IN MANY towns, leaves are withering on the plane trees and falling into the gutters. Road sweepers are being kept unseasonably busy.
This is because the trees have become infected with a fungal disease called anthracnose. It is not a very serious disease and was probably brought on by the heavy rain last month. The fall of the leaves is not, as some people have understandably supposed, a result of drought, and the trees are not dying. In fact the hot, sunny weather this month will probably kill off the fungus. The trees have quite enough leaves left on them to come to no harm.
In the hedges the dogwood trees are covered with sparkling rosettes of white flowers. Except at this season, dogwood is easy to overlook, but it is attractive in other respects too. The stalks are dark red, and the oval leaves with a curly point are folded back in a curious way. The leaves also turn purple long before autumn, and some of them already have a hint of colour about them.
The dog roses in the hedges have had a battering in the rain, but they are hanging on, rather dishevelled.
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DJM