The Basics of Canning Fruits and Vegetables.’  2 p.m.  SATURDAY

Oct  23 (not Sunday!)  Keith Reeh from Hill Country Homestyle
Canning will show gardeners how to preserve the harvest from their
gardens and orchards. Free www.hillcountryhomestyle.com/

 

The perfect time to enjoy fall color changes in our deciduous trees and
shrubs approaches. With the arrival of cooler weather and shorter days,
our native and adapted trees will begin to display the vivid reds and yellows
of their fall colors, as they prepare to shed their leaves for winter.

One of the showiest of all is our native bigtooth maple. This beauty is
one of the few maples that happens to thrive in our limestone, alkaline soil.
They reach 25 to 50 feet, and have brilliant yellow and red fall color.

 

Bigtooth maples grow in the protected canyons of the Edwards Plateau
and in the higher elevations of the Trans-Pecos. These are the trees of the
Lost Maples State Park in Vanderpool, about two hours west of Austin.

Lost Maples is worth a visit, if only for the joy of the drive to get there.
The trip from Bandera to Tarpley and on to Vanderpool and Utopia has
to be one of the most scenic in the state.

 

 
Another maple that is showing some promise for our region is the Shantung.
Native to China, this maple shows great heat resistance and tolerance to our
alkaline soils and water.

Shantung Maples grow to 25 feet and turn clear yellow to purple-ish in the fall.
An added attraction is their new growth in the spring. The new leaves are
purple, giving the tree the nickname “purpleblow.”

Probably the most magnificent of the native fall color displays comes from the
red oak. This stately tree can grow to 100 feet and has a broad crown.

Shumard oaks have somewhat large leaves that turn a brilliant scarlet hue in
late fall. Cared for properly, with lots of water, this tree can grow remarkably fast.

On the downside, shumard oaks are susceptible to oak wilt. Some grown from
seed gathered in far east Texas to Louisiana have problems with the alkaline soils

of central Texas. Ask your nurseryman the source to avoid any future problems.

 

Chinquapin oak is another good choice for fall color. This medium sized oak

(50 feet) produces large, elongated leaves that turn yellow to bronze (rust)

in the fall.

 

Although not as showy as the shumard or red oak, this tree is gaining popularity

due to its beautiful shape, and its resistance to oak wilt.

 

Other great color trees to look for are cedar elm, bald cypress, and Chinese
pistache. For smaller trees and large shrubs for attractive fall color, try crape
myrtles, roughleaf dogwood, flameleaf sumac, and rusty blackhaw viburnum.

Happy Gardening Everyone!

 [© Chris Winslow 2010]