IN SEARCH OF AUTUMN COLOUR

by Liam O'Flaherty

It was the photograph of the English elm in Harry Tomlinson’s book, The Complete book of Bonsai, that first introduced my fascination with autumn colour. Less seemed on offer in our

temperate climate south of the Tropic of Capricorn. Certainly, in comparison to what appeared to be on offer, in this regard, in the northern hemisphere.

Autumn colour, in my early bonsai collection, relied on the inconsistent, and somewhat unreliable, yellows that the Celtis trees might display from February onwards. However, there were isolated moments that kept my interest in autumn colour viable. One such occasion was when Hennie Reyneke won the African style category, at the BRAT meeting, April 2023, with a perfectly timed Japanese maple, Acer palmatum.

Hennie Reyneke with his winning maple.

Hennie’s deserving win inspired me to find indigenous autumn

colour, and I did not have to look far to find it. The genus Kirkia

(seringa trees), which possibly have the best reputation for

autumn display in South Africa, presents two species excellent for

bonsai, namely: K. wilmsii and K. acuminata. I will never forget

the white seringa seen at my visit to The Union Buildings of South

Africa, Pretoria, in June 2024.

Autumn display seems to vary in South Africa from year to year. Our seasonal cycle is noted for short springs and autumns.

The K. acuminata at The Union Buildings.

However, one beautiful autumn coincided with the bonsai exhibition at The Japanese festival in Pretoria in May 2025.

The members of the Pretoria Bonsai Kai and Bonsai Addicts, who participated in the exhibition, were sure to bring their colourful trees. All the usual contenders were there, like elms and maples, dropping confetti of colour on the tables.

It was Jaco Kriek’s Commiphora neglecta (green-stemmed corkwood), that stole the

show for me. All our Commiphora consistently display butter- yellow foliage in autumn, which further contributes to the appeal of these trees for bonsai.

Although not a new discovery, but certainly targeted by yamadori

diggers of late, is the Croton gratissimus (lavender fever berry).

Its common name should be no distraction, as the beautifully scented berries are traditionally used to cure fevers. Their deeply fissured bark and striking deadwood caught attention.

Furthermore, a variety of colours ranging from silver, yellow and an almost luminous orange will be presented simultaneously.

The late louis van der Walt’s C. gratissimus in autumn.

Autumn isn’t just the announcement of the end of summer and

the entrance of winter, it is a fleeting moment having so much to

appreciate, like some of the isolated experiences mentioned. It is

also the single moment that justifies the use of colourful and

glazed pots for deciduous bonsai. If I had the space and means

available, I would dedicate one large section of my garden to host

autumn colour bonsai. For now, I am more than satisfied appreciating isolated flashes of colour in my collection, as they appear in my suburban surroundings. Should you also have a fascination for autumn colour, be sure to add the following suitable indigenous trees for bonsai, along with the above mentioned, to your collection

Above left- Heteropyxis natalensis. Below left- Spirostachys Right - Combretum krausii.