Morning sun sneaks under the trees: Acer palmatum, Chrysanthemum 'Cambodian Queen', Salvia x 'Mystic Spires', and a Camellia x oleifera

Fall seems to have settled in; night time temperatures have been in the 40's F for the last week or so. Clear air and abundant sunlight tend to make the lighting harsh but morning dappling generates the odd interesting effect.

Maples have barely begun to color but the samaras on this Japanes maple are beautiful. Chrysanthemum 'Cambodian Queen' has the best color I've seen in....well, only three years of experience; in the past it's been washed out and pale. We seem to have some saturation this year. Nathan asked me about it a week or so ago and I was unfairly dismissive. Of the plant, not Nathan. Maybe she deserves another chance.

There are so many incredibly blue salvias. I met this one in Florida last January, brought it home, nursed it through the winter in the basement, and planted it this spring. It grew gangbusters and has been flowering for the past few months. While traditionally a plant of southern gardens, the consensus seems to be that it's hardy at least to USDA Zone 7b. I can do that. Maybe even 8a. Here's hoping.

This unnamed seedling camellia has been in the garden over 20 years. It's always the first camellia to flower in our garden in the fall though the Tea camellia is always close behind it. The snows of this past winter did some pretty severe damage to it but it's come back and, other than being oddly shaped now, looks fine.