Maples and Burning Bush might be the best-known stars of Autumn, but there are plenty of fantastic trees and shrubs for bringing brilliant, evocative Fall color to landscapes!
Autumn is the season of crisp evenings, long shadows, and most of all, Fall color. Leaves morph from green into unexpected and delightful shades of amber, gold, and scarlet. One of the most magical, albeit scientific, things about Autumnal leaf color is that the shades of reds, oranges, and yellows are present within the leaf all season long. Only when the weather turns and days get shorter do the leaves break down their important green chlorophyll to reveal the spectacular pigments from purple and red anthocyanins or orange and yellow carotenoids. Fall is the season of literal change!
Although the beauty may be fleeting, it is no less spectacular. While you might appreciate leaf-peeping as you drive around town, there’s nothing quite like experiencing the kaleidoscope of colors right in your own backyard—there are so many fantastic, garden-worthy plants that can add the dramatic hues of Fall to your landscape.
Generally, the best fall color will be found in deciduous trees and shrubs that are planted in full sun, where the production of all pigments is amped up.
Here are our seven favorite underappreciated trees and shrubs for vivid Fall color in the garden.
1. Ginkgo/Maidenhair Tree – Ginkgo biloba
With grass-green, distinctive fan-shaped leaves, Ginkgos undergo a dramatic transformation each Fall into clouds of uniform, electric golden yellow. One of the oldest existing plants, Ginkgos are easy to establish and grow about 2 feet per year to reaching 25–50 feet tall and 25–35 feet wide at maturity, depending on the variety. This deciduous tree is drought-tolerant once established and prefers full sun, but can take partial shade conditions. Our favorite large-scale variety is Ginkgo ‘Autumn Gold’, and we love the columnar form of Ginkgo ‘Princeton Sentry’ in landscapes where space may be tight but height is desired. For a small specimen tree in containers, Ginkgo ‘Jade Butterflies’ can’t be beat!
2. Smoketree – Cotinus sp.
The leaves of Smoketrees shift from moody, muted tones in grey-green, burgundy, and chartreuse into vibrant, zingy tones of yellow, orange, red, pink, and purple as they change colors each Autumn. The large, matte leaves are the perfect backdrop for the unique, billowy plumes of one-of-a-kind flowers that are produced all over the tree in late Spring and Summer, earning Cotinus the common moniker, “Smoketree”. The multi-stemmed, unique form of this large shrub lends itself to use in the garden as either or tree or shrub, depending on location and pruning. Most varieties of Cotinus reach 10–15 tall and wide when they mature. For lovers of dusky “Composed” or “Moody” color palettes, plant ‘Royal Purple’ or ‘Grace’, or if you favor more of an energizing punch, try the lime-green ‘Golden Spirit’.
3. Persian Ironwood – Parrotia persica
The oval, toothed leaves of Parrotia feature exciting, variable shades of gold, orange, and red each Fall. Parrotias have earned the common name “Ironwood” thanks to their reliable and sturdy growth, even in challenging urban settings. The small, crimson pom-pom flowers in Spring and peeling, grey bark add to the appeal of this excellent tree. Narrow, upright forms like ‘Ruby Vase’ are perfect for small gardens or plantings near streets or driveways, maturing at 30 feet tall and only 15 feet wide. We love Persian Ironwood so much, we listed it as one of our top 7 Underappreciated Sun Plants!
4. Witch Alder – Fothergilla sp.
Each Fall, Fothergillas put on a phenomenal show as their demure, blue-green foliage turns dramatic shades of red, burgundy, purple, and orange. These shrubs are incredibly easy to care for and look great planted in a variety of different landscapes. The creamy-white blooms emerge from bare branches in Spring and resemble a bottle brush crossed with a pom-pom. We love the unique look of these unusual flowers, which is why we listed them as one of our top 7 Underappreciated Flowering Trees & Shrubs. Fothergilla major reaches between 6–10 feet in height, and dwarf fothergillas (Fothergilla gardenii) like ‘Mt. Airy’ and ‘Blue Shadow’ stay around 3 feet tall and wide.
5. Witch Hazel – Hamamelis sp.
In Autumn, the quilted, classic-green leaves of Hamamelis turn into a multi-colored rainbow of yellows, oranges, reds and purples. After the Fall display ends, Witch Hazels are one of the earliest plants too bloom in the new year, with tassle-like, sweetly fragrant blooms borne on bare stems from January into March. Most varieties of this large vase-shaped shrub mature around 15 feet tall and wide are distinguished by their flower color. For brilliant yellow, plant ‘Arnold’s Promise’, or try the coppery-orange blooms of ‘Jelena’, or dusky red coloration of ‘Diane’.
6. Tiger Eyes Sumac – Rhus typhina ‘Bailtiger’
If you’re looking for a way to bring more sunset tones to your Fall landscape, look no further than Tiger Eyes Sumac! This gorgeous, multifaceted deciduous shrub has ferny, chartreuse compound leaves that turn intense pink and orange in Autumn. We love using this unique foliage in bouquets for pops of color or tucked into our Fall décor! Tiger Eyes Sumac typically matures to 6 feet tall and wide and puts on the most colorful display in full sun, but can tolerate partial shade.
7. Blueberry –Vaccinium corymbosum
There are so many things to love about Blueberries, and the brilliant red and rich burgundy Fall foliage is right at the top of our list! These delicious, edible plants have multi-toned green leaves that put on a dazzling display in the Fall after the berries have been picked clean by gardeners, children, and visiting birds. Blueberries make fantastic landscape plants that mature around 6 fall tall and 4 feet wide and can be used as an informal hedge or as a backdrop to flowering plants or edibles. Most Blueberries produce more fruit when planted in pairs with a different fruiting variety, which is a win-win for foodies and gardeners alike!
Our Portland-area Garden Centers in Cedar Hills, Lake Oswego, and Vancouver, and our nursery on the Oregon Coast, have fantastic selections of trees and shrubs to boost up your landscape. Fall is the best time to plant, so visit us today to find the perfect Fall foliage plant for your garden!