mortgage or the water bill the next couple months.

The Mystical^® Flame I reported on in that article likewise has remained short. They were smallish plants in four inch pots, so no blooms yet. But I cannot believe they will get much more than a few feet tall.

Another group of plants I reported on in an earlier post that has done well this summer are the SunPatiens^® (impatiens).

These were a gift from Sakata Ornamentals. I thought they would get larger, but I admit I could have increased the water earlier and started some fertilizer earlier so I’m not knocking them for that. I am very pleased with them over all. They are heavy bloomers and have great foliage. I think the “Compact Orange” is my favorite, but I like dark sultry foliage with orange flowers.

You may like this pastel Spreading Salmon version, with very good leaf variegation.

All the colors and forms have not only survived but thrived in our super abnormal heat and in full screaming sun.

One more shout out for today. This time next week will be the start of the 2011 Garden Writers Association Symposium. And it is right here in Indianapolis. We’ll be visiting the IMA on Sunday morning the 28^th. Unless you want to share your favorite garden spot with 400 other people, you may want to wait and come in about 10:30 that day after we have moved on to Garfield Park.

I am also extremely happy to report I was awarded the Silver Award of Merit in the Electronic Media Writing category again this year for this very blog you are reading. I won’t know until the last night of the Symposium if I reach super fortunate status and win the Gold Award. Silver is winning already. So like I said, I’m happy. No need to be greedy.

I could always talk about the weather.

Trust me, it’s been quite the topic of conversations in my circles. It just saps you dry some days. And when you walk out and you can feel the heated air kinda pushing back at you? Like when you open the oven door? Whew! Mercy, I just want to give it all up. Or I see plants almost laying flat because they are so dry? Makes me a bit envious of those that worship the lawn. Lawn is so much simpler. My Ligularia ‘Britt-Marie Crawford’ was gasping by the time I finally turned on the water at home. Last Friday when it looked like there was at least hope for rain? I set up a sprinkler in my front garden to try to lure the rain in. I got a little. Think I’ll try that again this week.

Yes it is hot. But it was 106 in Nashville this week. Could be worse. Yes, it is dry. But at least it’s only been 6 weeks or so. And we had all that moisture in the “bank” from the wet spring. Could be worse.

We have been working hard to keep the plants hydrated so they remain beautiful and healthy. Well, at least healthy. Some plants no matter what you do eventually begin to suffer when a weather onslaught lasts this long. But I have to say things look really good so if you don’t like what you see at home come on over for a visit. You can always find a shady spot to rest.

If you have evergreens especially keep some water on them. Remember all the dead ones after last year’s heat and drought? Add a second year of that and we are going to start seeing major damage. I would never suggest you water the lawn but spend a few dollars on some water to save the trees in your yard. And if you planted anything this spring or last fall give them some extra TLC. We are fortunate to have our own wells here at the IMA. Not that we are attempting to replace all the missing rain with irrigation but we can usually save things that get in peril – usually. And, you know? That’s the best we can do sometimes. If we lose a few plants it’ll still be alright. We are gardeners. We accept some losses and then get all excited about choosing the replacements. Weather be damned, we will go on gardening.

You know. Let’s turn this ole weather negative into something positive. Everybody get up. C’mon, get up. Now get outside and turn the sprinkler on in – or near – your favorite spot in your garden. Here’s the tricky part. Don’t be intimidated. Don’t be shy. You are hot. You are sweaty. You, yes you, you are a wild and free child of nature. Get yourself into that water. And shake some booty. It’s a heatwave and you are too hot to handle!!!

Monarda is one of those perennials I go back and forth on to some extent – love it, hate it, tolerate it, love it again. Right now I’m loving it. They are also loved by bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. In addition to the gorgeous flowers, the foliage has a wonderful scent as well, reminiscent of mint yet totally different.

For some time, Monarda was quite the thug in a garden. It was also a powdery mildew slut. Breeding programs have helped on both accounts. The newer dwarf cultivars are less aggressive and no breeder would introduce a plant that was not more resistant to the mildew. Bear in mind that the mildew is constantly evolving so your perfectly clean plant today could be dusty white next year. Also remember weather affects mildew intensity. Good air circulation is helpful in the mildew wars.

Monarda can vary greatly in height, from the new dwarf cultivars staying near one foot tall to the four or five feet tall amazons of the garden. I like the first of the dwarfs, “Petite Delight.”

Mainly because of the color. Hey, color is important.

But watching that one here, I’ve come to appreciate it more and more. It performs beautifully in a demanding site with less than ideal soil on the Sutphin Mall near the Garden for Everyone. The foliage is always nice and tight and clean on this plant. It remains in the 12-15 inch height range. The Petite series was developed at the famous Morden Research Station in Manitoba, Canada.

Another dwarf group of cultivars is the Grand Series, again from the folks up at Morden. I only have the one plant of Grand Mum™ (“ACmum”). Very tidy, and compact, nothing dwarf about the bright pinkish flowers though.

I could recommend this one. The Grand series gets taller than the Petite series at 18-24 inches. These are from Morden. Patty put Grand Parade™ (“ACrade”) in the Formal Garden this year so look for it to shine in 2012.

I still really like the taller cultivars. In fact, for color they are my first picks. Here is “Raspberry Wine” in the Rain Garden looking stunning with this Echinacea BigSky™ Summer Sky (“Katie Saul”).

“Raspberry Wine” is one of my favorites. Notice how the color goes into the calyces and upper foliage.

This one can get 3 to 4 feet tall. Little or no mildew here. A White Flower Farm introduction.

An older cultivar with good mildew resistance is “Jacob Cline.”

If you are looking for big and tall and arrest-me-red, then this is the man for the job. “Jacob Cline” has the largest flowers I’ve seen on a Monarda.

He’s originally from Georgia (introduced by the Sauls) but perfectly hardy in the Midwest. I really don’t go for all that much red in the garden, but when it’s this deep blue-red, I want it. Now “Jacob Cline” is a bit on the aggressive side but sometimes you need that in the garden. And when you don’t? Show him who’s the boss and rip him out of the ground until he is a manageable size again. It’s really quite simple.

We have “Marshall’s Delight” in the Southwest Border Garden.

For many years this was my favorite Monarda.

I still think very highly of it, but time will tell if it will be replaced in my heart by “Coral Reef.” Actually, there may be room for both.  Jim tells me there is a new hybrid of “Marshalls’ Delight” and “Jacob Cline” called “Fire Marshall.” See it and read about it at the Chicagoland Grows site. It was bred by Dr. Jim Ault of the Chicago Botanic Garden.

A newer cultivar to me is “Coral Reef.”

It’s a hot hot pink with a hint of coral.

I see this as a brighter version of “Marshall’s Delight,” though I suppose in fact they are truly different colors. I need to put two blooms side by side. I think it is a slower spreader from watching my plant at home in good rich soil. Okay, just read it spreads “enthusiastically in moist soil but more restrained in average soil” on the North Creek site. Oh well, maybe up to now mine has been in heavy competition with other plants. I’m trying it in the extremely difficult structured soil of the Sutphin Mall since the “Petite Delight” has done so well where Chad put it. You IMA employees can take a little stroll and check it out with ease. This could be the real test as it also has to compete with the bloody red maple roots as well. I hate those trees. Talk about something a pain in the ass to garden around. I digress. “Coral Reef” is also from Morden research. They sure do a lot of Monarda breeding up there.

Well, weird weather or not, the Monardas seem to always perform. And for those of you beating the native drums, I think these qualify as such.  So in one species you’ve got beauty, hardiness, fragrance, native, and hummingbird, butterfly, and bee magnet. I’m telling you, they the balm.

I went out Thursday afternoon to snap some pictures and try to capture the sparkly beauty of the ice on the plants. Cause dang it, that ice is right pretty on the branches and other plant parts. My skills at capturing it may not be quite as good as nature’s skills at creating it.  This is what I mean by everything iced over.

The steps from the Lilly House to the Formal Garden.

The Ravine Garden from above.

These Hydrangea quercifolia (oak leaf hydrangea) flowers look great, like they have been dipped in melted sugar.

Just think, it’s February, they are covered in ice, these blooms came out in July of last year, and they still look great. Why would you not use this plant? Having nothing but full sun is your only reason. Everything else is excuses.

Magnolia buds are beautiful at all times. These are Magnolia x loebneri “Merrill” near the Lilly House. The contrast between the smooth ice and the fuzzy bud is rather elegant though. In just another couple months these bud covers will fall away and the thick waxy fragrant white flowers will open.

Seeds of Rhodotypos scandens (jetbead) look kinda cool encased in ice.

An acorn cup filled with ice then blown from the tree by the storm’s winds.

And here’s a group of pictures showing the ice on different plants.

Now if the forecast holds we can expect some more very cold weather next week. But I have an offer to help you survive – an entire day of plant lust! Come to the IMA where we will be co-sponsoring a program with the Perennial Plant Association called Passion and Pursuit – The Search for the Ideal Perennial. You can hear six great speakers in a fun-filled informative day of pure plant joy. Click on any of the links to find out more. Why don’t  join me in the passion pit?.

In the meantime, keep chipping away at that ice. It will be Spring soon.

So what to do instead? I was looking at the plants in my window and thinking that would be a good start. I brought several things in from home so I would be sure to take good care of them. It’s hard to ignore an Abutilon gasping for water when you can see it for eight-plus hours a day. And it is really paying off. The windows face…. What direction do they face? Just a second I’ll ask Chad. South. They face south. I actually figured that out before I asked him. But I did ask just to be sure. No wonder the plants are happy. That’s the Number One direction for a winter plant window in the Midwest. Hmmm, I’ll be damned. Isn’t that fortunate? Beats the hell out of a cubicle. Not that there’s anything wrong with a cubicle. But let’s go on.

Number one on my list of window plants that are making me super happy despite the crappy weather is Euphorbia fulgens.

Scarlet Plume appears to be the common name. I guess it does have a scarlet flower but it’s not a plume. Or not my idea of a plume. Anyway, it has beautiful burgundy leaves all year so it makes a great plant for containers in summer. I love the color and texture.

Don’t forget about texture when designing your gardens and containers. But if you bring Euphorbia fulgens in for the winter you get the flowers too. Now mind you, I’m not one for buying winter blooming plants as a rule. I just fail too often to keep them happy enough to bloom. We don’t even have to talk about the not keeping them happy enough to live. That’s a whole nother issue. When I’m plant shopping, if it is described as winter-blooming? Shooooot, I just automatically skip it, unless it has great foliage of course.

Back to the Euphorbia. I got my first one in 2008 from Baker’s Acres in Ohio (go there!). I killed it come winter. But Sue Nord at our IMA Greenhouse got one too. It was probably a two feet tall bush at the time I killed mine. And come that January it was blooming. Gorgeous scarlet red flowers. I had to have it. I got two more small plants from the Greenhouse (propagated from cuttings) in late winter/early spring 2009 but killed them – I think I actually over-watered them. People that know my overwintering regime know this fact is truly amazing as I am famous (or infamous) for not watering from November to May. You cull the weak stuff right fast that way, trust me. Anyhow, they died.

So in Spring 2010 I bought three more. Obviously I had to have the plant. I put each in its own container because I knew I wanted to save them and this way I didn’t have to re-pot or anything at the end of the season. I even added granite grit to the soil to increase drainage. The drowning still haunted me a bit. This stuff is great for any plant that needs extra drainage. I use it in all my succulent pots anymore. Not that you have to have it. It’s just nice in my opinion. It’s sold for feeding poultry.

You know the term “rare as hen’s teeth”? Well that’s because chickens don’t have teeth. They grind their food in their gizzard. The grit in the gizzard helps grind it all up. Now if your chickens are running loose they will get little rocks and the like from the soil. But if they are confined then it’s a good idea to supplement with some grit. I bet you all were just dying to have some chicken knowledge dropped on you. Better chicken knowledge than chicken poop, I say.

Back to the plants. I noticed buds forming on my plants a month ago I bet, maybe longer. Two weeks ago they started blooming. All three plants have blooms and more buds coming. Unfortunately, they face south toward that sunlight. But they are right pretty from the backside.

Look at this:

Doesn’t it just seem to say “Please. Please let me have some sun. I need some sun. Sun. Sun? Where are you, Sun?” Took the words right out of my mouth.  Oh, I meant to talk about more plants but I’m already past 900 words. And shoot we need a video. I was feeling kinda blah until I really started looking at the Euphorbia fulgens. But now, why I think this will chase away the last bit of those winter blues.

I’m not so big on the whole New Year’s resolution thingie but I do see the start of a new year as an opportunity to do some things different. “That” didn’t work so well last year so I think I’ll try “this” and see if it is an improvement. And “that” and ‘this” could be a plant, a technique, or an attitude.

If we are talking about changing a plant, I have a few questions to ask. Is the new plant going to be resistant to the disease problems of the old plant? Is it going to be happier in the cultural conditions than the old plant? Most importantly, is it going to be prettier than the old plant?

I may not want to do a complete change-out with something I’ve never grown. Then again, I may. Sometimes you just have to jump in with both feet and take a chance. But other times I like having an opportunity to see the plant growing in real-life, or even grow it myself. I get the chance to trial a few things every year. Unfortunately, that can mean spending my hard-earned cash. If I am lucky there will be some I do not have to buy. These are usually just one or two of a new selection being introduced. I just love trialing these new plants. I’ll have moments of “there are just too many new plants to absorb into the market” quickly followed by “more, I need more plants”. It’s quite the roller coaster.

I’m looking forward to observing some of my trial plants from 2010 as this new year progresses. One of my most anticipated is Hydrangea paniculata Little Lime™ (‘Jane’), a dwarf version of ‘Limelight’ that is a part of the Proven Winners line-up.

Photo courtesy of Proven Winners - www.provenwinners.com

Photo courtesy of Proven Winners - www.provenwinners.com

It’s hard to imagine I will be as enthralled with it as I am of ‘Limelight’, but you never know. I love ‘Limelight’. I have not seen a Hydrangea paniculata cultivar I don’t prefer yet. And there are a ton of them to look at. Proven Winners had Little Lime™ in full lime glory in their booth at the Garden Writer’s symposium in Dallas. I was shocked at how green the flowers were. Almost glowing lime green. Fabulous, fabulous, fabulous. My photo doesn’t do them justice.

This cultivar is supposed to stay down around 3 – 5 feet tall. We’ll see. It’s not like I have any problem with my eight foot tall ‘Limelights’, but I am sure some folks would really appreciate a smaller plant. And even I can see where it would be advantageous to have a wider palette to select from. There are times when a H. paniculata would be ideal, until you realize it really does prefer to be over six feet tall. The simple fact is the paniculatas give you some of the best ornamental value possible from a shrub. Add to that, they are tolerant of a variety of soil and light conditions, plus are super cold-hardy.

As with ‘Limelight’ the green color of Little Lime™ is at the bud and post-bloom stages. The flowers are a creamy white in between and eventually take on the usual pinks and burgundies as they age. Little Lime™ will be excellent for fresh cut and dried floral arrangements, as well. Remember, you can trim all the paniculatas for shaping or size control in late winter/early spring and not affect blooming. Shoot, you can even do it in late spring if you don’t get around to it in a timely manner. This is NOT true of the traditional blue and pink hydrangeas. Never do more than a little tipping back on them. Don’t mix them up, people. I mean it!

Another H. paniculata I’m keen to see in bloom is Mystical® Flame (‘Bokratorch’). This one is from Novalis. Mystical® Flame is supposed to bloom earlier than the average paniculata. My hope is that the post bloom color is as magical and flamboyant as the model promoting this plant at the GWA symposium.

The onset of cooler weather brings on burgundy red color to the blooms.

www.novalis.com

Please, please, please be true. This cultivar is also smaller, averaging only 3 ½ to 4 feet tall. It has multiple things going for it then – smaller size, early bloom, and incredible color. All the culture and desirability points mentioned earlier apply here as well.

You may have noticed I tended to not report everything on these plants as fact. That is because I have not grown them for a full season as of yet. You cannot be sure if the hype is correct, no matter how much you may like the plant or the person presenting it, if you have not seen it mature for yourself.

So, welcome 2011. Welcome Little Lime™. Welcome Mystical® Flame. May the four of us and the rest of the world have a stellar year.

Otherwise, I might only think about the current weather….

Have I grown tired of temperatures 20 degrees below normal? Oh, hell yes. It seems so ridiculous to have so many nights in the single digits and it is only mid-December. I guess it is weather like this that makes those of us living in more northern climates so appreciative when Spring returns. You are just so relieved to not have that Ole’ Blue Northern pummel you anymore. At the same time, the snow makes a very pretty landscape. Here’s the view from my office window.

I captured a few images yesterday with my phone while we were shoveling out from another snowfall. Later in the day, after we got all the luminaria built, laid out, and lit, I ran out with the camera to capture a few other areas. Unfortunately the batteries died before I got far. If you have not been here for one of our two luminaria events every December, please put it on your calendar for 2011. 800-1000 luminaria bring a whole new look to the gardens, especially on snowy nights.

The gardens are beautiful in winter but we don’t clean all the walks. Please use common sense when traveling snowy or icy paths. And remember, a stop at the Greenhouse will give you a chance to warm up on really cold days.

In the meantime, enjoy (or tolerate) the cold as best you can. It’ll be spring before you know it.

If the calendar isn’t sufficient to let you know we are close to Christmas, then the weather should give you a clue. Apparently, nature decided all those above normal temperatures needed to be balanced by some below normal temperatures. Then, just to drive the point home, there was the dusting of snow.

But the cold temperatures aren’t all bad. It’s a great excuse for finding some inside activities after you spend some time outside. For instance, we just finished picking up the lumanaria from last night’s Open House (there is another the 16th) so it is good to be back inside. We got the wreaths and lights up a couple weeks ago when it was pretty good weather.

But enough about me for the moment, what about you? Say for instance you come over to the IMA and walk about the gardens or 100 Acres, then, to warm up, you drop in at the Lilly House to experience Christmas at Lilly. Bradley has outdone all previous years of decorating for the season, in my opinion. This is my favorite of all the ones I can remember. Okay, it is true, I don’t remember that many of them. But this is still my favorite. Here are afew highlights you will find:

The mirror at the top of the entrance stairs has been transformed into a lovely winter scene using construction paper. It’s amazing. The mirror shows through where the windows of the buildings are along with the moon.

It would be reasonably simple to do at home. Maybe start with a small project (bigger than a compact) before you get to that huge mirror over the sofa.

The various arrangements are appropriately sparkly.

Love this green based one.

Nothing, and I do mean nothing, says classy elegant décor like a bowl full of shiny sparkly balls. Anybody can do this and always look like a professional decorator.

I like these three tiered plant stands as well.

The Calamondin oranges have been replaced by ‘Meyer’ lemons this year. The glossy foliage looks great and seasonably appropriate.

There are a few fruits but you could hang faux-lemon ornaments on instead or to enhance.

But my absolute favorite room is the dining room. I stepped into this room and I just became weak in the knees. I’d never seen anything so scrumptiously elegant and gaudy at the same time.

I love blue and silver and white for Christmas and this room’s blue paint pretty much demands that color scheme. The touch of purple just makes everything pop. And the paper bells. Oh my gosh. The paper bells. I love them most of all.

They make the room all Christmasy and June-wedding at the same time. I told Bradley that if I got married this winter I wanted it to be right here in this room. And for the record, he agreed to hosting it there. I think it would be the most glorious place to profess your love before one and all.

Of course you can’t think about getting married without thinking of a song about getting married. And you can’t think about  a song about getting married without thinking about “I’m Getting Married in the Morning”. And you can’t think about “I’m Getting Married in the Morning” without thinking about Lypsinka…

I’d be horribly remiss in not mentioning the other toasty spot to find some respite – our Madeline F. Elder Greenhouse. The plants are gorgeous, the air tropical, the shop welcoming. It’s a great place to warm up before heading home or out for another stroll.

One of the great advantages of living in a temperate climate is the glorious colors displayed by the plant community in the fall. Trees, shrubs, and even some perennials seem to want to throw one last orgiastic Las Vegas-style display before winter slaps everyone upside the face and screams, “Go to sleep! Now!”
The reverie is in sight everywhere here in the gardens and grounds of the IMA, from the contemporary gardens near the around the museum building to Oldfields to 100 Acres. You can find a plant somewhere doing its best hoochie-koochie dance to get your attention one last time. How long will the show last? Hard to say. With the drought this year I think it will be a quick peep then lights-out, leaves fall. But, I could be totally off the mark. Nature’s floor shows can be difficult to predict. Your best bet is to get out there and enjoy whatever performances you can catch.
I’m prone to go on and on about paperbark maple, Acer ginnala. I know, I know, I’m prone to go on about everything. Get your own blog. Paperbark maple is a favorite of mine with its fabulous bark, foliage, and fall color. But I want to mention the paperbark’s slightly more subtle friend, three-flower maple, Acer triflorum. We have a few on the north side of the parking garage.

Beautiful foliage, beautiful bark, and good fall color. All on a tree small enough for most any landscape but big enough to provide some shade.

A more traditional maple for shade is this sugar (Acer saccharum) near Deer Zink.

The uncommon Disanthus cercidifolius and our native spicebush (Lindera benzoin) look wonderful in their fall finery.

With Oldfields being an 80-plus year-old landscape many mature trees can be found there. The red maple, Acer rubrum, in front of Garden Terrace is one of the first to color up.

My eye is always captured by the way this sugar maple glows through the other, still green trees this time of year.

It really looks like each leaf is lit from within.

And from beneath it’s just gorgeous.

The service drive going towards 100 Acres is nice, of course.

And the fall colors always create a neat color echo for the pony-truss bridge across the canal.

Within Alfredo Jaar’s Park of the Laments, the fragrant sumac, (Rhus aromatica ‘Grow-low’) are developing their trademark glossy red colors. The switch grass (Panicum virgatum, at the top,) likewise is getting some burgundy in the leaves to go with the silvery flowering plumes.

By the lake, the gray and white bark of a young sycamore (Platanus occidentalis) makes a great background for the very red foliage of Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia).

Down the road along the lake, mulberries (Morus alba) provide a color echo for one of the pieces in Jeppe Hein’s Bench Around the Lake.

Even some of my tropicals are getting in the act. The Tibouchina grandiflora, princess flower or glory bush, around Sutphin Fountain are taking on simply mouthwatering shades of pumpkin orange.

Great color, great texture, what’s not to love? I mean, who cares if it ever blooms? Okay, I would like the purple flowers with the pumpkin foliage. But you can’t always get what you want.