Though many of us purchase trees for their Spring blooms, or simply to provide some shade in our yards, there are many varieties available that have so much more to offer. Here we have listed some of those that provide beautiful coloration during the cooler months of Autumn.
- Acer sacchurum – Sugar Maple.
Not only does this make for a nice large and stately tree, the Fall colors it provides are absolutely stunning. It’s leaf color ranges from yellows to reds throughout the fall season, and is a beautiful sight to behold. One word of caution about this tree, it is very shallow rooted, and this should be taken into consideration when choosing a planting site. - Acer palmatum – Japanese Maple.
This species has so many varieties available it would be impossible to list them all in this article (in fact it would need a pretty thick book!), but they all have beautiful Fall coloration. Ranging from light yellow to deep burgundy there is bound to be a color to suit your tastes. These trees tend to be pretty slow growing, but their height ranges from 7 – 25′. - Cercidyphillum japonicum – Katsura Tree.
As well as having nice coloration on it’s new growth in the Spring, this tree also exhibits yellow to orange colors in the Fall. A true three season specimen. - Fraxinus pennsylvanica – Green Ash.
Not only is this fast growing tree very adaptable to a wide variety of soil and climactic conditions, it also exhibits beautiful yellow Fall foliage. - Ginkgo biloba – Maidenhair Tree.
One of the oldest known trees in existence, Ginkgo has an unusual leaf structure, and it also exhibits pretty, clear yellow foliage in the Autumn. - Lagaerstromia indica – Crape Myrtle.
When the pretty blooms are finished on this tree the foliage starts to turn to oranges and reds, making it attractive through the Autumn as well as the Summer. - Oxydendrum arboreum – Sourwood.
Not as widely used as perhaps it could or should be this tree has absolutely stunning color in the Fall. The foliage starts turning yellow/orange and then becomes a beautiful, fiery red. - Prunus serrulata – Japanese Flowering Cherry.
A very popular tree due to it’s profusion of Spring blooms, it’s Fall color is often overlooked, which is, in fact, very pretty. It’s bright red leaves can add beauty to any front yard. - Picea pungens ‘Iseli Foxtail’ – Foxtail Spruce.
With a much smaller mature height than regular Blue Spruce, but exhibiting the same clean blue coloration, this makes for an interesting addition to any landscape. The color actually holds well throughout the whole year, but is most noticeable in Fall and Winter when other trees and shrubs look brown and bare.