Continuing on from my previous post I would like to talk about another genus, the Rosaceae  or pear family that I have found extremely rewarding for ornamental tree foliage in my garden.  They are very adaptable to a variety of conditions and I would describe them as ‘tough’ as everything must be in my garden. One of the first ornamental trees to turn during   Autumn is the  Pyrus ussuriensis, Manchurian Pear, of which I have a several, their spreading  habit with its red scarlet & gold foliage during fall is spectacular. Other pears I have growing are:  The red spire pear, Pyrus calleryana “Redspire” which has large white flowers with yellow & orange autumn colour. The Pyrus salicifolia  Pendula,  Silver Pear, a very elegant tree with dense weeping foliage grey green in colour with delightful brown fruits in Autumn . 

Pyrus calleryana , Snow pear

The Chanticleer Pear, Pyrus calleryana, Chanticleer Pear an upright pear with white flowers and plum to claret autumn foliage was another choice.  And the last of my pears is the Pyrus calleryana” Bursnozam” , Snow Pear Burgundy Snow, which has a beautiful upright shape, white flowers and yellow to red vibrant autumn foliage. These trees have brought me great joy as I am very aware of the changing seasons as they do their ‘thing’.
Over the years my garden has changed dramatically influenced by the long drought. I have done away with rose beds and cottage garden plants and replaced them with grasses, succulents, salvias, cannas – tough stuff, that have thrived in the last couple of years of the drought and are now well established. Heavily influenced by a trip to Lambley Nursery near Clunes in Victoria specialising in dry climate plants, my enthusiasm was renewed.  I have always enjoyed the tall fronds waving majestically in the breeze of ornamental grasses. So I removed a circular lawn and replaced it as a dry garden. The first were the grasses, Miscanthus transmorisonesis, Evergreen Feather Grass, with weeping flower heads, and Miscanthus sinensis “Flamingo”, Pink flowered Feather Grass. I followed this with Calamagrostis “Karl Forster”,  Feather Reed grass, but the tallest of all and dramatically beautiful with heads of golden oat like flowers is Stipa gigantea,  Giant Golden Oats grass , considered the most beautiful of the grasses reaching a height of 210cm.

 I like the combination of salvias with their long slender flower heads bending towards the arching weeping flower heads of the grasses as though in conversation, the change in foliage colour and their resilience. Combined with cannas, artichokes, sedum, lavender,&  echiums and  with a Manchurian Pear standing guard, my dry garden was beginning to change shape.

For me autumn is a special time of year

For me autumn is a special time of year. The soft pale yellow light, the lawns and ground covered in a carpet of bronze, yellow and claret leaves, rustling in a gentle vesper. The cool crisp air beckoning winter, but not yet, I am not ready. I embrace autumn for its reward to my simple gardening.

The climate in North East Victoria is known for its amazing autumn foliage colour much of which was replicated by English immigrants wishing to create an environment similar to ‘home’. The climate is also conducive to ornamentals as during autumn there is usually an absence of wind, allowing the turning of foliage  to remain on trees indefinitely creating a brilliant landscape. Many towns in the North East of Victoria have used ornamentals as street trees providing shade in summer and light and warmth in winter. Although there is some controversy about roots of these trees and the safety of pedestrians they seem to win out as trees of choice in our hot summer climate.

It was obvious to me during the drought that the oaks were the most robust and had  the ability to with stand long periods of dry, as those in my garden of various ages did not show any signs of stress during the 13 years of drought. Using the trees in my town as an example most survived well over the long dry period with a small number having limb die back due to stress.

Wishing to create my own garden with marked seasonal change and with a naked landscape and pallet to work with I introduced many ornamentals which I will describe as we wander through my garden.

As the years went by I grew many trees from seeds such as the Fraxinus “Raywoodi’, Claret Ash  Quercus robur or Quercus pedunculata, the English oak, the Quercus canariensis,  syn  Q. mirbecki  Algerian Oak. And a treasure Quercus accutissima , Bristle Tipped Oak which has supurb yellow foliage.  More recently I planted a   Quercus coccinea , Scarlet Oak which is currently producing amazing red foliage. The acorns for the English oaks were collected from the streets of Yackandandah and their avenue of majestic oaks.

Liquid Amber Photo by
Don McNicol
Cumerland Photos

I also planted a number of Quercus palustris , Pin Oak for their colour and durability and although relatively slow growing compared to other trees planted, have survived well but were the only  ones that did show some stress  in  a couple of situations.  Liquid amber styracifolia never disappoints with its plumage and several unidentified maples are scattered about.

 I had less success with Platanus orientalis, Oriental Plane, which I subsequently discovered was position or rather soil type. I planted several in a paddock situation in a fenced area with plenty of blood and bone as it was my horse graveyard. These are thriving and survived the drought with no stress. Those planted in the garden were on clay soil and obviously did not do well so have been removed. I now have one growing extremely well in loamy soil.

Walk with me as I tell you a story of how my garden grew.

The challenge of producing a garden from a paddock was almost insurmountable, but armed with plenty of enthusiasm, very little money and even less knowledge I embarked on the third garden of my married life. Situated on the banks of a perennial creek, (that is one that only flows after rain), with some magnificent River red gums. The garden consisted of  a Fraxinus ‘Raywoodi’, Claret Ash, a Fraxinus oxycarpas , Desert Ash, and five small Eucalyptus citriodora and a clump of  Melaleuca armillaris,   Bracelet honey –myrtle, and not to ignore the  mandatory Lisbon lemon.  I embarked on an  a life time adventure.

Entrance to garden

I brought with me 100 cuttings already potted of  Populus deltoides Cottonwood USA which would line, when fenced, the ½ kilometre drive. 93 found a new home complete with drip line and they make a fine entrance 20 years later.

 The wire farm fence surrounding this relatively new house and no garden was removed and the garden plan was developed. Adopting the ‘put and look’ design technique I placed stakes where I wanted trees. This vision involved about 2½ hectares. I don’t know if you would describe it as a concept plan, but a rough drawing based on the area was all I had to go on, hoping to get the form and structure right. Totally exposed to the elements, neighbours and the road I wanted the house and subsequent garden to eventually be nestled into the landscape and not at odds with the environment.