A final bit of fall color

The long, protracted fall here in the Southeastern U.S. has meant that fall color has been stretched out in spits and spurts - a highlight here, and then there. Native and non-native species alike have put on a show, from Fothergilla major (a native) to Ginkgo biloba (an ancient tree from China).

With still no hard freeze (or even light frost) in sight, flowering perennials are still nice, too. The Mexican hyssop (genetically programmed from a different climate) as well as a native Aster (Symphyotrichum patens) are still in flower along with the native witch hazel.

There are still blooming Nasturtiums in the kitchen garden next to the Visitor Center (in the Garden near my office), non-hardy lettuce and arugula is still growing well, and I'm thinking about sowing (a very late) succession planting of extra-hardy lettuce varieties. Hmm.

And I still have harvesting lemon grass stems on my to-do list. It's November 17.

Late fall color

In spite of all the recent rain, there's still a good bit of fall color. The ginkgo under the powerline is golden, echoing the color of the native witch hazel, and the last few leaves of bluestar (Amsonia) in the perennial border.

The contrast with the large butterfly bush in front, and the junipers behind, make a lovely view.

The light this evening illuminated the big water oak in front of house, tinging it with red.