Fall Paints the Trees at Serendipity Gardens

Fall is without doubt one of the prettiest times of the year in Serendipity Gardens. I took this photo in my front yard, from an angle that allows several layers of color to stack up against each other.

I think it’s gorgeous! How about you?

What you see here, from front to back, are:

• Fronds of annual red ornamental grass  (in a pot)
• Yellow chrysanthemums
• Autumn brilliance serviceberry tree
• Burning bush
• Yellow maple
• Green trees and shrubs that, on October 29, had not begun to turn color or drop leaves

Why Does It Happen?

Because I am always curious about why the leaves change color and never seem to remember the story from one year to the next, I looked it up.

The shortening days and cooler temperatures of fall give the tree the message: it’s time to get ready for winter. In simple terms, the trees “know” that the leaves are their weakest link when it comes to surviving winter’s cold. Thus, they have to discard them. So they develop a layer of cells at the base of each leaf that seal if off. The orange and yellow colors are there all along, masked by the green chlorophyll of summer. As the leaf, separated from its energy source, begins to die, the chlorophyll stops its production of food and breaks down, leaving the fall colors to shine. Additional chemical changes create autumn’s red, purple and more vivid orange.

For more details, read Why Leaves Change Color.

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