What’s not to love about fall color? The magical transition of summer foliage to the kaleidoscopic colors of autumn begins as the days shorten and nights lengthen. Many factors influence the color change as deciduous trees and shrubs ready themselves for winter by reducing the production of chlorophyll that gives leaves their basic green color. As chlorophyll fades, the bright orange, red, yellow and purple tones are revealed, a process that is explained by the US Forest Service: The Science of Fall Color.
Sure, fall color can be explained by botanists and environmental scientists, but that doesn’t take away from the magic. Best way to see the magic for yourself is to visit a nearby park, arboretum, forest or favorite garden center.
Excellent resources for predicting and tracking fall color in your area include a couple of aptly named websites: Explore Fall and The Foliage Report. Smoky Mountains National Park shares a national Fall Foliage Prediction Map. Via interactive maps on these and other sites, you can plan your fall foliage explorations by clicking on your state. You can even drill down to zip code level if you want to see when fall color will happen in your neighborhood.
Fall color is on the rise in our fields, and in our container yard, where we can always count on a rainbow of autumn tones that range from brilliant red to purples, oranges, yellows, golds and tawny brown. Last week’s blog, Red Alert!, featured trees notable for their outrageously bright red fall color: Our versatile Shantung Maple hybrids sport brilliant fall tones. More fall favorites are featured in our blog, Shorter, cooler days bring hints of fall color. More fall color standouts are described and pictured below.
Katsura Tree
Cercidiphyllum japonicum
Throughout the seasons, Katsura Tree’s delicate, heart-shaped leaves deliver a colorful and ever-changing show, beginning with bronze-tinted new growth that matures to bluish green in summer. Fall color of this uncommon beauty is most often bright butter yellow. Others sport peach and orange tints and sometimes rich apricot orange.
Katsura Tree is a reliable and trouble-free performer, with no serious disease or insect problems. It prefers rich, moist and slightly acid soils and does especially well in cool temperate areas such as the Pacific Northwest, coastal California and the mid-Atlantic states. Hardiness is USDA Zone 5.
Princeton Elm
Ulmus americana ‘Princeton’
Dark green foliage casts cool shade through the summer months before turning to rich golden yellow in autumn. The tree pictured grows more handsome each year in the J. Frank Schmidt, Jr. Arboretum.
Upright branch habit and relatively narrow, vase-shaped form recommend this American Elm cultivar for street tree use. Introduced in 1922 by Princeton Nurseries of New Jersey, it has proven for more than a century to be tolerant of Dutch elm disease. Adaptable to varied climates and growing conditions, it may well be the most widely planted of the American elm cultivars. Hardy through USDA Zone 4, it reaches a mature height and spread of about 65’ x 50’.
Crimson Spire™ Oak
Quercus x bimundorum ‘Crimschmidt’
True to its name, Crimson Spire™ Oak perks up the fall landscape with an attractive column of red-orange foliage. Its bright fall color and narrow growth habit offer a striking picture in autumn. An excellent choice for street tree plantings and narrow sites, it’s also an attractive accent tree where fastigiate form is desired.
Fresh-looking dark green to bluish-green summer foliage is heat and drought tolerant and mildew resistant. Red fall color is inherited from its White Oak (Quercus alba) parent. Fastigiate form, adaptability to a broad range of soil types, climates, and varied growing conditions are inherited from Columnar English Oak (Quercus robur ‘Fastigiata’). Under normal landscape conditions, it is estimated to grow in 30 years to an approximate height and spread of 45’ x 15’. Hardiness rating is USDA Zone 5.
Pink Cascade® Cherry
Prunus ‘NCPH1’ PP 27579
The first of the flowering cherries to bloom in the J. Frank Schmidt Jr. Arboretum, this standout tree presents cascades of large, bright pink, bell-shaped flowers that flow along its branches in early spring. Fragrant blooms are followed by healthy, dark green, refined foliage that turns bright orange red in autumn. This all-season beauty offers gracefully weeping branches that etch their dark outline against winter skies. Whether bare or covered with snow or twinkly holiday lights, they provide artful structure in any landscape setting.
Reminiscent in form and foliage of the popular white-blooming Snow Fountains® Cherry, this new weeping tree offers improved resistance to foliage diseases, vigorous growth and ease of care in the nursery and in the landscape. Developed by Dr. Tom Ranney of North Carolina State University, this hybrid of ‘First Lady’ and Snow Fountains® blooms early and offers superior heat and disease resistance.
Prairie Gold® Aspen
Populus tremuloides ‘NE-Arb’
Lovers of fall color quake with joy when quaking aspen leaves turn mountain valleys from green to bright gold. True to its name, Prairie Gold® Aspen is a cultivar that greatly expands the planting range of this popular native species that’s typically more at home in the mountains than in lower elevation landscapes. Adapted to the heat, drought and humidity of the Midwestern prairie, this Nebraska native brings lowland adaptability and disease tolerance to a high elevation favorite. Introduced in cooperation with the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum, this adaptable cultivar is hardy through USDA Zone 4. It grows to a height and spread of about 40’ x 15’.
Autumn Brilliance® Serviceberry
Amelanchier x grandiflora ‘Autumn Brilliance’
Here’s a serviceberry that lives up to its name every year when autumn arrives. In spring, the branches of this naturally occurring hybrid of two native species billow with fluffy, snow-white flowers. These are followed closely by dark green summer foliage that glows bright red orange in the fall. Purplish-blue fruits are tasty and can be made into jams and syrups – if they can be harvested before the birds gobble them down!
Introduced in 1986, this popular hybrid of Amelanchier arborea and A. laevis is broadly adaptable to varied soils and growing conditions. Hardy through Zone 4.
Gardeners! Please note that our nursery is strictly wholesale. To purchase these and other trees grown by our nursery, please use our Retailer Locator to find sources of JFS trees near you.
