It’s About Thyme
by CHRIS WINSLOW
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 grow to between 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.
(Check the Lost Maples website for weekly updates on fall color changes. Latest report: ‘Two weeks from good color, and three to four weeks from peak color.’ )
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 its leaves turn clear yellow to purpleish in the fall. An added attraction is its 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 plenty 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 shumard 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 known for attractive fall color, try crape myrtles, roughleaf dogwood, flameleaf sumac and rusty blackhaw viburnum.
Happy Gardening Everyone!
A question from Lynne Barnes: “We have just noticed a golden-fronted woodpecker making a home in a dead branch of an oak tree in our front yard. What kind of bird feed can we provide that might keep this lovely creature here for the winter?”
Suet is a fantastic wintertime treat for birds in your yard. It is known to attract woodpeckers, goldfinches, cardinals, jays, bluebirds and all the winter birds. Try this recipe:
RECIPE FOR SUET
1 cup crunchy peanut butter
2 cups quick cooking oats
2 cups cornmeal
1 cup lard
1 cup flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup wild bird seed
(or sunflower seeds)
Melt the lard and peanut butter in the microwave.
Stir in the remaining ingredients, pour into ½ gallon cardboard milk cartons and freeze. Cake pans work great too!
This recipe makes 6 to 8 cakes. After it freezes, you can cut into individual 1 to 1 ½ inch slices and place into a suet feeder. These can be purchased or you can make one with open wire mesh tacked to a tree.
