Sun on the Horizon

After a week of snowfall, with 35 cm the previous weekend and more every day since, adding up to 99 cm (almost a metre) of snow in a week, we are all looking forward to sun with great anticipation!  The forecast calls for highs in the low negative digits, which will make a mess out of our snow congested roadways, but I think not many will complain. 

In the meantime, how about a tour of my winter garden.

 I went around the side of the house to take these photos which meant trudging through snow that was half-way up my thigh.  All these photos were taken mid-week last week and there's been more flurries since.  Above is a weeping juniper, Tolleson's.  These are quite pretty when encrusted in hoar frost.  Each dangling strand of the evergreen foliage covered in white glistening frost. 

 Above, a close-up of the dangling samaras of the Amur Maple.  They too have a bit of snow and hoar frost on them.

 Above, a look at a white pine, up close and personal.

 Cedars are weighed down with mounds of snow beside our deck.  I am so glad we planted these.  They are going to be great for privacy though they grow only a modest 6 or so inches a year.

 A view from the other side of the house.  Above you can see a dried flower from Hydrangea Pink Diamond.  To the side are three cedars and directly in front, in the photo, is the Amur Maple.  In the background you can see the other Tolleson's Weeping Juniper.  I just love this juniper for its unique growth habit.  It is a great focal point in the winter garden when the leaves from the nearby maples have fallen and it stands alone, in full glory, a contrast to the stark white drifts of snow.

 Above and below are two photos of Dwarf Alberta Spruce.  I have three of these in my yard, two in the back garden and one in front.  Because one of the spruce in the back is not very sheltered it has browned a bit over the years.  I am considering removing it altogether.  That means more planting!!  See what I mean about winter being the time for gardening enthusiasts to analyze and plan their garden?

 The above photo shows the hoar frost that delicately coats the needles of the Dwarf Alberta Spruce.

The above photo was taken through my bedroom window, thus the screen effect in the foreground.  This is the far back corner in the garden where a mountain ash stands as an attraction to birds.  We had a visit on Sunday from hundreds of cedar waxwings who love mountain ash berries.  But that is another post, coming soon.  In the foreground is an Alberta Spruce, behind it a topiaried white pine, and, almost buried beyond recognition, another Alberta Spruce.  Left of it is one of my favourite shrubs ever, a Galahad Mock Orange.  I have featured this shrub as part of my "Spotlight on" series.  Its branches are a reddish-brown and stand out in the landscape as does the bark of the mountain ash.

 Here, under the amur maple, sits another topiaried white pine.  The snow here is close to three feet deep.

Last, but not least, is a close-up of the berries of the mountain ash.   This is a European mountain ash.  I learned this second hand from a professor at Olds College who taught that European mountain ash leaves come out in spring in a bud that is rather hairy, before fully emerging.  Yes, that's this tree alright!  Somewhat messy as it drops some of its berries, I don't regret planting it because it is such a feature in the winter garden.  It makes a nice, somewhat dappled shade in the summer and the bark is a gorgeous red-brown.  The birds love it too.

Hope all is warm and sheltered where you are.  If you see the sun, send it our way, won't you?

Fall Kaleidoscope

Lemon Boy tomatoes are ripening indoors after risk of frost

I can't believe it, I thought to myself this morning as I turned yet another calendar page.  Another month has passed and autumn looms right around the corner.  It's impending visit is evidenced everywhere.  In the red, orange and yellow hues that have taken the place of the once green foliage.  My neighbour's Amur Maple shrub is already shimmering in her new autumn foliage.  The mums are blooming, the foliage of ash trees are turning yellow, and yes, there are even leaves falling!  Too soon, I say!  Where did summer go?  Did it even arrive?  July and August have been unseasonably wet and much cooler here than one would expect.  Last year on this day, Edmonton was 28 Celsius, today is forecasted to be 14 Celsius!  Half as warm as last year!  Huh!

amur maple in fall dress                                                                             Pink Diamond Hydrangea

Viburnum "Snowball" and yellow dwarf barberry touched with fall colour

Samaras on my amur maple tree are reddening nicely

European Mountain Ash berries ripening to orange

Even the Young's Twisted Weeping Birch is joining in the autumn ball

I'm not ready for autumn but I can't hold it back so I may as well enjoy it beginning now with this kaleidoscope of reds, yellows and oranges mingling amongst the green.

Spotlight - Amur Maple

The tree in this photo is an amur maple shrub trained to tree form

Acer Ginnala - Amur Maple
Can be found in shrub or tree form
Shrub size - 10-15 feet.  Fast grower.  Hardy zone 3.  Deciduous. White scented flowers in the spring followed by samaras (winged seed pods).  Fall colour - Red sometimes yellow/orange depending on the year.  I have noted a warm long fall intensifies the colour.  The shrub can be trained to tree form making a smaller tree.

Tree size - 15-20 feet tall and 15-28 feet wide.  Deciduous.  White scented flowers in the spring followed by samaras.  Tolerates dry soil.  Prefers a well-drained site.  Growth rate is considered slow.  Forms a dense rounded canopy and makes an excellent shade tree.  Fall colour - scarlet red

Amur Maples are an excellent specimen in the urban landscape offering shade and outstanding fall colour.  Often multi-stemmed, the amur maple makes an excellent climbing tree too. 

Along 97 Street in Edmonton, one can see multiple plantings of this tree in the Griesbach area.  Often families will stop by in the fall to take family photos in front of these trees.

Amur maple during the fall (photo taken along 97 street, Edmonton)