Garden Tips Newsletter
Dependable Fall Color
November 3, 2008
More than any other phenomenon, the turning leaves are nature’s signal flags for a change in season. So it’s no small disappointment when trees don’t provide the foliar fireworks we expect from them. But in the following paragraphs are some tree selections with never fail color in fall, the kind of trees that you depend on year in and year out for colorful displays. Most of them are available in local garden centers and nurseries. And fall and winter is an ideal time to plant them.
Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida)
Frankly, the tiers of white flowers that clothe the branches in spring
are quite enough to sell anyone on this tree. But then comes the second
show in fall, with dropping red leaves and bright-red berries. Variegated
selections, such as Cherokee Sunset, offer even more color. Remember
it prefers light shade rather than full sun. And be sure to water this
shallow-rooted tree during summer droughts, or scorched leaves may
ruin the fall show.
Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba)
Although native to China, ginkgo is right at home in Mississippi. Its
unusual, fan-shaped leaves look like little fishtails that suddenly
turn the purest yellow. Unfortunately, the effect doesn’t last
long—the leaves shed quickly and completely—but they look
almost as beautiful lying on the ground. One caution: There are male
and female ginkgo trees. The females produce foul-smelling fruit, so
plant only male selections, such as Saratoga and Shangri-la. Don’t
count on this tree for quick shade—young gingkos grow slowly.
Sourwood (Oxydendrum arboretum)
This is absolutely one of my favorite trees. It is one of the earliest
native trees to exhibit fall color—showing off leaves in brilliant
shades of yellows, reds, and purples—predominately red. And that
is not all. In summer it is covered with long (10”) racemose-panicles
of white very fragrant flowers. The inflorescence looks like long,
slender, out stretched fingers. Small wonder that Dr. Michael Dirr
in his tome, Manual of Woody Landscape Plants, says, “Truly an
all-season ornamental; excellent specimen plant; it has so many attributes
that it should only be considered for specimen use; many gardeners
feel, among native trees, this is second only to flowering dogwood.” Plant
in full sun or partial shade although flowering and fall color are
best in full sun. Acid soils preferred. Not for polluted or urban areas.
Black Gum (Nyssa sylvatica)
You can count on this native tree to be among the first to change color
in the fall. You can bet the first tinge of red foliage you see will
probably be on this tree. Fall leaf color is mostly red with some trees
exhibiting yellows, oranges and purple colors as well. One of my favorite
childhood playhouses was built under the huge canopy of the black gum.
My sister, brother and I enjoyed many a summer day perched up high
in the huge horizontal limbs of this magnificent tree. It is somewhat
hard to find in the nursery trade, but well worth the hunt. This is
an excellent specimen tree, good street tree in residential areas,
but not for heavily polluted areas. It has outstanding summer and fall
foliage and habit, well suited for naturalized areas and certainly
one of the very best and most consistent native trees for fall color.
Another plus is the bluish black drupe fruit that ripens in the fall
and is eaten by many species of birds and mammals. It doesn’t
tolerate high pH soils and grows in semi-shade or full sun.
Lelia Scott Kelly, Ph.D., writes Garden Tips weekly and is a Horticulture Specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. Her office is in the North Mississippi Research & Extension Center, Verona.