Fall Colours in the Garden

In Burnaby (Vancouver) BC, the degree of fall colours depend on how much cold weather we get before the rains begin and take down the leaves. This year we have been very fortunate to see some brilliant fall colours. Sadly, recent rains have knocked the leaves out of the gorgeous yellow-to-red maples on the lawns of City Hall, and my neighbour's yellow-to-purple Katsura, neither of which I managed to photograph in time.

So the Fall colours I did photograph this year are from my garden, with the exception of this large neighbourhood oak tree which I snapped this morning. Many years the oak trees in the Vancouver area turn from green directly to brown, so it wonderful to see the reds this year.

I am fortunate to have 4 Euonymus elata (Burning bush) in my garden, and at this time of year they are glorious. This one, sheltered against my upper neighbour's fence and retaining wall, is the last to change colour. To its left is a purplish red Sweet gum tree (Liquidambar styraciflua). To its right, a climbing hydrangea, turning yellow:

This photo of the other two bushes in the back yard was taken about a week ago. The lower bush is now bare twigs with red berries (sorry no photo):

I didn't catch a photo of the burning bush at its "peak" in our front yard, but here it is, slightly faded, behind our strikingly red Japanese Split Maple. Behind it, the variegated dogwood shows a nice pink blush.

A final Burning bush photo, shows the stunning red leaves behind a Fuchsia magellanica "Aurea":

The Callicarpa bodinieri (Beauty Bush) is the most stunning in Winter, when the leaves fall, and the twigs appear purple. But this year I am enjoying the Fall colours, too:


This red Japanese maple cascades beautifully over our concrete retaining wall in the back yard:

I have started cutting back the peony stalks for the winter, but the leaves are also showing nice Autumn colours this year:

Elsewhere in the garden, yellows are showing before the browns set in, such as this Astrantia major (Masterwort):


For more photos of Autumn colours unfolding around the world, be sure to check out The Fall Color Project 2009 at The Home Garden.