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A Gardener's Notebook: The latest incarnation of my column detailing the trails and tribulations of my garden. Join the list and ask your own questions about gardening Subscribe

It is a common misconception that in California, there are no seasons. In fact, especially the farther north you go or the higher in the mountains, there are many signs of the impending winter season. Here in Los Angeles, the seasons are more subtle, but still very clearly defined. For example, check out this California Fall Color Guide.

Fall Color

"One of the prettiest fall colors is the turning of the cottonwoods, which grow natively in higher elevations and are sometimes planted here in the valley."

As soon as the days started getting noticeably shorter the various deciduous trees in my garden started turning. The leaves of the Honey Locust turn a bright yellow and begin to fall in great fluttering cascades. Our first rain of the season arrived last week and this stripped many of the leaves off in one fell swoop. They carpet the paths of pea gravel throughout the garden. Thankfully they break down easily as they are nearly impossible to rake or blow off the gravel.

The wisteria seems to show all shades of color from its normal dark green leaves to sunshine yellow. It too will soon be nothing but bare sticks waiting for the spring. The blue gum trees, a non-native relative of the eucalyptus that is planted along streets throughout the city, turns several colors in succession. At the moment the trees are a mix of green, yellow and dark burgundy red. They do provide a splash of color this time of year, but they are incredibly messy plants. In the Spring they drop all sorts of small buds and pollen. Summer brings spiky round seed pods filled with thousands of tiny seeds. Once the seeds are dispersed, the pods themselves fall. This time of year the leaves begin to drop and their fairly large size and thickness cause them to mat down quite easily. I am lucky in the fact that I have plenty of these trees to look at in my neighborhood, but don’t have to cleanup after them.

Up in the mountains

One of the prettiest fall colors is the turning of the cottonwoods, which grow natively in higher elevations and are sometimes planted here in the valley. A local wildlife area, only a mile away, has a large collection along a stream. Much like the aspens of the Rockies, these trees turn a bright, vibrant yellow while retaining most of their leaves. This makes for dramatic shows of color along canyons and near springs where they can gather enough natural water to survive on their own.

My wife and I worked as volunteer forest rangers in the Angeles National Forest for about 8 years. The visitor center we staffed had a small stand of cottonwoods outside. We were struck with their beauty every year as were many of the other visitors to the forest. Among the large stands of pine, the cottonwoods seemed to shine even more brightly.

Rolling Clouds

The changing weather is another clear indication that Fall has arrived. Moderately warm days and chilly nights are becoming the norm. We still have an occasional day in the 80’s, but the nights slip into the low to mid 50’s. Finally a chance to break out the sweaters again.

The rainy days bring a wonderful sense of peace to the city. The white noise of rain on the plants and larger trees muffles the usual cacophony of the city. Of course, everyone has to learn how to drive all over again. Thankfully my commute consists of walking from the coffeepot in the kitchen to my home office, a total of about 25 steps. Sometimes I catch myself just sitting and listening when I should be working.

While the seasons are quite different here than in my home state of Ohio they do still exist. You just have to look a little more closely.

What is fall like in your neck of the woods? Send your thoughts to the AGN mailing list at: agn@onelist.com.

Until then...I hope it keeps raining!

-- Douglas