Maple candy

One day last week it seemed as if the switch that turns on the Japanese maples was flipped. We all noticed it. And I think we all tried to burn their color on our retinas (and camera sensors) in an attempt to hold us over for winter. And evidently, winter arrived this morning. We weren’t hit with nearly as much snow as much of the rest of the country (a scant amount that has already mostly melted) but it’s finally cold enough that we can expect fall’s most brilliant colors to scatter and fade. So, just in case you need to squirrel away a little color too, I’m happy to share some of fall’s best eye candy with you. (Hope you have a sweet tooth.)

Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) canopy over the Enclosed Garden pathAcer palmatum 'Hogyoku' and a Norway mapleAcer palmatum detail from the Enclosed GardenWinter King hawthorn (Crataegus viridis 'Winter King') in the Enclosed GardenAcer palmatum along the path to the Water Gardenunderskirts of Acer palmatum var. dissectum in the Rock Garden

I think I take these same pictures every year … Can’t hardly help it! Have you had a spectacular fall? Have you tried to hold onto it too?