Glorious Fall Color

Autumn has finally arrived.  Mornings have a nip in the air and afternoons often bring the smell of burning leaves.  Weekends are perfect for cooking soup in the crockpot and watching football on TV.  Everywhere you turn, you see the colors of autumn: brilliant yellows; fiery oranges; and burnt reds.

Now is the perfect time to evaluate your own landscape and consider planting a few of the following autumn superstars to add fall color to your garden.  

Trees-

Red maple is a Southern native reaching 40-60 feet. Young trees are pyramidal, becoming more rounded at maturity. It is called red maple for its reddish spring flowers which often go unnoticed. The bark is smooth and gray. Fall leaves develop into glorious yellows and reds. ‘October Glory’ and ‘Autumn Blaze’ offer reliable color and are recommended for the South.

Ginkgo trees have lived since prehistoric times.  The unique, fan-shaped leaves have been found in fossils.  These green leaves turn a brilliant, clear yellow in the fall then drop from the tree overnight creating a golden puddle on the lawn beneath. Visit Piedmont Park for a fall viewing of these unusual trees.  Verify you are buying male trees since the female trees produce fruit that smells rancid as it matures

American yellowwood is an uncommon native tree.  It is not widely sold but can be purchased at the Trees Atlanta’s annual fundraiser  (www.treesatlanta.org). These trees are low-branching with broad, rounded crowns growing to 30-50 feet tall. Spectacular white spring flowers may bloom only in alternate years and look like wisteria hanging from the branches. In fall, the foliage turns butter-yellow. 

Sourwood is one of the best native trees for fall color.  Its leaves change early turning from red to maroon. The white flowers come in 4- to 10-inch finger-like clusters in June and July and are a favorite of pollinating bees.  On trips to the North Georgia Mountains in fall, look for delicious sourwood honey that is sold in many stores there.  Mature sourwood trees reach 25-35 feet or taller and are one of the first to show their fall colors.

Chinese pistache is a handsome, tough tree that's oval and rounded. Its pest-free leaves are lustrous, dark green with small leaflets, changing to rich orange-red in fall. The color change is slow and therefore provides nice color for a lengthy period.   Pistache is a medium shade tree, reaching 30-40 feet. It's hardy even through drought and infertile soils.  Chinese Pistache is being used in many cities as street trees.

Shrubs-

Winged Euonymous is often called burning bush because of its brilliant red fall foliage.  The deep dark red leaves almost glow with color in the autumn landscape.  The species can grow to be 15 feet but several of the compact varieties available only reach six feet. It is not fussy about soil requirements and there are no significant pest problems.

Rabbiteye blueberry is native to Georgia and makes a great landscape plant.  It is incredibly easy to grow and provides multi-season interest.  In spring it is covered with dainty white flowers much like lily-of-the-valley.  In the heat of the summer they explode with berries ripe for picking.  In fall the leaves turn a scarlet red rivaling that of burning bush.

The most important thing to remember when planting is that you must have more than one variety for cross-pollination.  Cross-pollination is necessary for fruit to develop.  Varieties you may see at your local nursery are Brightwell, Climax, Premier, and Powderblue.  

Oakleaf Hydrangea is a native plant for all seasons. In late spring the flower clusters appear—large creamy pyramids that look like giant soft-serve ice cream cones. Aging is a long and beautiful process for these flowers: As the months pass, they change from light pink to rose to a pleasing tan, and they remain on the plant well into winter. Autumn turns the leaves rich wine colors and they hang on until late November or even early December. Come January, the sculptural branches and peach-colored exfoliating bark provide plenty of winter interest. 

Fothergilla provides a multicolored display of yellow, orange and red foliage in fall.  Its bottlebrush-like white flowers have a faint honey scent and are showy in April and May.

This native is a compact, slow-growing, deciduous shrub with a dense, mounded, upright-spreading habit which typically grows between four and seven feet tall and wide depending on the variety.  It prefers full sun to part shade.   For the most intense color, site your fothergilla in full sun or the kind of high, dappled shade provided by pines. Though the leaves still color in heavier shade, their hues tend to be a bit more subdued.

November is a great month to plant trees and shrubs.  New plants develop strong roots in the cooler, moist fall soils.  Take a break between football games and enjoy the cool fall weather while you plant one of these autumn superstars in your garden.

Julie Foster is co-owner of Gardens By Design, LLC which specializes in landscape design and consultation.  Visit their website at www.gardens-bydesign.com for information regarding their services.