Denny's Soapbox

Great Plants for Fall Color

The vast majority of shrubs and flowering trees are best known for their seasonal blooms that we enjoy in our landscape. Shade trees are usually selected for their speed of growth and not necessarily their fall leaf color. Today I would like to list my favorite plants by category that will give you great fall leaf color.

Shrubs

Hardy Evergreen Azaleas - even though they’re called evergreen, their green leaves turn a beautiful orange and red fall color. They fall off in the spring and are replaced with all new green leaves.

Japanese Red Leaf Barberry – not noted for any bloom, they still give you color with their burgundy/crimson leaves during the growing season. These same leaves turn a beautiful orange-red fall color.

Dream Catcher Beautybush – This vigorous shrub has new foliage in bright copper tones that quickly change to bold yellow, and remains that way through the weeks of mid-spring bloom, when soft pink blooms arise in great numbers along arching stems. Summer brings chartreuse and lime-green tones to the leaves, and in autumn they turn deep shades of orange and gold, with darker tips.

Dwarf Burning Bush – probably the most popular shrub for fall color. The leaves turn a brilliant red. This is a great shrub for many landscape uses in both sun and shade.

Itea Sweet Spire – a shrub that’s earning deserved popularity. Low growing, this shrub blooms for a month in late spring. The leaves turn a burgundy red in the fall with the leaves hanging on till way into winter.

Aronia ‘Autumn Magic’ – Its name perfectly describes the magical mixture of dramatic bright red and purple autumn hues. Fragrant, white spring flowers lead to late-summer deep purple/black berries against dark green, waxy summer foliage making this a three season plant. The berries are a favorite treat for birds of all kinds and not for deer. This is a deer resistant plant!

Dwarf Spirea – many varieties to choose from offering different leaf colors and bloom colors during the growing season. All varieties leaves turn a beautiful orange-red color in the fall.

Korean Lilac – besides a great small shrub that will tolerate some shade and has fragrant blooms in the spring, this shrub also has great orange to red fall leaf color.

Viburnum – several varieties of this shrub turn a brilliant red in the fall.

Crape Myrtle ‘Zuni’ – A special introduction featuring larger, dark lavender flower trusses in summer. Improved hardiness and handsome peeling bark. Excellent fall color from orange-red to maroon.

Flowering trees – Shade Trees

Serviceberry – outstanding tree with its spring blooms and summer fruit. The fall turns its leaves into a show of orange and different shades of red.

River Birch – a beautiful, borer resistant tree that turns a gorgeous yellow in the fall.

Acer saccharum ‘Green Mountain’ – A fast growing Sugar Maple, about 12” per year, that will reach 40-60’ tall and 30-50’ wide. Great selection for a shade tree that will have enough root space to prevent summer drought scorching; not ideal for a street planting. Yellow to orange fall color.

Acer saccharum ‘Fall Fiesta’ – This is a superior Sugar Maple with full and symmetrical branching and leathery, glossy, deep green leaves that are resistant to leaf tatter and leafhopper damage. It has an upright, rounded shape with a height of 50-75’ and spread of 50’. The fall color is outstanding with far more oranges and reds than other Sugar Maples.

Red Maple – a fast growing, desirable tree has special budded varieties guaranteeing you great red fall color. ‘October Glory’, ‘Red Sunset’, ‘Autumn Blaze’ and ‘Autumn Spire’ are among the best.

Kousa Dogwood – much hardier for our area than the Florida types, this tree has outstanding red leaf fall color.

Ornamental Flowering Pear – All varieties turn a crimson red in the fall. This family of trees is special in the fact that they wait until all other trees have dropped their leaves and then they turn color so they can be the only late show of fall color.

Tiger Eyes Sumac – this tree has beautiful bright lemon lime leaves during the growing season that turn a combination of orange to red fall color.

Red Oak – the hardiest of the red oak family for this area, this tree does what its name implies. The leaves turn red in the fall. Unlike the Pin oak, the red oak drops its leaves in the fall.

Ulmus x Morton ‘Accolade’ – A very disease and insect resistant variety of Elm. It has an upright spreading from growing 60’ tall and 40’ wide. It has glossy green foliage with an excellent yellow fall color.

There are other varieties of trees and shrubs that have good fall color. What I’ve listed are the ones that I personally feel are the best. Like everything in life beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.