Autumn color in a Medit. climate
- To: Mediterranean plant list <medit-plants@ucdavis.edu>
- Subject: Autumn color in a Medit. climate
- From: J* S*
- Date: Wed, 29 Sep 1999 16:12:20 -0700
My very favorite tree for Fall color is Chinese pistache, Pistacia
chinensis. In my neighborhood, it is often planted as a street tree. And
even though Sunset (the book) says it gets to 60 feet, I've never seen
it any higher than 12 to 13 feet with a compact crown of about 8 to 10
ft. It colors reliably as soon as the weather gets cool. And, oh those
colors: flaming sunset colors to deep burgundy and sometimes yellow. On
some trees there are more than one color. And then they drop; the tree
is deciduous. It's an adaptable tree, accepting irrigation or drought
and all the hot weather you can give it. It must be slow growing; the
liquidambars planted at the same time are 4 and 5 times as tall.
My other favorite coloring tree here in Southern Calif. is the Japanese
persimmon, Diospyros kaki (had to look that one up!) The variety
"Hachiya' is considered the most beautiful, but I believe they are all
attractive trees year round. Sunset says they grow to 30 ft. but,
again, I've only seen them in gardens at about 15 ft.
December: the home of a friend, one walks into her California bungalow
kitchen with a row of windows across the 12 ft. sink, to see the
handsome gray-brown branch structure persimmon with its hanging globes
of orange fruit right beyond the windows. As a backdrop, across the
drive, is a grove of timber bamboo, it's yellow culms highlighting the
brown and orange. Truly a sight to catch your breath. The leaves turn
yellow before they drop, but the tree is a beauty in all seasons. The
city of Riverside is reintroducing this once popular tree back into its
parkways.
After having raved on like this, it occurs to me that perhaps it's not
suitable or beautiful to try to promote alot of intense "continental
autumn color" in a Mediterranean climate. Wasn't it Alexander Pope who
wisely warned us to "consult with the genius of the place". In other
words, to try to create a garden that looks like it fits into the
climate and location it is in. Whadda y'all think?
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Jan Smithen, gardening teacher
California Arboretum Foundation
jansmithen@earthlink.net
Sunset zone : 19
USDA zone : 10
Visit the California Arboretum homepage at :
http://www.arboretum.org/
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