Designing for Fall Color
By Eileen Ellsworth
Have you ever admired some fall landscapes that just pop with color? Every property can be designed for autumn beauty. All it takes is thoughtfully adding just a few new native plants.
This time of year, native trees and plants slow or stop their active growth to save energy for the winter cold that will arrive soon. In the process their leaves lose their green color, revealing several underlying shades of yellow, gold, red, orange, and purple. The trick is knowing which ones to add in a pleasing and visually eye-catching way.
Here are some native plant suggestions to consider for now or even next spring.
Shrubs:
Winged Sumac (Rhus copallinum)
Come the fall, large, lance-shaped, and fiery red leaves adorn this hardy native. It produces high concentrations of the same kind of pigments that give raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries their color. As such, the bright red leaves appear lit from within when the sun hits them. The plant spreads rapidly through underground suckers, potentially creating large clusters across open spaces. This growth habit not only creates beautiful, bright red color blocks, but also turns the plant into a useful tool in efforts to control the spread of invasive, non-native plants. The fall color lasts a long time, often well into November, especially in full sun.
Witch Hazel (Hamamelis virginiana)
This shrub transforms its summer leaf green into shades of clear yellow, copper and scarlet. The colors are softly striking when backlit by late afternoon light. In November after the leaves fall off, thread-like blooms appear along the branches. Witch Hazel is resistant to most pests and diseases and grows well in full sun or partial shade.
Virginia Sweetspire (Itea virginica)
The leaves of this hardy native shrub produce quite a mix of fall color. Maroon, dark purple, orange and gold shades can all appear. Direct sunlight intensifies the fall colors, but the plant truly thrives in a variety of sun exposures and is relatively easy to grow. Virginia Sweetspire retains its leaves into December or even January. The remaining stems are dark purple-red or burgundy, adding additional winter interest. It produces fragrant, bottlebrush shaped white flowers in the spring that attract local pollinators.
Perennials, vines, and grasses:
Goldenrod (Solidago rugosa) and Asters (Symphyotrichum aromatica)
Yellow goldenrods and blue/purple asters are a fall staple. They complement each other’s color and shape. They are wildlife powerhouses as well, producing many flowers that attract and help feed late season pollinators. The asters are hosts to several species of butterflies and moths. Goldenrod also hosts butterflies and moths, along with midges, and several other insect species.
Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissum quinquefolia)
This common woodland vine is prized for its autumn foliage. Leaves turn a brilliant crimson red early in the season, making it easy to spot the vine in woodland settings as it rapidly climbs just about any kind of tree. It grows well in shade, but full sun brings out the best in its color. After it loses its leaves, dark blue-violet berries are left that help feed numerous native bird species. Unlike invasive, non-native vines, it does not hurt the trees it climbs on.
Pink Muhly Grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris)
This is a terrific choice for fall landscapes. The grass generates very delicate plumes of pink and purple that appear in early fall and last through December. The plumes move like misty clouds in a gentle breeze and glow pink in the low autumn light. Several plants together in one stand is a garden centerpiece. It thrives in many kinds of soil and handles extreme summer heat and dryness relatively well, though good drainage is essential.
Trees
Red Maple (Acer rubrum)
Red Maple is one of the most successful and widespread species in the entire eastern United States. Its pleasing form has also made it one of the most popular shade trees for local landscapes. Maples have high sugar concentrations in their leaves that enhance the vivid red, orange, and yellow foliage for which the tree is famous.
Hickories (Carya species)
Shagbark hickory is also widespread throughout the woodlands and forests of Northern Virginia. Like red maples they can grow quite large. In autumn they light up the forest with large lance-shaped leaflets that turn a brilliant yellow-gold, sometimes shifting to a yellow-brown or bronze as the season progresses. The tree is also known for producing large, husk-covered nuts in the fall upon which many animals feast.
No matter how you design your fall foliage plantings, remember that the brightness, longevity, and timing of leaf color will be impacted by sun exposure and weather conditions both before and during autumn. Leaf color is almost always more intense when the plant has grown in direct sun, and rainfall affects the timing of leaf color changes and brightness as well.
Here is a link to a Plant NOVA Natives webpage on gardening for fall color you can use as a reference. Click the photo galleries towards the bottom of the page for more suggestions.
Happy designing, happy planting, and enjoy every bit of fall color that comes your way.
