November Foliage in my Georgia Garden: Sourwood Tree

Sourwood cannot be beat in my opinion. It’s my favorite native tree, because in addition to beautiful maroon foliage in early fall, Sourwood has fragrant blooms in early summer that look and smell like Lily of the Valley! Sourwood is a very ornamental small to medium-sized tree native to the United States. Leaves of Oxydendron arboreum possess a sour taste, giving the plant the common name of Sourwood.

Lovely clusters of sweet smelling blossoms hang delicately from the tree in early summer. Later the blooms develop into attractive seed clusters that are usually still hanging on the tree in fall when foliage turns its fire-red fall color.
Leaves begin to change from green to red as early as August. Autumn color can be a combination of red, burgundy, and purple!

The photo shows a small tree in my garden in November, but some large specimens can be seen at Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, Georgia.

Sourwood prefers a semi-sheltered position in partial shade--the edge of a woodland is perfect. This lovely tree also grows well in full sun and is a great choice for a roadside garden.

Although drought-tolerant once established, water regularly the first year after planting, to make sure your tree gets off to a healthy start.

An important source of nectar for honeybees, sourwood is a smart choice for our environment in light of the decrease in honeybee populations across the country.

Native Azalea Foliage Discoloration in Summer

It is normal for the Native Azaleas to have many discolored leaves during summer due to excessive heat. Native Azaleas begin losing their leaves in September, but often will drop most or all of their leaves during August in times of extreme heat and drought. Native azalea foliage is not pretty during the summer. There is really nothing you can do to prevent this. Leaf drop is a survival tactic possessed by many of our native plants that helps them survive heat and drought. Many collectors draw attention away from the unattractive summer foliage of native azaleas by interspersing evergreens and summer blooming plants in the planting area to serve as other beauty on which to focus.