At last, some fall color! Thanks, Japanese maple
Just a couple of weeks ago I wrote that fall color is a dud this year in Austin. That’s still true, but as if in defiance of that observation, the Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) at the front corner of our house is flaming orange and red in a mid-December hurrah.
These pics are from Monday morning, with slanting sunlight streaming through the leaves…
…like stained glass.
The native river ferns (Thelypteris kunthii) below are still untouched by frost, although that’s likely to change this weekend, if a predicted hard freeze arrives.
Copper leaves against blue sky
One more picture from Monday morning
By Tuesday afternoon, when I took this photo, the leaves were blushing even redder.
As I tidied up the front garden I kept looking up at the maple, just wowed by the beauty of the sunlight in the glowing leaves.
I think tomorrow will be peak color. I’ll be out there gazing up.
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This is the best Fall color for my Japanese Maples that I have had in years. Frequently, the leaves get scorched or drop. This year is a bonus!
Yep, no scorching this year — yay! All that rain didn’t hurt either. —Pam
My experience is similar to Mary Ellen’s – my Japanese maple usually fries in the summer heat but, on the occasions that doesn’t happen, it’s glorious. Yours looks spectacular, Pam!
I’m so in love with it right now, Kris, and thankful for a not-too-hot and not-too-dry summer. —Pam