Summer may be in the rear view mirror but show-stopping color doesn’t have to be! Fall can be the most rewarding season of all as plants make one final encore in an explosion of colors. Here are just a few surprises you might want to plant in your landscape.
Remember the blueberries you planted this spring? Well, stand back and enjoy their fall color display treat as well. Earliblue, Toro, and Bluetta provide red colors to the landscape. Duke, Berkeley and Jersey adorn the yard with yellow leaves while Darrow, Elliott and Brigitta offer burgundy leaves.
Fragrant Sumac (Rhus aromatica): A deciduous shrub producing green aromatic foliage sparkling brilliant scarlet or orange in the fall. Great for covering banks or slightly sloping areas. This sun or part shade plant has yellow flowers in the spring and red berries in the summer.
Dwarf Fothergilla (fothergilla gardenia): Plant dwarf fothergillas in every nook and cranny. They give so much in both summer and fall color yet ask for little of the gardener. Dense, round native shrub growing 2-3 feet tall, produces orange to scarlet fall color in sun. Enjoy creamy white, honey scented flowers in the spring.
American Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua): Often mistaken for a maple, this tree is a must-have. Cultivated specifically for its fall color, the glossy green summer leaves, hanging on late into the fall, turn to tones of rich yellow, purple, and red in the autumn. The American Sweetgum grows tall and relatively narrow (15′-20′ spread). Great urban tree.