Autumn in Bowral

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Our autumn special was filmed in Bowral, in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales.

Autumn is the most colourful time of the year, because you get far more colour from leaves in autumn than you actually get from flowers in spring. This year the autumn colours are very spectacular, but may be short lived due to the drought. In our segment we showed just some of the plants that produce beautiful foliage, flowers and fruit in autumn (see list below).

Don’s autumn tip:

Autumn is the best time to plant, particularly during a drought. If you put plants in the ground now, they have the rest of autumn, all of winter and all of spring before they are exposed to the rigours of next summer.

Autumn foliage

Boston ivy (Parthenocissus tricuspidata)

Boston ivy is a deciduous climber, which attaches itself to walls by means of sucker-like discs at the tips of branched tendrils. It is not actually an ivy but a member of the Vitaceae, or grape family. It’s a particularly good climber for covering large walls or fences, with the added bonus of a magnificent display of foliage colour in autumn. Don pointed out a magnificent example of this plant growing on the rectory of St Judes Church, Bowral.

Flowering cherry (Prunus serrulata)

There are hundreds of species of cherry; some are grown mainly for their edible stone fruit, while others like Prunus serrulata are grown as ornamentals and have beautiful flowers. Many of them, especially in cooler areas, produce outstanding autumn foliage in oranges, scarlets and yellows.

Tupelo (Nyssa sylvatica)

Tupelos grow to around 10 metres tall (30′). They look wonderful in autumn because the tracery of dark stems and branches contrasts beautifully with the yellow, orange, red and crimson foliage. They grow best in Melbourne, Hobart, the mountains, and cool, elevated sites in Adelaide, Perth and Sydney.

Japanese maple (Acer palmatum)

One of the all time great autumn plants. Japanese maples are very fashionable in Australian gardens. They grow well from Sydney to Perth and areas south, in the mountain zones and Tasmania. There are hundreds of cultivars available, and there is a huge range of leaf shapes and colours, and varying growth forms.

Golden ash (Fraxinus excelsior ‘Aurea’)

The foliage of the golden ash turns a clear yellow in autumn. The tree grows to around the 15 metre (45′) mark, and has yellow branchlets with conspicuous black buds. The golden ash grows best in Melbourne, Hobart and the mountains, as well as cool, elevated sites in Adelaide, Sydney and Perth.

Claret ash (Fraxinus ‘Raywood’)

The claret ash grows to about 20 metres (60′). It has glossy green foliage, which turns claret to deep purple in autumn. Claret ashes do well from Sydney to Perth and areas south, in the mountain zones, and Tasmania.

Pin oak (Quercus palustris)

A deciduous tree to around 24m (80′) tall. It has lustrous, deeply divided green leaves that turn crimson in autumn, then brown. The brown foliage does not fall, it hangs on the tree until forced off by new growth in spring. Although a pretty tree, Don thinks there are better choices for autumn colour.

Autumn flowers and fruit

Sasanqua camellia (Camellia sasanqua)

A small evergreen tree or large shrub from Japan which grows to around 6 metres (20′) tall and 4 metres (13′) wide. Flowers are mostly singles or semi-doubles and they range in colour from white through to deep pinks and reds. The main flowering time is from autumn to early winter.

English holly (Ilex aquifolium)

This large, evergreen shrub grows to around 10m (30′) tall. The glossy, dark green leaves have spiny edges, although older plants bear leaves without spines. The perfumed flowers are yellowish-white and appear from late spring to early summer. In the Northern Hemisphere holly is associated with Christmas time, because it produces bright red berries around December. In the Southern Hemisphere the berries are produced between May and August. Hollies are dioecious – both a male and female plant is needed to produce fruit. The variegated holly (Ilex cv.) shown in our segment was a male plant without fruit. Holly grows best from Sydney to Perth and areas south.

Further information

Bowral gardens featured on the show were:

Milton Park
Horderns Road
Bowral 2576
Phone: (02) 4861 1522
Web: www.milton-park.com.au

Bidura
145 Merrigang Street
Bowral 2576
Phone: (02) 4861 4994