We have had the most unusual November week here in the UK. High temperatures ( up to 22C in mid Wales last Sunday ) and foggy mornings followed by sunny afternoons, lots of warm rain through the night and very little wind. November around here in North West England is often very cold with gale force winds. People need to wear warm coats, scarves and daft hats with waterproof boots. This year the atmosphere is calm and the cold snap that usually arrives in October still hasn’t materialised. It’s cardigan weather.
In the garden most of the trees are still in full leaf. In particular our oak trees are still green and lush. Most trees have slipped into their autumn clothes. Trees that have provided a background of green all summer suddenly spring into the foreground with splashes of orange, red and yellow attracting our attention. There is no wind and no frost so most of these colourful leaves are staying firmly fixed in place.
One tree that is particularly striking right now is Gilkgo biloba. You may know it as the Maidenhair tree. It has leaves similar to Maidenhair ferns. In spring Ginkgos have fresh green fan shaped leaves which turn a beautiful shade of buttery yellow in autumn. It grows wild in China and is a survivor from life 200 million years ago. Ginkgos are tall narrow trees and are sometimes used as street trees between tall buildings in cities because they can cope with hot summer temperatures. They also make a good tree for a private garden too. Ginkgos grow to about 25 metres/75 feet tall and take 20 years to reach maturity.
I found this specimen growing locally and was completely wowed by the stunning combination of yellow leaves contrasting with clear blue sky.
It also looks good on a grey day too!
When you are choosing trees to plant in your garden it makes sense to think about their autumn colour as well as their eventual height and spread. If you plant specimens with distinctive leaf shapes and colours you may be able to see something like this every autumn. This is a Beech tree Fagus sylvatica ‘Riversii’ growing in front of Ginkgo biloba.
Now they are most definitely Looking Good! What’s looking good in your garden or neighbourhood this week?
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Hi Gillian, Just a brief comment to let you know I particularly LOVED your photos today. I’ve always been fond of the Gingko tree and have even planted a few in my lifetime with the understanding that it was someone else who would live to sit under them on a summer’s day. Lovely post. Interesting about your mild weather! Here too.
Thanks very much Susan. Good to hear from you!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginkgo_biloba
(Actually spelt gink-go)
and an exceedingly covetable tree – if there was a small garden sized version
Thanks Diana. Missed the g! Most trees are not really garden sized are they? They all turn into forest trees in the end unless specifically bred to be tiny.
Brilliant pictures again. I love the leaf shape of Ginkgo, they do feel basic and prehistoric for it somehow. The council planted Ginkgo down the road my parents live on about 4 years ago, but I hadn’t realised until then how popular they had become as street furniture.
My link for looking good is: https://frogenddweller.wordpress.com/2015/11/06/a-resurgence-of-flowers/
They are very hardy trees – they would have to be to survive 200 million years or so! thanks very much for joining in Allison.
I love gingko biloba! They are such beautiful trees. Your photos against he deep blue sky are so beautiful.
They represent longevity in Asian culture and my engagement ring has two gingko leaves that encircle a diamond. It once belonged to my spouse’s grandmother who was a missionary in Japan when she met her future husband. They lived there for many years before moving back to the States. So gingkoes are extra special to us!
Here is the link to my post this week: http://wp.me/p3O3z4-QI
Thanks for hosting!
Wow. That’s a lovely story Eliza. No wonder you love the Gingko tree! Thanks very much for joining in with Looking Good this week
Aren’t the shape of the leaves of the Ginkgo just amazing? And beech is always a firm favourite here. Fantastic eye for photos as usual Gillian. Can you take a bad photo?
Here’s my link for Looking Good in the Garden this week. Better late than never!
https://homegrownheaven.wordpress.com/2015/11/06/planning-ahead/
Ginkgo leaves are truly amazing! And YES I do take plenty of bad photos although not as many now as I used to. I just don’t publish them! I always try to take plenty of shots of each subject and move around it so I can experiment with backgrounds and the sunlight coming from different directions. Thanks very much for joining in with Looking Good this week. As I’m not using the external link up any more there’s no deadline now so feel free to join in when you can.
I didn’t know Gingko was called maidenhair, how interesting, I can see the resemblance. Lovely seasonal images, thank you.
Thanks very much for your comment Kate. We don’t grow this tree so I needed to look it up and found out the common name as well as the usual height and spread.
Thanks very much! I learned a hard lesson last autumn… to get out and take photos whenever the weather allowed. http://countrygardenuk.com/2014/11/25/acer-palmatum-in-autumn/
I do hope you get the chance to enjoy some dry weather in the next few days. The forecast for Lancashire in rain followed by more rain!