The Thanksgiving Tree

See that scraggly looking liquidamber tree in the middle of the window? That is my Thanksgiving tree. I love these trees, also called sweet gum, for many reasons. They have beautiful bright green leaves all summer, gorgeous color in the fall and lose all their leaves to let the sun in during the winter months. They do have spiky seed armatures that can be a nuisance if they are planted near sitting areas or places where kids run barefoot, but they have never been a problem for the three trees that I have planted in the Laguna garden. I chose this spot to plant it so that during the Thanksgiving holiday when you look out that large dining room window you will see the fall colors. There are quite a few of these trees in our SJC neighborhood and a lot on our street giving the whole area a distinct "fall" feeling as the leaves turn various colors based on the hybrid that is planted. Some are yellow, some red, some orange and there is even one a few blocks away that I swear must be grafted three different hybrids on one tree because it has different colored sections. And yes, it does drop its leaves which I am looking forward to for some good old leaf mulch!