Six On Saturday — October 17

One of my goals this year is to spend as much time as possible outdoors enjoying our garden before the rains and gray weather truly set in. In this pandemic, it makes sense for us all to live outdoors as much as we can. I read that outdoor heaters and fire pits are selling like hotcakes so that folks can extend the outdoor season most comfortably, at least in areas with low wildfire risk.

It seems the transition to autumn has been slower at Coppertop this year, with plants taking their sweet time to change color. I’m not sure how weather factors in. We’ve had no frosts but plenty of showers, including yesterday as I snapped these photos of some of the first color changes.

ONE – Virginia Creeper, Parthenocissus quinquefolia, is not invasive here and adds great color to one end of the Black Arches.

TWO – Some years peonies don’t color up as well as other years. Who knows why? This is shaping up to be a vibrant year for the peony foliage.

THREE – Coppertop is graced by a few native Vine Maples, Acer circinatum, which are pretty spectacular as the year progresses.

FOUR – Hydrangea Row is the area featuring our macrophyllas, and some bear foliage that transitions to fall hues.

FIVE – This Japanese barberry shrub, Berberis thunbergii, is a beauty right now.

SIX – Roses continue to bloom, despite wet weather. Shown are Graham Thomas, Princess Anne, Connie’s Sandstorm, and Lady Emma Hamilton.

Saturdays are fun days for gardeners worldwide to connect over on The Propagator’s site with our Six on Saturday posts. Join us!

36 thoughts on “Six On Saturday — October 17”

  2. Your autumn colours are so lovely. I have also featured foliage from one of my peonies, the colour took me by surprise this year. I’d love to have the space to grow a Virginia Creeper, but I don’t, so I’ll just have to admire yours. 😊 Your hydrangea leaves are colouring up nicely too.

    Gorgeous roses in the rain – we share two great varieties – GT and Princess Anne.

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  5. Very pretty roses with these droplets and a nice photo of fall colors!
    The peonies also turn color here but are indeed a little more orange-red than yours. I was just talking about it to Catherine this morning in her blog. Why not yours??

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  7. Lovely fall foliage! There is nothing quite like Virginia creeper, is there? I had an overgrown mess of it when I moved in, never did manage to get rid of it all, but now I’m glad. Controlled it’s very nice.

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  11. There are some lovely autumn colours, and pleased that you are continuing to have roses. I used to have Princess Anne in my last garden. It is such a healthy and strong plant with a good match between leaf and rose colour.

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    1. Good to see you here, Noelle. My strong trio of Princess Anne have been taller than promised on the DA site, at over 5 feet, so I will be cutting them back more severely this year. Love their color and health!

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  12. Gosh those autumn colours are spectacular! I spent 9 years in a place where there are no autumn colours at the transition into winter. Now that I’m living in a place where the seasons are distinct, I thoroughly enjoy seeing the autumn colours! The Connie’s Sandstorm rose is just gorgeous! A lovely post!

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  17. Gads! Gas fire pits have become popular at work. There are only a few, but that is too many for me. I think they are tacky. Such gas powered appliances are more popular among those who are fearful of real fire.I would prefer circles of stone that we can burn actual logs on. Sadly, the cabins here that would have been unused during the shutdown are now occupied by some of those who lost their homes to the CZU Lightening Complex Fire. We are being more aggressive with our vegetation management, but have no problem with getting neighbors to take away the firewood, even though it will not be seasoned until next year. Fire is not so risky as the weather gets cold and damp enough to justify it. Many in our region are becoming even more frustrated with laws that inhibit our ability to manage vegetation properly. We would rather burn it responsibly than allow it to accumulate to become dangerously combustible like it had been doing. Lack of responsible management after timber harvest is why the fires here were so destructive.
    Anyway, your vine maple is rad. It is not native this far south. I would prefer it to the cliche Japanese maples, and think that it would perform better here.

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    1. Yes, it seems there needs to be a better balance promoted to manage vegetation everywhere, Tony. I agree with CA’s home fire burn bans generally, but of course up here we are allowed burns except during a few, dry summer months. We have a few vine maples in our garden, but plan to add another vine by a gap in the fence hedge… and have learned a somewhat mature one is very hard to locate! We need a good natives nursery.

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      1. I really need to manage vegetation on two of my properties, but can not dispose of the debris. I can only pile it and let it rot. Homes around both properties burned. I do not feel right about piling so much combustible debris.

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