I stopped in at the nursery this afternoon for pumpkins, and heard my name from the office porch. It was none other then Leif! It is not at all unusual to hear Leif calling me from afar, but today there was a the unmistakable sound of great excitement in his voice. He wanted to invite me to a celebration! This was not just any celebration though. The sun had emerged, breaking through the glum cloud cover.  When it did, the glow from the trees in our growing field along Hwy 19 rivaled the sun’s own light! Front and center in this fantastic festival of color was none other then Celebration Maples.  They were glowing golden-apricot from within. Breathtaking beauty against the vivid blue of the autumn sky! I snapped a few pics to share with you here, and went on my way, excited to invite you to the Celebration!

Celebration Maple is a fast growing hybrid of silver and red maple. It creates a classic upright oval, reaching a mature size of 45-50′ tall and 30-35′ wide. It has a more open and stronger branching habit than it’s cousin Autumn Blaze, and produces a variety of fall color from bright yellow to golden apricot to orange, which is determined by the weather during the growing season. Does the mention of maple trees bring to mind oodles of helicopter seeds falling like confetti?  Then you will be happy to hear that Celebration Maple is like the considerate party goer, that takes off their shoes at the door.  It’s seedless! That does not, however, save you from the after party clean up when all those glorious leaves fall to earth.