Home » Plants & Animals » Tasmanian Gardening » Waiting for the Autumn Fall

Waiting for the Autumn Fall

© Gay Klok

Autumn time and waiting for the fall of leaves and the chill is being felt in my bones, especially at night time. There is a stillness in the air, a quietude, like the silence in the eye of the storm. The gardens smell earthy after the now frequent rain spells. It is as if the gardens are holding their breath before the last brilliant scene, the last fling, then the short sleep, before it all begins again. This is the Autumn time in our gardens and the deciduous trees and shrubs are shouting their last Hoorah! Brilliant crimson, orange and butter yellow colours gleam in the garden scene. Berries still hang on the branches, the birds are kept too busy eating all the apples. Soon they will turn to demolishing the orange and red fruit but,in the meantime, I will gather a few branches and place them in vases inside the house.

Every year I tell myself that the Fall of Autumn is the time I enjoy the most in the garden. That is until I see the Spring bulbs rushing to assure me that this is rubbish. They know that I am in awe of the fresh leaves and the joy of the wonderful flowers that greet the new, growing year. The splendid flowers of Winter, most with wonderful perfumes, also know that this is a fleeting whimsey of mine.

I am so glad that Tasmania is the coldest state of Australia. I like the garden to take me through the variety of the seasons.

I thought I might write of the trees and shrubs that are exceptionally beautiful in our Autumn garden. To see photos of these favourites of mine in situ, please click on the links at the end of this article

Oxydendrum arboreum:

If your garden has not a rich acid soil and your climate is too hot, this is not for you. Or perhaps you could think of moving up to the hill districts?

Surely one of North Americas most stunning Fall show off. As the days get shorter and the nights become clear and cool, the rather dull leaves turn to the most brilliant of cherry reds to a deep burgundy. They remain to thrill you for quite a long time. The common names are Sourwood or Sorrel Tree because the leaves taste acid and were used to quench thirst. The name Oxydendron also tells us this - Oxys is Greek for sharp and dendron is tree

The copyright of the article Waiting for the Autumn Fall in Tasmanian Gardening is owned by Gay Klok. Permission to republish Waiting for the Autumn Fall in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.