YORKTON – If there is one thing we can say about this fall, it has been unusual. At the time that I write this to you, we are watching bees buzz around our flowering plants as though it is mid-July. We would like to do some final clean-up but as long as the bees need the flowers, we will leave them.
Making garden notes at this time is good prep for next year. One plant that is in its third consecutive year on the “MUST HAVE” list is blue salvia. Just the other day, the bees were having a heyday around the plant, beautiful to see at this time of year! The variety is “Victoria Blue”, a great plant with lovely spires about two feet tall of deep blue. This plant is not fussy at all, does not seem to have any pest or disease issues, and yay, the bees love it! So even though it is late in the season, the salvia stays and clean up will have to wait for now!
We were chatting with some friends who commented that they love the way the leaves turn colour at this time of year. Have you ever wondered how that miracle of nature occurs? It is a complicated process of nature, and one that we might take for granted because we see it every year. But here is how it works.
In deciduous trees, the leaves contain chlorophyll. This is what helps the tree change sunlight into energy. But as fall arrives, and the tree begins to change to prepare for winter, the chlorophyl breaks down, making the leaves lose their green colour, and start to shine in a new way with other pigments that are in the leaves all along. These pigments are carotenoids, which give us yellow, orange and brown colours, or anthocyanin, the pigment that shows up in cranberries or grapes.
And why does the tree stop producing chlorophyll? As the summer turns to fall, the temperatures begin to fall, the days are shorter, and the tree begins to slow down. (This same process should also work for gardeners, but it doesn’t seem to, does it!) The chlorophyll eventually is destroyed, to be replaced by the colourful pigments. I have read that clear and dry days and chilly nights help the tree to give us the best colours, while rainy weather and very chilly temps make the colors a bit more subdued.
Not all trees will produce the same colours in the fall. Certain species of trees produce certain colours. The leaves of oak trees will turn brown; poplars will be a sunny yellow; dogwood has a lovely plummy colour; and maples can go from yellow to red, depending on the variety. And if we wonder why our cedars and spruce trees don’t change colour, it is because they don’t have the pigments.
But the process is not yet complete. As the leaves turn colour, the veins in the leaf also begin to close. Layers of cells at the base of each leaf seal and reserve the sugars in the tree. Once that task is complete, the leaf falls, it’s job and life is done. Although not really, because the fallen leaves provide nutrients for the soil and habitat and protection for many beneficial bugs for the winter. Fall colour is a miracle of nature, so savour it!
Fall is my most favourite time of year, so at this extra special time, I send wishes of love and thanks to my precious husband Keith on our anniversary, I’m so happy to share love/life/garden with you! Happy Anniversary!
The next meeting of the Yorkton Hort Society is a members only meeting, but please visit the group at www.yorktonhort.ca Thank you to our friends at YTW for their great work each week. Enjoy these fall days, gardeners!
