I planted my tiny witch hazel (Hamamelis virginian) this past Spring and I really didn't think I would see flowers for at least couple of years. Perhaps it has been this mini Indian Summer phase of weather we have been treated to ? Last year was such a hard, fast, shock of freezing cold. I couldn't get all my Spring bulbs in fast enough. The ground had frozen before I could get all the daffodils in out front. I have been trying to complete a row of daffs all around the bottom of the front raised bed for years !
I am so surprised to see how this little beauty has bloomed ! I thought it was such a funny plant because it's leaves were so huge compared to the rest of it's "body" almost a "Dumbo" plant with huge ears.
I am training it to be a small tree .. I now have read that it won't grow to it's mature height until at least 15 or 20 years .. I hope who ever has this house by then, will take care of it .. my life span will not be that far into the future. But that is what gardeners do, leave a tiny mark behind with plants and trees that benefit the earth in some way.
I am totally enamored with this tiny jewel now .. how cute can it get ? There are like giant yellow spiders parked on the branches , waving their arms ?
This dwarf barberry is just to the left of the witch hazel and provides a great contrast.
I would say it is
Crimson Pygmy" but this seems even smaller.
It has a natural colour of dark purple ..but now ? it glows in ember tones.
A dwarf grass,
Little Zebra back lit by the morning sun, is gorgeous to me in it's "blonde" state.
A dreamy type of light for my morning walk about. Autumn sunlight is special, hard to describe but definitely not the perky light of Spring, nor the intense light of summer .. this is a glow type
Some "greens" just won't give up !
Dream Catcher Beautybush along with the my mystery fern(to the right). If anyone recognizes what kind of fern it is would you please let me know ? the fronds are of a wider margin. This is an update of my mystery fern. Sandy has the ID and it as a Japanses Holly fern, or
Cyrtomium falcatum 'Rochfordianum' .. I have had it a few years and it has been a great performer !
The fern below is an Autumn Fern or
Dryopteris erythrosora Brilliance which is so exceedingly SLOW coming alive in Spring, I have to remind myself not to dig it up .. it usually has a lot of colour in Fall, but not this year. Some plants look absolutely gorgeous when you buy them and then lag behind for a few years .. maybe they have to feel "at home" ? LOL
Our dwarf
Burning Bush are finally showing the colour I have been looking for.
Ignore the "brown" used lily stalk in front of it .. I should have removed it before the shot !
Even from a distance you can't miss this Golden Barberry.
I still get freaked out with the messy condition of the garden, but I get it about having a safe sanctuary for insects and small wild life over winter .. I just have to keep a handle on my obsessive clean up mode.
How gorgeous is this to see in the last throws of Autumn ?
This
Golden Barberry is my favorite pick. It displays the spectrum of golds to reds of what Autumn really is all about.
That blend of colour is perfection, this is true Autumn colour and atmosphere .. I am just sad it lasts for such a short period of time .. it always leaves you always wanting more !
16 comments:
I was also surprised to see your "yellow spiders". I guess it's because of the warm November days, isn't it? Your golden barberry is my favorite too, Joy. this is a complete set of red-orange-gold colors.
Take care of yourself, hugs!
I think your garden looks spectacular in its fall decline. As it should be looking this time of year. It is difficult to remind ourselves that it is supposed to look like this. :) I especially like those spidery blooms. They are perfect. Have a good week.
I adore the burning bush!
Cute little spidery plant, too!
The Golden barberry is beautiful and that tiny witch hazel is amazing. I had the regular beautyberry in my old garden and it was spectacular every year. I always wanted to buy the 'Dreamcatcher' variety. Now I don't have room for it.
Gorgeous color! Re your no ID fern, could that be a Japanese holly fern, Cyrtomium falcatum?
Hello there Nadezda ;-) .. Yes ! my yellow spiders have to make you smile right ? LOL
These few warm and sunny days in November was what we had been spoiled with for years past and then we had the SHOCK of last year and that really through me. I am such a fan of the gold barberry because of the range of red, orange , and yellow .. it really is the show-all for Autumn !
Lisa if you saw my back garden today , all you would see is the huge blanket of leaves now (the boys did the leaf vacuum a few days ago BUT NOW ? we could use it ! haha
Yes .. this is what it is supposed to look like, some years do throw out that shock value o shake us up ? LOL
Hi Jenn ... yes, some times you jus have to use "cute" for some plants because they are just darn CUTE ! ;-)
Hello Phillip isn't gold barberry an amazing shrub ? .. such a beautiful gold all summer and then this spectacular show in the Fall .. my first witch hazel, and even though it is so tiny it has made me smile with those yellow spiders ;-) I feel guilty about this Dream Catcher because it never gets to the stage of stretching out and producing those amazing berries .. but the Japanese maple there and it have become fast friends and are inter-twined with their root system. So even if I tried to lift the shrub it would be too much of a shock I think .. I also have run out of room ... BIG sigh ! LOL
Sandy ! Thank you so MUCH !!! ... this would have bothered me forever trying to ID that fern (which I totally love !) it is indeed Japanese Holly fern Cyrtomium falcatum !
Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know .. I really appreciate it.
I got stuck on the "beech" part but I knew the "Japanese" ID was part of it ! LOL
Oh goodness, all those beautiful glowing fiery autumnal clours, just divine! I love your acer and the little witch hazel, mine is flowering too, oddly. The barberry is fabulous too, you have so much going on, just beautiful.xxx
Hello Snowbird and thank you so much ! Right now ? Nov 13th .... all you see are the tons of leaves my BIG maple let go of all in one dump ! LOL .. My witch hazel is an Autumn flowering one .. it is so tiny now though .. I read it will take 20 years to get to maturity .. I will be long gone by then and won't see this little beauty as a grown up DARN !! LOL
I do love my Barberry when they are in Autumn mode .. simply the best expression of the colours Autumn brings right ;-)
You have some beautiful fall color in your garden! I saw wild witch hazel for the first time this year; it actually may have been planted because it was in an old cemetery. A friend who lives in the country sent me some pictures of blooming witch hazel in her woods. What an ending to the season! Loved those little yellow spiders and the barberry. I've never tried to grow plants mainly for their fall color and I have a small plot but..hmmm...
Hello Alana and thank you ! I popped over to your blog and admired those gorgeous red rose hips .. and the black if the lily berries does look exactly like blackberries ! LOL
Aren't witch hazel curious little trees ? and to have an Autumn blooming one is exactly what I wanted .. those yellow spiders are just too darn CUTE ! I haven't seen the wild versions of them .. I haven't seen any but my own in real life actually .. just drooling over them on the net ? haha .. but yes ... I do have deliberate plants for Autumn colour .. I try hard to have an all season garden from Spring onwards .. I love seeing the different phases through out the year.
I often think that I need a witch hazel, but can't for the life of me figure out where I would put it. That little barberry is adorable, and so colorful! We dug out our Rosy Glow barberries, they had gotten too big. And I replaced them with dwarf butterfly bushes. Now there's a switch! And now we have snow. Well, winter is a good time for resting.
Hi Robin .. I have wanted a witch hazel for a long time , maybe because it "flowers" in Autumn, maybe because of the name and "witch" is involved for that time of the year .. Halloweeny ? LOL .. but they do take a long time to grow so I don't think I will see it at it's prime .. but having it even as a baby is fun .. and yes .. winter is just about here .. a good time to rest ! .. You have me thinking of butterfly bushes now though ? LOL
No December blog update from Joy, so I’ll just have to comment on this post again! It was such a pleasure to see autumn color in your gorgeous garden, now that it’s winter. I miss fall already, but we’ve had the most glorious snowfalls this month.
Robin I left a comment back on your blog .. I love the Fall .. so this is going to be a long winter to get over .. but Spring is gorgeous too, I can't wait to see all the daffs and other bulbs !
Loving your hellebore header pic!xxx
Thank you Snowbird ... now I have to post something for Spring ! LOL
Post a Comment