By Jim McCausland, Sunset senior garden writer
Every season has its own scent. For me, the mellow smell of cottonwood (left) tells me that autumn is here. Last weekend I caught that unmistakable fragrance at Harrison Lake in British Columbia, and had to look around to see that it was coming from trees 200 or 300 yards away.
A close competitor is quince (at right); and quince trees are way easier to squeeze into the garden than cottonwoods! Bring just one ripe yellow quince fruit inside and it will perfume a room for days.
The third is one I’ve only heard about: it's a brown-sugar smell that is supposed to arise from the autumn leaves on katsura tree (Cercidiphyllum japonicum, below). It is also said to appear when leaves emerge in spring. I’d grow katsura for its apricot autumn leaves alone, but if it has fragrance too, so much the better.
What’s your favorite fall scent?
