Officials steer foliage fans to best local displays
Print Edition
FOR local retiree and amateur photographer Du Zhonggang, autumn is the most enchanting season in Shanghai thanks to the city’s kaleidoscopic display of fall colors.
“Capturing the hues of autumn is a delight for me, and the city is more colorful year by year,” Du says.
He has a list of favorite places to capture the fall foliage — Shanghai Concert Hall in Huangpu District for the gold gingkos, Langxia Town in Jinshan District for its red maple forest, and Longxi Road in Changning District with its bright yellow wingleaf soapberry.
Because many trees have still not reached peak color, Du says he is still waiting and watching for the best of nature’s seasonal show.
“The gingko trees have just slightly changed color, and I am waiting for a golden carpet, which is very beautiful and brightens the cold days,” he says.
Other plants, such as the Chinese flame trees, are now showing their fall hues, and will soon paint the city with a mix of red, yellow, orange and gold.
The Shanghai Greenery and Public Sanitation Bureau recently released the city’s first official map for appreciating autumn landscape, which lists the best times and locations to view autumn foliage plants across the city.
The map lists 31 plants that have colored foliage or fruits, as well as 54 spots and 14 parks across the city to view them.
Peak season
Shanghai’s autumn colors last about two months between late September and early December, according to the bureau.
Chinese flame trees are the earliest in the city to turn, and their colors reach peak vibrancy in late September. The best time to view plants like the gingko, dawn redwood, wingleaf soapberry, chinar, Chinese tallow, sweet gum trees, and Chinese pistache is in late November.
The last to turn is the red maple, with the best time to appreciate this tree being late November and early December.
The brilliant color changes of fall are actually the fruits of years of maturation and biological processes, according to greenery authorities.
“It takes at least seven to 10 years of growth in some trees before their foliage turns for optimal appreciation,” says Zhang Guobing, director of the technical department of the Shanghai Greenery Management Station.
The seeds of some plants, like sweet gums, were introduced from Canada and the United States 10 years ago, and the species of trees with colored foliage are strictly screened to ensure they can survive in Shanghai, Zhang says.
“In the past, making Shanghai green was our major goal. But now, we want to make the city colorful as well. “Greenery is what first impresses visitors to the city, after its architecture,” Zhang says.
Nuttall oaks with red foliage, which can be spotted at Shanghai Culture Square on Shaanxi Road S. and Fuxing Road M., were also introduced from North America. Some other non-native species with colorful foliage include Chinese pistache and red maple, also known as swamp.
Giving nature a hand
“Shanghai’s temperature and humidity poses a challenge for the healthy growth of plants with colored leaves,” Zhang says.
Spring and autumn are short in Shanghai, so many plants can not adjust to the sudden change of temperature and their chlorophyll has not yet turned into anthocyanin, water-soluble pigments that determine the color of plants, explains Zhang.
In addition, growing space for trees on the city’s streets is limited, which also hinders their development, according to Zhang.
To address these problems, local greenery authorities have adjusted their planting techniques and are now researching a fertilizer that will improve the growth of curb-side trees, he says.
Authorities also plan to introduce more plants with colorful fruit for public view.
People’s Avenue and the south square of the Shanghai Concert Hall are among the best spots to appreciate gingko in the city, while Hengshan and Wukang roads are known for chinar, the official map reveals.
The city’s two botanical gardens have the largest variety of plants, covering almost all common autumn foliage trees.
Parks primed for leaf gazing
1. Shanghai Botanical Garden in Xuhui District has 10 species of trees with colored foliage, including the ginkgo, maple, chinar and Chinese tulip poplar.
The ginkgo is one of the local colored tree species with the best performance in autumn. It’s also an iconic symbol of autumn in the city.
When its golden leaves fall, the ground becomes shrouded in a golden carpet. It can be planted on sidewalks as well as inside gardens.
2. Chenshan Botanical Garden in suburban Songjiang District has Chinese tallow, gingko, maple and Chinese Golden Larch, to name a few.
The Chinese tallow inside the garden has already started turning brilliant red.
Abundant sunshine can increase the anthocyanidin in Chinese tallow, while dropping temperatures will lead to a rise of soluble sugar in the plant. The red color can be seen when anthocyanidin meets soluble sugar, experts with the garden explained.
3. Binjiang Forest Park in the Pudong New Area has a large number of dawn redwood. The autumn foliage of this tree is a foxy reddish-brown. It’s among the last trees to display autumn foliage.
4. Jing'an Sculpture Park in downtown Jing’an District is known for red maple, also known as swamp. It can turn orange-red and deep-red, depending on species. It changes color gradually, with the leaves turning red and yellow.
5. Zhongshan Park in Changning District boasts chinar, ginkgo, dawn redwood and maples.
Other parks in Shanghai where you can appreciate autumn landscape
6. The Gongqing Forest Park
7. Century Park
8. Fuxing Park
9. People’s Park
10. Xiangyang Park
11. Guhua Park
12. Gushu Park
13. Shanghai Zoo
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