Surprising brightness, gathering leaves

Monday 19 November 2012

It’s turned a bit grey and gloomy the last week or so, but this autumn has seen many blue-skied days, with the leaves brilliantly coloured.

Red and yellow leaves of autumn, in a circle, like a flower
These yellow leaves are from the morello cherry tree, and the red from Rhododendron luteum.

Red and orange leaves, autumn colour
I love the Rhododendron luteum. Don’t particularly like the evergreen ‘rhodos’, but we sought out this deciduous one after it caught my eye, in Moorlands near York, I think. Or rather, my nose noticed it first, as its springtime flowers are nicely scented.

In a small garden it’s always good to have plants and shrubs that have more than one season of interest, and this shrub is also beautiful in autumn, turning red and orange, rather spectacularly this year in particular. Or it seems that way. Maybe the autumn leaves are always this bright and it’s just that every year they surprise anew, like each year’s springtime green.

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Green leaf