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11 Trees & Shrubs to Add Color to Your Fall Landscape
We have so many shrubs and trees we love for fall color - both due to their foliage as well as berries! Our list includes what makes it special to us as well as growing details to know if it's a fit for your location.
TREES
1) Sweet Gum - Liquidambar styraciflua
This native shade tree is a wildlife haven! It also displays a mix of red, orange, yellow, and purple foliage - all at once!
USDA Growing Zones: 5-9
Height: 60-75'
Spread: 40-50'
Sun Exposure: Full Sun
Soil Needs: Tolerant of a wide range of conditions: Acidic, clay, drought, loamy, moist, sandy, well drained and wet - Can handle it all!
2) 'Brandywine' Red Maple - Acer rubrum 'Brandywine'
'Brandywine' is a cross between 'October Glory' and 'Autumn Flame' resulting in a more intense and consistent scarlet fall foliage than any other variety! This variety is also smaller than most maples and makes a great choice for those needing a shade tree on the small side. Painters Greenhouse will also offer 'Autumn Blaze', 'Sun Valley', and 'October Glory' Red Maples during Fall Season - all produce an outstanding display of color, but the below information covers 'Brandywine' only.
USDA Growing Zones: 4-8
Height: 35-50'
Spread: 25-40'
Sun Exposure: Full Sun
Soil Preference: Moist, well-drained, acidic soil
3) Sourwood - Oxydendrum arboreum
A medium-sized, native tree with a lot to offer in summer and throughout fall: fragrant summer flowers (bees love them, and they are the reason for delicious Sourwood honey), and stunning scarlet fall foliage!
USDA Growing Zones: 5-9
Height: 25-30'
Spread: 20'
Sun Exposure: Full sun
Soil Needs: Grows in acidic, loamy, moist, sandy, well-drained and clay soils. Sourwoods prefer normal moisture, but has some drought tolerance
4) Northern Red Oak - Quercus rubra
A stately, native tree with foliage that undergoes stages of color from orange to russett-red to bright red.
USDA Growing Zones: 3-8
Height: 60-75'
Spread: 45'
Sun Exposure: Full sun is ideal, she get at least 6 hrs of direct sunlight each day
Soil Needs: Grows in acidic loamy, moist, sandy, well-drained and clay soils. Prefers normal moisture, but will tolerant some drought once established
5) Bald Cypress - Taxodium distichum
This native, deciduous conifer's foliage turns a fiery cinnamon/orange color in the fall!
USDA Growing Zones: 4-10
Height: 50-70'
Spread: 25'
Sun Exposure: Full sun
Soil Needs: Bald Cypress is very adaptable and can handle wet or dry conditions, while also withstanding flooding.
SHRUBS
6) American Witchhazel - Hamamelis virginiana
A native shrub (or small tree) with fantastic fall color and blooms! Leaves are yellow to yellow-orange in fall and fragrant blooms adorn the shrub October through December. A great fall specimen!
USDA Growing Zones: 3-8=Height: 15-30'
Spread: 15-25'
Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade - prefers a minimum of 4 hrs direct sunlight
Soil Needs: A fairly tolerant plant - grows well in acidic, loamy, moist, rich, sandy, silty loam and well-drained soils - handles a variety of moisture conditions
7) Fragrant Sumac - Rhus aromatica
A great native low-lying shrub for open woodlands and along woodland edges. Leaves turn a bright orange and red foliage in fall. If female, the shrub can have bright red berries in the fall.
USDA Growing Zones: 2-8
Height: 5-12'
Spread: 4-6'
Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
Soil Needs: Can tolerate both moist and dry soils
8) American Beautyberry - Callicarpa americana
Produces bright magenta berries in fall and lasting into winter. A very low-maintenance and easy to grow native shrub - berries attract over 40 different bird species!
USDA Growing Zones: 5-10
Height: 6-10'
Spread: 6-10'
Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade - prefers a minimum of 4 hrs direct sunlight
Soil Needs: Grows well in acidic, alkaline, loamy, moist, rich, sandy, silt loam and well-drained soils. Drought-tolerant.
9) Himalayan Honeysuckle - Leycesteria formosa
Red and purple berries and bracts pop amongst burgundy-tinged chartreuse foliage. Other great features are blooms that attract butterflies and hummingbirds and fall berries are edible!
USDA Growing Zones: 7-10
Height: 6'
Spread: 6'
Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade preferred, but can be tolerate full shade
Soil Needs: Can handle a wide range of soil from dry to well-draining, moist soil
10) Bluebeard - Caryopteris x clandonensis 'Blue Mist'
Stunning powder-blue and periwinkle blooms all along the stems attract butterflies and bees. This long-bloomer will continue until the first frost! Another great feature about this shrub is the aromatic foliage, which also helps deter deer browsing!
USDA Growing Zones: 5-8
Height: 2-3'
Spread: 2-3'
Sun Exposure: Full Sun
Soil Needs: Prefers well-drained soil with average to medium moisture. Drought tolerant once established.
11) 'Limelight' Panicle Hydrangea - Hydrangea paniculata 'Limelight'
There are several varieties of Panicle Hydrangea available this Fall Season, but 'Limelight' is one of our favorites! Blooms open to a pale chartreuse-green and age to white. By the time fall comes the blooms age further to a rich antique pink and will eventually dry on the shrub.
USDA Growing Zones: 3-9
Height: 6-8'
Spread: 6-8'
Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
Soil Needs: Prefers moist, well-drained soil