Trees and Shrubs for Spectacular Fall Color

Fall is the time to shine for many trees and shrubs. Focusing on foliage that turns spectacular shades of orange, red, and yellow will warm up your landscape even as temperatures start to drop. The mild fall temperatures make for ideal conditions for planting trees and shrubs—transplanting during the summer heat can stress a plant’s roots, plus, we gardeners can use a break from the heat too!

Here are some of the best shrubs and trees to include for brilliant fall color.

Shrubs For Fall Color

Many shrubs provide interest throughout the year, not just in summer, giving you even more reason to include them in your backyard in Northwest Arkansas!

Barberry shrubs are low-maintenance options with fall foliage that turn shades of red, orange, or purple, depending on the variety. Many Barberry bushes have thorns, which act as a barrier to keep pests out. Include them in your landscape as foundational plantings or as hedges.

Burning Bush has striking foliage in fall, turning brilliant shades of orange and red. Also in fall, small berries appear that the birds love. This shrub makes for a great accent, hedge, or screen.

Red Twig Dogwood, a native to Arkansas, has varying fall foliage colors, depending on the variety. Once the leaves drop in fall, bright red branches are revealed that will brighten up your winter landscape. This is a four-season plant with white flowers followed by berries appearing in the spring.

Virginia Sweetspire (Itea) is a deciduous shrub native to Arkansas with dark green leaves that turn shades of red, orange, and gold in fall. From late spring to mid-summer, drooping fragrant flowers appear. With its rounded growth habit, this shrub looks excellent in mass plantings or mixed borders.

Viburnum has clusters of white flowers in spring, and in the fall the leaves turn red to purple, plus berries appear that attract birds. Use Viburnum as a focal point in your landscape or use multiple in shrub borders or as hedges.

Best Trees For Fall Interest

These ornamental trees will add spectacular fall color and height to your landscape.

Ginkgo, considered one of the oldest living tree species in the world, has fan-shaped leaves that turn from emerald green to gold in fall. Relatively low maintenance, Ginkgos are suitable for shade and are deer resistant.

Japanese Maples are some of the most colorful trees you can grow in Arkansas. While most varieties have vibrant fall foliage, some even show color in new leaves in spring. Besides differing colors, some also have various growth forms, from weeping to upright. Japanese Maples make for stunning focal plants.

Red Maples are known for their stunning fall colors. Depending on the cultivar, leaves can turn a brilliant red to a deeper wine-burgundy. This shade or accent tree doesn’t require a lot of maintenance, but keep in mind to prune it in the summer only after the leaves have fully developed.

Serviceberry provides interest all year, with white flowers in spring, edible berries in summer, orange and red foliage in fall, and silver bark in winter. Serviceberries can be grown as a small tree or large shrub. Serviceberry is also a native in Arkansas.

Sugar Maples, native to parts of North America, have green leaves that in fall turn a fiery blend of colors, from yellow to orange and red. This tall shade tree is adaptable to a range of soil types but dislikes air pollution and compaction.

Sumac, grown as large shrubs or small trees, has fern-like compound leaves that turn yellow, orange, or red in fall. Also in fall, red fruit clusters appear, attracting birds, and the clusters hang on into winter.

Planting trees and shrubs that provide fall interest will help you get the most use of your yard since you and your family will want to spend as much time as possible soaking in the sights of the changing foliage. Stop by one of our garden centers in Northwest Arkansas to start working on your fall interest landscape!