Autumn might be the season when the famous fashion houses such as Gucci, Dior, and Hermes tell the world what is in or out of style, but it is also Mother Nature’s time to shine a little. Because as soon as the weather cools, the stored chlorophyll (or green colour) breaks down and new pigments begin to dominate the foliar colour palate. These include carotenoids and anthocyanins which give us yellow to orange hues and red, pink, or purple tints, respectively.

Of course, there are other factors at play that may diminish or enhance our fall display to some degree, and these include sun exposure, precipitation, or the weather in general, but the most dominant determining factor is the species or cultivar of the trees, shrubs, and vines that you choose to plant in your garden. With that in mind, here are six autumn colour categories for you to consider this autumn.

Rose Red

Burning Bush

When I think rose red, the first shrub that comes to mind is the ever-reliable Dwarf Burning Bush or Euonymus alatus ‘Compactus’. While both cold hardy (USDA zone 3) and easy to grow, it is a rather boring green until fall comes around and it shifts to a vibrant rose almost overnight.

Dwarf Heavenly Bamboo

Dwarf Heavenly Bamboos or Nandina domestica provide evergreen winter colour that requires little or no pruning and tolerates container culture rather well. Both ‘Firepower’ and ‘Gulf Stream’ fire up to rose highlights in the cold, with the former being a little more compact and featuring broader foliage.

Sourwood

Last on my list is a hard-to-find tree, Oxydendrum arboreum or Sourwood, which features rosy-red autumn foliage (often with burgundy highlights) that really sets off the near-white seedheads.

Yellow

Pinus mugo

Some gardeners consider yellow quite boring but when shown in the context of a needled conifer that shifts from green to a glowing gold in the winter weather, they seem to change their minds. Pinus mugo ‘Wintergold’ (or ‘Carsten’s Wintergold’) does just that and keeps it colour right through to spring.

Ginkgo biloba

Maidenhair Tree or Ginkgo biloba undergoes a similar metamorphosis in fall, when the delicate fan-shaped leaves turn a golden hue, lighting up the clear autumn skies.

PawPaw

We should not forget that even some fruits exhibit excellent fall fashion, with PawPaw or Asimina triloba providing both mango-flavoured fruits and clear yellow fall foliage.

Red

Virginia Creeper

Wherever you go throughout your local travels, it’s hard to miss the Virginia Creepers (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) or Boston Ivies (Parthenocissus tricuspidata) when they fire up our arbors and trellises. Keep in mind that these vines self-cling with sucker-like holdfasts and are quite precocious, so do some pruning to keep them in check.

Fothergilla

On the other hand, Fothergilla x ‘Mount Airy’ is a well-behaved deciduous shrub with honey-scented bottlebrush flowers from April to May followed by spectacular red to purple autumn tones.

Witch Hazel

While we usually plant Witch Hazels for their winter blooms, some of the red-flowered varieties such as Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Diane’ also feature orange-rimmed scarlet fall foliage.

Burgundy

Compact Blueberry Bush

Admittedly, we need a clear fall day to enjoy the darker burgundy hues, but when the sun comes out, they really impress. I have a burgundy plant just a few feet from my front door; my compact blueberry Vaccinium ‘Blueberry Glaze’ emanates a rich burgundy-red and stays that way until January.

Black Chokeberry

Another edible with great fall colour includes Black Chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa) with its high antioxidant fruits and red to burgundy autumn foliage.

Japanese Plume Cedar

We will cap off our burgundy tribute with an airy conifer, Cryptomeria japonica ‘Elegans’ or Japanese Plume Cedar which trades its sage green foliage for a burgundy red to purple every autumn.

Orange

Contorted Hardy Orange

I find orange the cheeriest of autumn tones and my lovely Contorted Hardy Orange (Poncirus trifoliata ‘Flying Dragon), which is deciduous and hardy to USDA zone 5, never disappoints me with its delicate peachy-orange fall foliage.

Rhus typhina

Rhus typhina ‘Tiger Eyes’ is a restrained version of Sumac with emerging foliage of bright chartreuse that shifts to a luminous orange in autumn.

Katsura

Katsura or Cercidiphyllum japonicum can be quite variable in the fall, presenting with yellow, pure orange, or even some burgundy foliage. In either case it is always breathtaking and the caramel-corn scent that comes with it will definitely leave you hungry.

Multicolour

Acer rubrum

Some trees and shrubs can’t seem to make up their minds and Acer rubrum is a good case in point. Even named cultivars such as ‘Bowhall’ will always have some sort of two-toned fall foliage of orange and red, often with some residual green.

Smokebush

Another fine example are the gold-leaved Smokebushes such as Cotinus coggygria ‘Golden Spirit’, as the underlying gold foliage often gives the wine-coloured autumn tones an orange cast.

Japanese Angelica

Aralia elata or Japanese Angelica Tree is not as popular as it used to be due to thorns and its suckering growth habit. But I get no complaints come fall when the layers of compound foliage shift to various hues of yellow, orange, rose, and burgundy.

This is hardly a comprehensive list of fall foliar colour, but I suggest you go for a walk in your neighborhood and see what’s in fashion this autumn for yourself.

All Images Copyright 2024 MK Lascelle