Trees and shrubs for fall gardens

While the late-summer blossoms are starting to pass, many new plants with colorful foliage and impressive flowers are just starting to peak, marking the transition from summer to fall.

Shrubs

Virginia Sweetspire

Itea virginica

Attractive and fragrant summer flowers. Long lasting scarlet fall foliage. Grows 3-4 feet, tolerant of moist soil and dooes well in sun and shade.

Winterberry

Ilex verticullata

Native and tolerant of adverse conditions. Females produce showy red berries that last from fall well into the winter. Must have a male pollinator to produce berries. Excellent choice for moist soils.

Red and Yellow twig Dogwood

Cornus alba and Cornus sericea

Hardy and vigorous. Colorful branches add color and texture to fall and winter landscapes especially when planted in groups or masses. Grows 6-10 feet. Prune in the spring to maintain size and to produce the brightest color which appears on the newest stems.

Viburnum

Viburnum

Vigorous and upright growing. Leaves vary in shape, size, texture and color for each variety. Most varieties offer large white flowers in spring and fall foliage ranging from deep-scarlet to orange.

Varietites include: Arrowwood (dentatum), Doublefile (plicatum tomentosum), Linden (dilatum), Winterhur (nudum), Blackhaw (prunifolium), American Cranberrybush (trilobum).

Oakleaf Hydrangea

Hydrangea quercifolia

Native shrub with large bright white flowers in June. Long lasting colorful foliage turns shades of orange, red and deep scarlet-purple in fall. Grows 3-6 feet, shade tolerant.

Witchhazel

Hamamelis x intermedia

Unique, late-winter flowering shrub. The fragrant flowers have 4 thin petals that open during the day and close at night. Fall foliage can be a rich orange to a bright yellow. Grows up to 20 feet, but can be pruned to maintain desired height.

Trees

Red Maple

Acer rubrum

One of the most identifiable native trees and one of the earliest to show off its fall colors. Ranging from bright yellows, oranges and deep-reds, thier brilliant fall foliage contrasts thier silver-gray bark. Also known as Swamp Maples, they're very tolerant of wet soils and can reach heights of 40 feet at maturity.

Varieties include: October Glory and Red Sunset.

Japanese Maple

Acer palmatum

With thier unique branching, diverse leaf shapes and varying leaf colors, few groups of trees have more landscape value than the many cultivars of Japanese Maple. As the season changes, the different cultivars offer an array of spectacular colors ranging from fiery reds to intense oranges and yellows.

Varieties include: Bloodgood, Autopurpureum 'Oshio Beni', Katsura, Shindeshojo, Shishigashira, Red Dragon and Seiryu.

Ginkgo

Ginkgo biloba

One of the most ancient species of tree, Ginkgos are tolerant of harsh conditions. Branching is sparse when they're young, but as they mature they develop an attractive shape with large graceful branches and delitcate leaves. Their distinctive fan shaped leaves turn from green to a golden-yellow in fall.

River Birch

Betula nigra

Commonly multi-stemmed, River Birches are vigorous and upright growing with beautiful exfoliating bark that is cream colored on the surface revealing shades of peach and reddish-brown underneath. Its long thin branches are lined by green leaves with silver-gray undersides that turn golden-yellow in fall. Very tolerant of wet soils and can reach 30-35 feet at maturity.

Serviceberry

Amelanchier x grandiflora

Hardy, native small tree or large shrub that offers something for every season. White flowers bloom in April and red berries are produced in the summer. With the fall comes brilliant red foliage and the light gray bark and attractive branching habit bring elegance to the winter landscape only reaching 12-18 feet.

Sugar Maple

Acer saccharum

A tall native shade tree with a large oval crown, excellent for large lawns, parks and other open spaces. Commonly found throughout this regions woodlands as well as front yards of many New England homes, Sugar Maples display long lasting fiery-red/orange foliage throughout the fall. They prefer moist well-drained soil and will reach 30-40 feet at maturity.

Dogwood

Cornus florida

A popular tree in many landscapes, prized for their plentiful early-spring flowers in April and May, a Dogwood's foliage shows off shades of bright-pink to deep-scarlet-red colors in the fall. In winter snow sits on their sturdy horizontal branches and rough grayish-brown bark contentedly wating for spring.