View along Hertford Road

Dear Readers, we’ve been promised a bumper year for autumn  colour this year and, on this Sunday afternoon walk along the County Roads here in East Finchley, I wasn’t disappointed. Although we don’t have the sugar maples and red oaks that are often seen in North America, we do have a wide collection of other trees, many of which I expect to come into full colour over the next few weeks.

Amelanchior canadensis (otherwise known as Serviceberry) on Huntingdon Road

There are several Serviceberries around, and what a great street tree they are – white blossom in the spring and chocolate-coloured leaves which gradually turn to rust and scarlet as the nights draw in. I will be eternally sad that the one practically outside our house fell over a few years ago in high winds, and they do seem to have a tendency to lean. Fingers crossed that this one hangs on.

Chinese Privet (Ligustrum lucidum)

This is a rather interesting street tree – at this time of year it’s covered in a haze of black berries. I suspect that it’s one of the ornamental privets, probably Chinese Privet. As it matures, it will be covered in creamy-white flowers in August and September, which attract clouds of bees.

Honeysuckle

And speaking of scent, this mass of honeysuckle flowers smells divine. I think that the wild type plant has a much richer perfume than the more decorative kinds, but let me know if your honeysuckle is both ornamental and fragrant.

You may remember that the bollards on the County Roads have had a rather up and down existence. Well, they’re doing well at the moment, and are relentlessly vertical. Let’s see how long that lasts.

And here is a photo of Michaelmas Daisies, for a dear friend of mine who maintains that she doesn’t like them because they are floppy. Well, floppy they may be, madam, but I am convinced that they have a certain charm nonetheless. And these had three different types of bee on them, so there.

Amelanchior x lamarkii (Shadbush/Serviceberry)

And here’s another Amelanchior/Serviceberry – a slightly different cultivar, but splendid nonetheless. Both the photos above are of the same tree – although it looks very red from a distance, close up you can see that it’s a mosaic of red,gold and even a touch of green.

Flowering Cherry (Prunus serrata)

The cherry trees are another fine street tree, with at least three seasons of interest. The leaves are just turning to lime and honey now.

Hawthorn (poss Crataegus persimilis)

And it’s always nice to see a hawthorn, especially a rather dapper one like this  one. It will be interesting to see how long the haws stay put once the birds notice them.

And finally, here’s a cooler customer – these are the leaves of the Lime tree, Tilia x europaea. This is not a citrus tree (climate change hasn’t made that possible just yet) but it is one of my favourite large trees, mainly because of its unruly nature, and the scent of its flowers. I  love the greens and yellows here, which will only get more pronounced as the autumn wears on. And what a joy it is to take a little walk and to really notice the change of the seasons!