Today was another glorious fall day. I enjoyed the sunshine and fixed up several patios after construction. It took some time but it was fairly easy. My job was to put soil and grass seed into gaps between patio and lawn. But that wouldn’t make for an exciting blog.
Firsts
I love how after nineteen seasons of landscaping in the field I am still collecting firsts. And it happens by taking the time to observe the landscape, especially the plants. It also helps that I am a landscape supervisor. It allows me to take small liberties on site, like I did today.
Osmanthus
I first encountered holly Osmanthus at Como Lake in Coquitlam, British Columbia. My municipal parks boss would quiz us on plants and when we saw Osmanthus we guessed holly. Now I know better.
Today I immediately noticed a sweet fragrance coming from one Osmanthus heterophyllus in the yard where I worked so I examined the small white flowers. That was a first!
Of course, the leaves are prickly so I had to be careful. I wasn’t about to lose my eyesight for a hit of sweet fragrance.
This Osmanthus is also special because the owner likes it natural-looking. She knows the usual strata (multi-family complex) pruning where every shrub is sheared into a harsh shape.
Katsura
Katsura trees (Cercidiphyllum japonicum) are common landscape trees on the West Coast. I like them but some think the trees should be planted less because they lose their leaves quickly. And that leaves us with bare trees and it’s only mid-October.
I stopped by one specimen today to take pictures of its yellow leaves. Then I noticed the seed pods on the branch and I removed some of the mature ones. I opened the pods and out popped small winged seeds. Another first! Until today I had no idea what the seeds looked like.
Observation
What are your firsts in the landscape? You will discover some new things for yourself when you stop to observe the landscape in different seasons. Like I did today.
