Bur Oak

Fall in the garden: In the air and on the ground…

I can’t honestly say that fall is in the air.  With temperatures hovering around 100 for the last several weeks, the thought of fall remains a distant longing.

But it is coming.

Many of the summer-blooming plants are slowing down and taking it easy, done with the hard work of developing flowers.  And waiting in the wings to take their place, the fall bloomers grow stronger with each day. 

And the trees.  Well, the one tree — the Burr oak.  A majestic specimen, it decided last week that it was about time for the weather to turn and began dropping its leaves with abandon.

And they fell.

 And fell…

 And fell…

Then the Moy Grande Hibiscus next to the oak got the message, too.  And it started to turn and drop its leaves.

Oh, look who was posing for me on this rain-drenched leaf.  We were lucky to get a nice rain yesterday evening — I’m sure it made this guy happy to have a cool shower.

And so the leaves keep turning.

Fall will be here soon.  A whole new season in the garden, with new sets of chores, challenges and opportunities.

I’m ready, are you?

Beautiful bursts for fall foliage follow-up…

Fall has arrived in Central Texas.

Thank Goodness!

We’ve been eagerly awaiting its arrival, having tired of endless summer.

But the days are in the 70s and the nights have even dipped down to 40 a time or two.

Our prodigious perennials have begun to wane, blooms fading, leaves yellowing and stalks turning spindly.

I love fall.

It’s a great time to grow fall vegetables. And I’m always amazed at the fall color.

We certainly don’t get the brilliant displays of color like gardeners in the north and east, but we do get some small bursts by certain trees and shrubs.

This small Crape Myrtle in my front bed has transformed itself with these beautiful hues of yellow and orange that almost make it look illuminated.

The big Burr Oak has some warm color, too, though it’s a little slower to change — perhaps this lumbering giant is slow to do many things. But it does drop the biggest leaves on the planet! (I might be exaggerating just a bit here.)
The Loropetalum love the chill – their deep plum-colored leaves provide a wonderful contrast in the garden.
My other Crape Myrtles – at least 15 feet tall – are reaching into the big blue sky with their fall colors and seed balls.
This Dwarf Pomegranate is still green as green can be, but the fruit is ready to ripen and bringing on its own fall color.
And one of my favorite color combinations – a coleus and a potato vine. Both seem unfazed by the cooler weather and I’m so glad.

Pam of Digging invites us to share our fabulous foliage photos on the 16th of each month and this month, there’s much to see.

What’s your favorite foliage in the garden now?

Big Burly Bur Oak


This is my big burly Bur Oak, leafing out and shedding delicate little wisps of pollen. Hardly looks like the giant that it is.

Quercus macrocarpa, also called Burr Oak, is a slow-growing, tall tree that lives a long life. It develops a massive trunk and is a great shade and windbreak tree. It is very adaptable, and its leaves turn yellow, lime green and rust in the fall. Research shows that the tree will bear acorns in the nursery in 10 years.

My Bur oak is now 10 years old, and dropped one lone but very large acorn for me two months ago.

By |2017-11-29T23:27:31-06:00March 31st, 2010|Blog, Bur Oak, Sharing Nature's Garden|0 Comments
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