November

Relief! Usually, hopefully, we have our first rains during November, although they are generally not significant enough to make a difference. But we can sigh a little and enjoy Thanksgiving at this unique time of year: Autumn, the season of change, bold colors, and dramatic sunsets. If we have been on top of our maintenance program, we can focus on studying and appreciating the landscape. This may take determining if more fall color is needed in the landscape, for example, adding a Japanese maple, or better, our native vine maple, to enhance the season.
Here are a few thoughts on buying maples. Fall is an excellent time to buy them and other fall-color trees, such as pistache, sweet gum, and ash. Fall color has a lot of variety, even within one species. If one observes a Japanese maple, Acer palmatum, in the fall, the color can vary from tree to tree. Where one might be mostly yellow, the next one might be orange, and the one after that a kaleidoscope of fall colors. Pistache, too, where one tree will be yellow and the next red. Designers focused on their color palette will want to select trees when they have peaked in their fall color to avoid color miscalculations.
November is a great time to assess perennials for their structures as they fall into dormancy. Ornamental grasses have significantly become appreciated for how they present themselves with fall color and spent florescence. Gardeners might want to cut them down too early when they can enhance the fall garden aesthetically. Besides, leaving seeded stems can benefit local wildlife, too, so wait until winter to cut them down.