Monday 20 November 2017

Late Autumn Marvels

At this moment the views from our house could hardly be more beautiful, especially in the early evening light. There exist more stunning views of the Pyrenees, though we do have a long vista towards the Pic du Midi, but it is with the middle ground that we gain. The house is situated at the end of a small ridge enabling us to look up and down a valley through which snakes a small but persistent stream.On either side of the stream has grown up a variety of our most common trees and shrubs. These include a number of large oaks, alders, hazels, Lombardy poplars, and Field maples. In fact the alders do not colour at all well but come into their own in the Spring. Our local oaks will late on - here they have only just begun to turn -take on a rather rusty gold, and cannot compete with the North American cousins for  Autumn splendour. But the stars of our Autumn are the Lombardy poplars (Populus nigra Italica) which early on and sometimes rather briefly go a lovely yellow, and equally yellow, but over a longer period the Field maples (Acer campestre).

If your garden is of any size, and probably even if it is not since it can often be found as a bush, you will almost certainly possess at least one,Field Maple so no need to go out and buy, but it is a attractive tree/bush at all times of the year, so well worth having. I keep looking out for any that colour red, or at least have a reddish tinge to them. and I have finally acquired one or two seedlings, though I am not quite sure whether this colouring is inherent or derives from what in human terms one would call nurture, by which I mean the conditions in which it is growing. The most recent Hilliers does list one Field maple with orange/red colour in Autumn, A.campestre William Caldwell, but I suspect that it would not be easy to find. What does have orange/red colouring and which can be very easily confused with a Field maple is Sorbus torminalis, otherwise known as the Wild Service Tree. In the countryside it does not make quite such an impact as the maple, but it is certainly attractive enough to have in ones garden for, along with the autumn colouring, in Spring it has bunches of whitish flowers followed by fruits of an admittedly rather dullish red.

To get strong reds in a Gascon garden is a bit more difficult since a lot of the trees and shrubs which provide this are not too happy here - too hot and dry in the summer and our soil often too heavy and not acidic enough. The Japanese maples (A.palmatum) with outstanding Autumn colour come into this category,as indeed do some of the 'Red Oaks'. As mentioned in previous blogs, I have found that Acer oliverianum, which much resembles a Japanese maple, copes pretty well;- admittedly mine are in shade but on a dryish southern slope. On the other hand two acers that are often recommended -_ A.saccharum and A.tataricum - have failed with me. Not so A.truncatum and Acer discolor. But undoubtedly the star of our garden at this moment is A.Pacific Sunset, a blaze of red over quite a long period, and, acquired over five years ago from the excellent tree and shrub nursery, Ets Spahl near Jegun,it seems extremely happy in I guess not altogether ideal conditions.

Other ''Reds' would include my much mentioned favourites Prunus Autumnalis Rosea and Pyrus calleryana Bradford and Chanticler, both the 'pears' incidentally colouring late in the season, and being perhaps rather more maroon than red. Less known, at least as far as I am concerned is Pistacia chinensis. With its quite large pinnate leaves it resembles an ash, a family which I increasingly feel we should have more of, since they seem to cope well with sécheresse. Hilliers says that the Pistacia is often found as a shrub, but our two are definitely trees, and just beginning to turn as I write this.  We also have one Parrotia persica or Persian ironwood, often rightly strongly recommended for its autumn colour. It has taken a long time to get established, for reasons I am not sure of, and ours is more golden than red, but for the first time this autumn it has begun to make an impact.

As for shrubs the stars of the Gascon countryside in Autumn are the common dogwoods (cornus sanguinea) and the so-called Wayfarer Tree (Viburnum lanata). Both have good autumn colour, but especially the former since its leaves go a very rich maroon, almost purple, but their many 'cousins' are even more spectacular.  Both Cornus mas and Cornus officinalis, very similar in Spring with their little pom pom yellow flowers, have good reddish, purple autumn colour, perhaps especially the latter, a shrub I increasingly think is a 'must' for a Gascon garden. As for the many viburnums - I am thinking especially of the various V. carlesii and burkwoodii types, amongst the latter Mohawk, a great favourite of mine - all are good. Moreover their leaves appear to stay on for a longer period than for instance many of the Acer palmatums, which is a great advantage, even if they lack the elegance of the latter.

No doubt I have left out various other 'stars', and for instance I have not mentioned the Liquidambers, quite spectacular but in my view welcoming a little more moisture than in this garden we can readily provide. But I hope I have mentioned enough to convince you, if that is you needed convincing, that a Gascon garden, even if it has to make do without the moisture and the acid soil of the more famous Woodland gardens of the West coast of England, is in a different way a 'Marvel'.


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