It always amazes me that despite the fact that we have fairly wild winds in Fife, Japanese Maples stand up to them. Almost all the other deciduous trees in my garden are bare now, including the rowan and liquidamber but all of my acers, or Japanese Maples if you prefer are still quite well clothed and dazzling with colour.
The photo above is of the same acer but a slightly different angle so you can see a bit of my blue cedar (cedrus atlantica glauca). The only problem that I’ve had with this maple is that it has grown so vigorously that a large branch in the middle of it just broke from the weight of all the leaves on it, no wind involved in the damage that time.
This wonderful Japanese Maple is probably the most common one, Acer atropurpureum. At this time of the year the colour is at its most intense but I don’t think I would call it purple as its Latin name describes it. It’s my oldest Maple and I think it’s beginning to weaken but it’s still hanging on, which is more than I can say for one which was growing nearby and survived last winter fine only to give up and die off just after all its leaves unfurled in the spring.
The photo above is of the ornamental quince and as you can see it has a fair few fruits still hanging on it. I’ve never done anything with the quince, mainly because that great but now sadly dead garden writer Christopher Lloyd said that they are tasteless and not worth harvesting. But recently I read an article which said that the ornamental quince fruits are lovely made into a jam, I think I’ll have a go at it.
So gorgeous! The Aspens in the Landward show from the 15th were spectacular weren’t they? Everything is white right now at my house! The salt trucks are out too! 28 for a high tomorrow and very windy.
Great color!
Is the ornamental quince’s Latin name Japonica? We had one in the backyard when I was growing up. Lovely pinkish flowers and then hard fruit. We never used it and didn’t think it was edible. But an old man stopped by once and asked if he could have some of the fruit, which, of course, we gave him.
Joan,
I think that quince used to be called Japonica but they have changed it to Chaenomeles for some reason – I wish they would stop doing that! Yes mine has lovely sort of orangey pink flowers although the more common one has raspberry red flowers and the fruit is very hard. I’m mad that I’ve left them to the wildlife for years as they often just end up rotting, if I had realised they were edible I’d have used them long ago.
The maples are stunning! I do miss the fall colors here – and that first snap of cold weather.
BTW – I watched the live feed of the Dr Who 50th Anniversary special episode yesterday along with the rest of the world – bless BBCA. It was really well done!
Pearl,
The maples are my absolute favourite and when we eventually move I’ll have to make sure it’s to an area where they will grow well.
I really enjoyed that special episode and wasn’t it a treat to see David Tennant in the role again!
Katrina,
How fantastically brilliant! Ever so gorgeous–I love these photos!
About Ivanhoe: My copy is arriving on Monday to this very house! Looking forward to digging in to it in the new year!
Judith
Judith,
Thanks, those leaves are still hanging on despite a few hard frosts now.
Those trees are gorgeous! Japanese maples are so gorgeous, sadly they are not hardly in my neck of the woods so I can only admire them in lovely photos like yours.
Stefanie,
Your winter weather must be colder than ours then, but they can be quite pernickety here too, they like a peaty soil.