Orange You Glad

11/26/2024 5:08 pm

There is an old knock knock joke that is possibly one of three jokes I can reliably remember. 

 

Knock, knock.
Who’s there?
Banana.
Banana who?
Knock, knock.
Who’s there?
Banana.
Banana who?
Knock, knock.
Who’s there?
Orange.
Orange who?
ORANGE YOU GLAD I DIDN’T SAY BANANA!

 

When most perennials fade and go to ground, we look more to the shrubs and trees for interest to sustain our souls through the winter.

 

Here's what has caught mine this month. This fall -- likely my last one as a resident of Georgia -- has been a very orange time with a little banana thrown in.  Maybe a handful of pomegranates to boot, but it is the oranges that have dominated.

 

Coral Bark maple (Acer palmatum 'Sango kaku') is known for blazing red bark in winter to early spring, but the leaves and stems in fall are quite strikingly mellow yellow and peach against red stems.

 

 

Another outstanding Japanese maple features brilliant oranges. Acer palmatum 'Koto no ito'. With its willowy leaves, Koto no ito provides an outstanding show.

 

 

Rhododendron austrinum is not too shabby now either, with its unseasonal orange blooms thanks to our warm fall. I hope this doesn't mean it won't bloom in spring. 

 

 

This clump of hostas, which my records state are the diminutive Hosta ‘Rainforest Sunrise,’ turn a beautiful yellow in the fall.  After 12 years in the ground, they seem not so small anymore. The color persists longer on these than any other of my hostas.

 

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Acer palmatum 'Bijou' may not hold on to its leaves late like Coral Bark maple, but with stems like this, who cares? This color will persist all winter, making it a favorite of the winter garden. In summer, it is an unremarkable small Japanese maple.

 

 

And to finish off our "orange you glad I didn't say banana" theme, I'll end with the seldom used Enkianthus campanulatus, a slender tall shrub with bell shaped flowers in the late spring/early summer. I definitely plan on adding one of the newer cultivars, like 'Red Veined' or 'Showy Lanterns' at my new digs. They are more floriferous forms than the one I have, although in time, I will still be looking overhead for blooms. Alternatively, dwarf forms are slowly beginning to become more available like Enkianthus campanulatus 'Dwarf Red Bells' or 'Wallaby' or a shrubby white form, Enkianthus perulatus. All feature outstanding fall colors of oranges and reds. Iseli offers an intermediate size (6' h x 4' w), Enkianthus campanulatus ‘Jan Iseli Pink.

 

 

 Leaf Close Up - Enkianthus campanulatus

 

 Contributed by Liane Schleifer