katsuratree

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. From violet jelly, to the invasive Paulownia tree, to further examples of this season's May frost.

It is the season of our own inner and outer landscapes, Wake up and (hopefully) smell the coffee and enjoy what is close to our plant-loving hearts.

Katsuratree (Cercidiphyllum japonicum) is one of my favorite trees, providing an array of foliar colors throughout the season and a sometimes elusive, but wondrous aroma of crème brulee on fallen Autumn leaves. I could go on and on, but it is better to hear from the master.

Michael Dirr in his “Manual of Woody Landscape Plants” writes of katsuratree: “New leaves emerge a beautiful reddish purple and gradually change to bluish green in summer; fall color varies from yellow to apricot...leaf is shaped like a redbud (Cercis) leaf...the senescing (fall-coloring)...