I have a fondness for fall color. I think we all do this time of year. We like seeing the transition of green to gold or red and oranges. There’s a little bit of a feeling of closure that begins to come to us through the fall. That the end of one chapter is almost here and soon we will rest and begin a new chapter in spring. Unfortunately I have a feeling that the fall color here in Tennessee will be lacking this season. The rains we so sorely need do not seem to be in the immediate future. Even if they were it’s too little too late for 2024.
The leaves on the trees seem to be dropping early and instead of turning colors. I suppose brown is a color technically though. The trees are dropping leaves as they turn from green to brown then falling off. Right now the best color available is in the box elders and poison ivy. Those two plants are not the best of combinations of but at least they have color! Boxelder trees spread all over the place and don’t have many great uses. While poison ivy…well, you know poison ivy.
The maples are beginning to turn and are showing some faint color changes while the oaks can be seen with some reds and orange coloration. In walking through our wooded areas I found a number of maples, oaks, a few hickory, walnut, and a bunch of pawpaw trees. Once I clear the invasive privet and Amur honeysuckle I think the health of the forest will greatly improve. I’m looking forward to adding to the understory and putting some plants that really should be there back into the woods.
In the woods we have a bunch of spicebush that is beginning to change to a golden color. It’s a native plant that produces a drupe that the bird love. Plus it’s a larval food source for the spicebush swallowtail butterflies.
We do have 1 dogwood tree that is a nice red color nestled in between two junipers.
Our peak fall color time in Middle TN seems like it will be the first week of November. Hopefully fall will grant us some beautiful colors in the leaves that are yet to change and that 2025 will have better weather!
Plants that Flower in the Fall Garden
Fall is well known for its colorful foliage that paints the country each year but there’s still lots to appreciate among the flowering plants! Here’s a few of our current blooming flowers from the garden. Some don’t have much longer to go until the frost…
What I Like About Fothergilla major (and how to propagate it!)
I love the spring time with its flush of new flowers and this spring’s flowers have one of the record books. Among those flowering plants one of the coolest is the Fothergilla major. Fothergilla is a small shrub in the Hamamelidaceae family that gets around…
Fall Color from our Garden in 2017
I’m a big fan of foliage! There is no better time of the year than autumn for those who love foliage, and naturally fall is one of my favorite times of the year. I thought I would share with you some photos I have taken…
Maples, Oaks, and Invasives! Fall Color 2024
The historic dryness finally gave way to some rain on Halloween. About 0.83 inches came down that day give us a good soaking. We still need more rain, and regular rain but it definitely helps. I’ve been concerned about the lack rain and the fall…
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