Specialty Gardening: Fall is around the corner... photos?, 1 by jkom51

jkom51 wrote:
Wow, I can't believe you have clematis blooming still - that's amazing! Mine blooms once in the spring and then - pfffftt, it's gone until next year. A really puny show compared to the evergreen and wildly vigorous passiflora that sits across from it on the other side of the arbor.

We have been getting some chilly nights (although our days are in the 70's; the soil never freezes here although we get a few nippy frosts). I'm excited because I actually have some real 'fall color' photos to post this year! Some years it stays so mild I hardly get any color at all; the leaves just wither and fall off without any show. But this year the garden has put on a very nice show.

I love the dark red 'Emperor 1' Japanese maple. It has a graceful layered shape and is a vigorous grower. It also holds its color a bit longer than the traditional 'Bloodgood' variety. Here you can see how the dark red leaf color is turning into the more brilliant bright red from the cold nights: