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Autumn brings a restrained feel to my garden. There is nothing showy here at the moment and the remaining touches of colour are easy to miss. But if the sun shines, there might be a sudden brief glow as it brings the leaves alive like small flames.
Mostly this is a time of rain (needed after the summer’s drought) and winds that tear the remaining leaves from the trees. Not so nice for gardening, until a dry and mild day comes along. Then I can get some digging done in the loosened soil. (It gets so dried out in summer that digging then is very hard work. Adding more compost will help, but it will take a lot to make a difference.)
As the autumn colours begin to fade or get blown away, new winter colour is starting to arrive. Bright yellow flowers are ready to open on both a mahonia and winter jasmine. Near the jasmine, a viburnum bush has the dark red bells of a winter-flowering clematis to accompany its own pink buds. And, at last, I can see buds of hesperantha (see this post) which should open soon. So I will still have one or two things to photograph while the winter draws closer.
Ann Mackay: Inspired by Nature 
LOVE the colours in the leaf that accompanies the white berries!
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Those leaves are amazingly colourful and I’m looking forward to seeing a bigger display of them as this young plant grows. In summer the variegated leaves are really lovely too.
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What are those white berries? They’re so elegant, and a little surprising to me. I’m used to berries being black, or red, or purple. Well, except for our Chinaberry trees — but their fruit isn’t so attractive as this. I like the photos of the leaves, too. They’re simple images, but the color really shines against that black background.
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The white berries are on a dogwood – Cornus alba ‘Elegantissima’, which I like for its variegated leaves. The white berries are a bonus – now gone! (The bush is still very small, but hopefully as it grows there will be lots of berries for the birds.)
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Backlighting against a dark background is usually a good photographic way to go.
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One of my favourite ways to go, Steve! 🙂
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I’ve been known to go that way, too (as you’ve seen). If it works, go for it.
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You show that it does!
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The glowing leaves are lovely. I’m missing the fall foliage already.
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Thank you Robert! The foliage is disappearing here too…we have entered the rainy and grey zone!
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Perfectly captured Ann. Are those crab apples in the first image?
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Thanks Jude! Yes, you are right – those are crab apples. ( It’s Malus ‘Royal Beauty’.) It’s an oddly shaped little weeping tree but has pretty dark pink/crimson flowers and a good display of fruit…should help keep the birds happy too!
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I’d like a crab apple, but a small one. A weeping one sounds perfect. I shall make a note of the name.
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We have two dogwood species, one with pink and one with white flowers. I’d love to have your C. alba in the yard as well. Those white berries would be a welcome addition to our reds. I like the glowing leaves below the berry image.
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Thank you Steve! ‘Elegantissima’ has lovely leaves that live up to that name. The stems are not quite as red as the ordinary C. alba, but I prefer it. 🙂
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