Fall Color: The Shrub Edition

 

Last week I wrote about fall foliage on trees, encouraging home owners to Bring It Home by including native trees known for good color. Not everyone has room for big trees when they are considering what to plant for fall color so this post is dedicated to some ideas for shrubs. Fall color is courtesy of deciduous plants; the plant stops making chlorophyll (green pigment), leaving only the pigments for carotenoids (yellow/orange) and/or anthocyanin (red), thus revealing the colors that are so pretty. Afterwards, the leaves fall off and become nourishment for the next cycle.

For full sun (6+ hours of sun), consider the following shrubs:

Fothergilla is a spring blooming shrub with handsome summer foliage and spectacular fall foliage. I call it my fruit cocktail shrub because it often has a mix of red, orange, yellow and even green at the same time. The hybrid ‘Mt. Airy’ is a cross between two native species is quite garden-worthy but if you have a big space go for Fothergilla major or if you like a bit of bluish foliage then choose Fothergilla gardenii.

Fothergilla 'Mt. Airy'

Cultivated blueberry (Vaccinium)

Blueberries (Vaccinium spp.) have fabulous fall color, and if you choose the cultivated ones you can have fruit too. Be sure to choose several different ones to ensure good cross-pollination for best fruit. Read my earlier blog on blueberries to learn more.

St. John’s wort has several species of native shrubs but perhaps the best one for fall color is Hypericum frondosum. It is often available as the cultivar ‘Sunburst’ which was selected for larger flowers but does not compromise the value to pollinators one bit. Bees love it! The fall color can be a kaleidoscope of colors including pink and yellow.

Viburnum dentatum in fall

Viburnum nudum

Several of the native viburnums fit in the full sun category and can have outstanding fall color. Viburnum dentatum, called arrowwood for its very straight limbs, does very well but can get tall. The cultivar ‘Blue Muffin’ was selected for compact height, up to 5 feet, and produces both flowers and fruit that are attractive to wildlife. In moist areas, possumhaw viburnum (Viburnum nudum) does very well and has incredibly good fall color. Another large sun-loving one is blackhaw (Viburnum prunifolium); it can double as a small tree with a height up to 20 feet. A smaller viburnum is Viburnum obovatum (especially dwarf cultivars) it is probably the one viburnum that doesn’t seem to have showy fall color. Read more about viburnums in my earlier post.

Chokeberries have great fall color, both the red (Aronia arbutifolia) and the black-fruited (Aronia melanocarpa) ones. They are naturally large and suckering shrubs but several compact cultivars have been selected (dwarf forms do not necessarily compromise the value to wildlife). Black chokeberry has also recently gotten a lot of attention for its fruits being high in antioxidants. Read more about chokeberries and their cultivars here.

Winged sumac (Rhus copallinum)

Smooth sumac (Rhus glabra)

Sumac lights up the roadsides but isn’t always selected for home gardens because it is perceived as unruly. Grow smooth sumac (Rhus glabra) in a pot or select the low-growing fragrant sumac (Rhus aromatica). Sumac is not always easy to find in cultivation but it is worth it.

For part sun (less than 6 hours), many of the above shrubs can grow with fewer than 6 hours but might not bloom as much; consider also the following:

Oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia) has long been a popular landscape shrub and the fall color is superb. Read my earlier blog for more details and why many folks consider it to be a 4-season shrub. The species is large but many dwarf cultivars exist. For best wildlife support, avoid the ones with double flowers.

Oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia)

Itea virginica (a wild plant)

Itea virginica goes by the name Virginia sweetspire, and, like oakleaf hydrangea, has long been in the nursery trade. It is an adaptable native shrub naturally found on streamsides where its suckering habit helps to hold the bank against erosion. Dwarf cultivars and others that have more consistent fall color are available in nurseries.

I mentioned native viburnums in the sun section but there are several species you should consider for part sun areas. Mapleleaf viburnum (Viburnum acerifolium) is excellent for part shade; it was the subject of my very first entry on this blog. Also suitable is rusty blackhaw (Viburnum rufidulum), a taller but slow-growing species that could work as a small tree.

Mapleleaf viburnum

Also mapleleaf viburnum

A part-sun sumac that does well at my house is winged sumac (Rhus copallinum). This plant was already here when we moved in and continues to delight us with brilliant red leaves each fall. See the photo earlier in this blog.

Fall color is especially noticeable when you have an occasional evergreen plant that helps show off the colors of the deciduous shrubs. Find some evergreen ideas in this post.

In the mood for other shrub ideas? Check out this post on shrubs. Keep in mind that when you choose native shrubs, you also help contribute to the local ecosystem by providing bugs and birds more of the choices they evolved with.