Secret Arboretum Places: The Waterfall Above

 

Fall Color at the Arboretum -Includes Map

The Arboretum does get displays of fall color, however unlike the east coast and the high mountains where the displays are fast, furious and massive, our display is slow to unfold, varied and spread out among our 127 acres. Right now the color is peaking because the combination of cool weather and almost 5" of rain in the last several weeks has created conditions favorable to bright red, orange and yellow leaves. Below are some pictures taken over the last three days. Here's a map to them and other great fall color here at the Arboretum. 

Freeman's maple with dayglo pink leaves -these are located on the north side of the event lawn. 

Smoke trees, Cotinus coggygria, located across from the Crescent garden. 

Liquidambar trees located just south of the Kallam garden. 

Looking south from the entrance of the Kallam garden. 

Looking north from the top of Tallac knoll. 

Left: Mexican marigold. Right: Ginkgo biloba -in the Herb Garden

Closeup of the Mexican marigold. 

First Day of September Blooms at the L.A. Arboretum and Botanic Garden

Today was oddly cool and the plants here loved it. One really exciting plant to see right now is Puya berteroniana, the 'Turquoise Puya'. It has a rather unusual teal flower with orange anthers, a color combination rarely seen in nature. 

Puya berteroniana, the 'Turquoise Puya'

Puya berteroniana, the 'Turquoise Puya'

Puya berteroniana, the 'Turquoise Puya' closeup, notice the teal 'tepals' and the orange anthers. 

Also to the north of the Puya in the Water Conservation Garden are beautifully scented Sea Daffodils, Pancratium maritimum. These flowers are unusual in that they bloom in the summer or fall sans leaves, creating almost a ghostly look to them. However scary they may look, they make up for it in a very nice scent. They are native to the greater Mediterranean coastal areas and have become naturalized in parts of Southern California. 

Sea Daffodils, Pancratium maritimum. 

Ceiba (formerly Chorisia) speciosa var. 'September Splendor' is usually the first Floss silk to bloom in the fall. It was one of four seedling varieties of the species that were introduced for their ability to bloom in sequence from September to November. Here's a video I did that shows the differences between the four introductions. 

Ceiba (formerly Chorisia) speciosa var. 'September Splendor'