Acer Palmatum Forest in Fall Colors

No spring nor summer beauty hath such grace
as I have seen in one autumnal face - John Donne

Autumn, many believe, is when a tree reaches it height of beauty. That's when trees change into their seasonal dress and show off the beauty they've hidden all summer long.

Hidden??? Oh, yes. You see, the process of changing into fall colors is actually not a process of changing the leaves that had been previously green. It's what happens when chlorophyll stops flowing into the leaves. Then they get to show off the color that was always there, hidden.

Beech Bonsai

Sadly, Florida does not produce intense fall color in most trees. We get some here in Central Florida, but not anything like you would get in northern parts of the country. Our fall colors are muted and incomplete giving the impression that the tree hasn't quite made up it's mind if it's going to change or not.

Some crape myrtles put on a little show. I have two that have gone yellow and one that has turned a deep purple-red. None of my trident maples have shown any color worth mentioning. Instead the leaves look kind of sad and ugly, drying out at the ends. Maybe when it gets a little colder I'll get something, but for now...

I guess it's a small price to pay for the long growing season we get here. But it would be nice. I don't know if there are any tricks to getting better fall color out of our trees, but it would be interesting to find out.

Work has slowed to a crawl on my trees. There is not much I can do during this time. Even watering is not required everyday. Soon it will get cold enough where some protection will be necessary for my sensitive trees. Until then I think I'll continue to enjoy what little color my trees offer. Every bit is it's own small miracle.

It's all about the color.