While cooler temperatures are soon on the way, that doesn’t mean the growing season ends as soon as summer does! Fall can bring about some of the richest, brightest colors of the year, thanks to the changing foliage of various trees and bushes. While they may flesh out the rest of your landscape during the summer, making your yard look extra lush and green, these trees and shrubs are showstoppers on their own come fall.
Best Fall Shrubs
These shrubs will liven up your Bismarck backyard, not only in fall but also throughout the year!
Amur Maple
Amur Maple has green leaves that turn shades of brilliant orange and red in the fall. Once established, this shrub is drought tolerant. The red two-winged samaras, or “helicopter seeds,” hang on into fall and even winter. Grow in a spot with full sun to part shade.
Burning Bush
With a name like that, it’s no wonder Burning Bush is known for its bright fall color. Turning bright red in fall, this shrub is suitable as a hedge, screen, or an accent. While it can tolerate shade, Burning Bush will have the best color if grown in full sun.
Cotoneaster
This hedge plant has small pink flowers in the summer that are followed by black fruit in late summer to fall. Cotoneaster is a hardy shrub, able to tolerate drought, strong winds, and infertile soil. This wide-spreading plant has red foliage in fall and prefers full sun.
Spirea
A popular flowering shrub for any yard, Spirea is a versatile plant, suitable for mass plantings, borders, hedges, and even groundcover. Depending on the cultivar, this shrub turns shades of bronze, orange, purple, and red in the fall months. This is a hardy plant—some varieties are disease resistant, tolerate heat and drought. Spirea grows in a variety of soil conditions and performs best in full sun, though tolerates light shade.
Sumac
With beautiful fern-like compound leaves, Sumac has green to yellow foliage that turns red, orange, or purple in fall. Clusters of red fruit, which birds love, appear in fall, and they stick around into winter. Sumac likes full sun though it can tolerate part shade.
Best Trees for Fall Color
Trees with brilliantly colored fall foliage will add beautiful height and color to your yard.
Autumn Brilliance Serviceberry
This is a true multi-season tree: in spring, white flowers bloom; in summer, edible fruit appears; in fall, the foliage changes from dark green to shades of orange and red, and in winter, the silver bark adds interest to your landscape. Growing as trees or large shrubs, Autumn Brilliance Serviceberry does best in full sun to part shade.
Hawthorn
A shorter tree with horizontal branching; Hawthorn has white flowers in late spring followed by red berries in summer that persists until fall, meaning birds will stop by often. This tree is tolerant of dry conditions, though it prefers moist soil. Find a sunny spot to grow your Hawthorn tree for the best performance.
Quaking Aspen
A fast-growing tree tolerant to a range of soil conditions, Quaking Aspen turns a gorgeous golden-yellow in fall. Also called Trembling Aspen, this tree is native to North America. Besides the brilliant fall color, the smooth white bark also adds interest to your landscape. Grow in full sun for best results.
Weeping Caragana
Turning yellow in fall, this small, weeping-form tree has fern-like foliage, smooth bark, and yellow pea-like flowers in spring. Weeping Caragana makes a great accent in your landscape. Preferring full sun or partial shade, this tree is hardy and durable.
Your landscape can—and should!—look great any time of year, and incorporating these fall shrubs and trees will do the trick! Let us know if you have any questions about what ones are most suitable for your yard.