Fall color, do you prefer all at once or one at a time?

last year

So when I moved in the house had 4 big old white ash trees and 2 good size silver maples with three domestic dogwoods thrown in for good measures. They all did their thing at about the same time during the fall and you knew when it was time to walk across the street and take the yearly fall picture.

Well now through trunk rot the two silver maples are gone. Two of the dogwoods up and died at the same time. Plus with EAB on the way three of the ash trees were on a short leash and are gone plus I swear the treated one that remains doesn't have as good of fall color as before.

Its been quite the turn over. Now for decidious trees the yard has two main species Metasequoias and an Ogen, a generic Red maple, the Wildfire Nyssa Sylvatica, a Sweetgum, a SLOW growing Sourwood. An Ironwood, a Cornus controversa and a Cornus kousa, a Tulip tree, a Sugar maple, a Scarlet oak and a White oak. I'm sure I'm forgetting something.

A lot of them are entertaining in the fall but the overalll effect is more drawn out. Today for example, the White Ash and surviving old dogwood are long done with fall. The Metasequoias are each doing their own thing. My Nyssa is slowly deciding to take part and the White oak is looking as glorious as a 4 meter tree can look.

Do you all plant to get the instant one time hit and be done with it or go for the drawn out experience or what?

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ViburnumValley central KY Bluegrass z6

last year

I think I have to take one for the "or what" team.

With over 125 taxa of Viburnum alone, the Valley's fall color is going to end up drawn out. But with 10 acres to play around on - well before any design sense evolved - it is more a happy collection that grew into partly an abandoned growing operation, with a strong chaser of nature's whimsy.

I've also planted one of every Kentucky native Quercus; trialed every Ilex verticillata selection I could gather onto these droughty soils; and watched as many of our avian friends resettled on this former grazed-to-the-nub cow pasture as habitat and forage pioneered and succeeded. I blame them for all the volunteer Eastern Redcedar, Blackhaw, Arrowwood, Gray Dogwood, Hackberry, and Black Cherry. The zillions of White Ash, many Sycamore, and some Boxelder Maples arrived on serendipitous breezes.

It's all good, mostly unplanned, and remarkably pleasant.

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Comments (6)

BillMN-z4a
last year
Our Fall has been the worst for Asynchronous turning of colors that I can remember.

Some, mostly maples, started coloring at the top back in August and by October were bare at the top and somewhat coloring/browning at the bottom of the crown. A Linden tree across the street was still green with some browning as late as mid-October and never did color after a windy day removed the half dead, crispy leaves by evening. The Ash were spotty but done by early Sept. Same for the poplar.

What do I prefer?

Well, we've had years where good growing conditions then when the freezes align perfectly with most trees turning all the same time. That's my favorite but that not always the norm, with a frequency of such an orchestrated event every 3-5 years.

But most seasons we do have glorious Fall with good change of colors, even if not always perfect.

In general, I love the Fall season most of all, with sunny days, 60's to 70's with cooler nights and the bugs are gone! It's a good time to do whatever you do out in the woods and even the hornets are dormant. ;-)
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KR Nuttle
last year
I prefer to look at it slightly different. Do you want to rake (blow) the leaves all at once, or do you want it piecemeal so you don't have as many leaves to handle each time you rake.

I have it sort of piecemeal. This gives me the ability to put the leaves from different trees into different places. ie. Winged elm leaves can be mow into the yard, since they are small and almost disappear in to the grass antway. Cleveland Pair on one flower garden near the road and the Nuttal oak around the trees, the Crepe Myrtles, and the planter in front of the house.
maackia
last year
I’ve purchased and planted trees for fall color, but never considered sequencing. Is that what we’re chatting about?
indianagardengirl
last year
I have also never considered sequencing. I just wanted fall colors other than yellow! So, like Maackia I have just tried to select for color.
BillMN-z4a
last year
last modified: last year
Ohhh, I was thinking it was about general Fall colors counting all the area around me.

In that case, I don't sequence either but will choose plants for how they contrast color wise with other plants around the yard.

But then different plants vary in when they do color and that too can vary from year to year.