7 Apr '08 7:23 pm Our Trident Maple is the first to start changing colour. I hope others will share some photos of their deciduous plants.
Mark
Home gardener & plant fetishist
Berkeley, California, USA
Not to worry,
8 Apr '08 4:27 pm if no one follows suit soon enough, just take a look through some of Jack's old autumn shots. World class fall color! I'd also watch for new posts of this year's 'fire on the hill'. Looks like you have a fire going in that tree already. I like the orange tone.
MacFlax
distinguished contributor
Canberra, Australia
8 Apr '08 6:58 pm Thanks, I'll go look for those.
I just noticed a hint of a change in my Chinese pistachio. It always puts on a fantastic show. Interesting how it changes in two distinct halves.
jack two
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The new improved Jack Holloway v.2
Hi MacFlax
9 Apr '08 10:40 pm I've been meaning to welcome you for some time, MacFlax! Autumn seems an appropriate subject to first connect on!
Your 'trident maple' seems from the single photo in which no leaf shape is perfectly obvious to be similar to the maple sometimes known by the same name in South Africa - a favourite street tree and by far the most common maple here - and one of the very best for autumn colour. Tell us more about the pistacchio! I've never heard of them being available here. Perhaps I need to hunt one down...
I've started my autumn thread - see under Diaries. Mid April to mid May things gradually build to a crescendo here - my favourite time of the year!
MacFlax
distinguished contributor
Canberra, Australia
10 Apr '08 1:53 am Hi Jack, I saw your new autumn thread and also found your photos from last autumn. Beautiful!
The leaves of the trident maple (Acer buergeranium) have three points, thus "trident" I guess. We wanted something a little larger and hardier than a Japanese maple out the front and that was what attracted our attention.
Chinese Pistachios (Pistachia chinensis) are ornamental trees (no pistachio nuts) which have always caught my eye where they have been used in public areas in the city centre, so I knew I wanted one when we built this house. I'll post some photos soon.
MacFlax
distinguished contributor
Canberra, Australia
21 Apr '08 10:46 pm Trident Maple
Chinese Pistachio
Crepe Myrtle
jack two
nominate your own title
The new improved Jack Holloway v.2
Lovely autumn trees
22 Apr '08 12:03 am Hi MacFlax!
Your trident maple is the one I thought - Acer buergeranium. Crepe myrtle does magnificently for me too, although I can't remember thinking it's autumn colours were wonderful in Johannesburg. Here it is a real all season tree: lovely flowers in a dryish hot summer (which we don't always get), autumn leaves and the most beautiful bark and shape all year! As for your pistachio... mmmm: LOOKS like a nut tree! But do I know it? Must go check my books at home tonight!
Thanks for sharing - and keep posting!
MacFlax
distinguished contributor
Canberra, Australia
22 Apr '08 4:20 pm We only planted the crepe myrtle about a couple of years ago so the bark hasn't become a feature yet. The variety is Lipan. When might the bark start developing the beautiful colouring?
jack two
nominate your own title
The new improved Jack Holloway v.2
Bark colour.
22 Apr '08 9:46 pm Good question! It takes quite a few years, and I remember dreaming of the moment back in the mid 80s. But that was 20 years ago. I guess I've had 8-10 years of colour from the bark. A little gentle pruning of lower branches helps by exposing the bark to both the eye and the sun.
Interestingly they give Rhus as a synonym, and both your pics and those on davesgarden remind me very much of a tree of which I have two examples: searching for it the common name - wax tree - is familiar, but the species -Rhus succedanea - is not.
