Fall Color from Woody Plants
Certain woody plants bring reliable fall color. Some of those are the following.
Carolina silverbell
Also called snowdrop tree, this native tree is found over much of the South westward to Texas. It is 30 feet or so in height. The tree is hardy to zone 5.
Widely grown, it is named for the white, bell-like blossoms, which are borne in clusters of 2 to 5. Appearing in May, these have long stalks. The fruit is winged.
The leaves turn yellow in the fall. This tree is hard to transplant.
Eastern Larch
Eastern larch is a native conifer with a cone-like head. It is native to the North. The tree is found in bogs.
It is common in New England. Hardy to zone 1, it grows to 60 feet in height. The larches are members of the pine family.
With horizontal branching, the plant is tolerant of wet soils. The needle-like foliage turns yellow before it falls in late autumn. The needles form spirals on the twigs.
The tree bears small cones. This species adapts to most soils. The larches are good ornamentals.
European Larch
The large tree is suitable for northern regions. When mature, this has an irregular shape. This is a deciduous conifer, which is unusual. The tree is over a 100 feet tall.
It is hardy to zone 2. The plant bears cones that are an inch in length. When mature, this is a pyramidal shaped tree with very wide spreading branches. The long, narrow needle-like leaves, an inch long, turn yellow in the fall.
Korean Stewartia
This tree grows to 20 to 30 feet in height and is hardy to zone 5. Flowering from July into August, the very large blossoms with white petals are up to 4 inches wide. Emerging in the axils of the lower leaves, these are quite showy.
The foliage becomes red-orange to orange in the fall. The peeling bark adds interest to the winter landscape.
This tree is a fine ornamental because it provides interest for at least three seasons of the year. The brown bark is flaky.
Linden Viburnum
Linden viburnum is a dense, 6 to 10 feet tall shrub. An introduced species, this is hardy to zone 5. This has large crops of showy red fruits. In some varieties, the fruits can be yellow. The plant is a source of reddish-russet fall foliage.
The leaves are hairy on both surface. The fruits last for much of the winter.
Linden viburnum has the showiest fall color of all the viburnums. The flowers appear in large clusters, up to 5 inches wide, in My and June.
Carolina silverbell
Also called snowdrop tree, this native tree is found over much of the South westward to Texas. It is 30 feet or so in height. The tree is hardy to zone 5.
Widely grown, it is named for the white, bell-like blossoms, which are borne in clusters of 2 to 5. Appearing in May, these have long stalks. The fruit is winged.
The leaves turn yellow in the fall. This tree is hard to transplant.
Eastern Larch
Eastern larch is a native conifer with a cone-like head. It is native to the North. The tree is found in bogs.
It is common in New England. Hardy to zone 1, it grows to 60 feet in height. The larches are members of the pine family.
With horizontal branching, the plant is tolerant of wet soils. The needle-like foliage turns yellow before it falls in late autumn. The needles form spirals on the twigs.
The tree bears small cones. This species adapts to most soils. The larches are good ornamentals.
European Larch
The large tree is suitable for northern regions. When mature, this has an irregular shape. This is a deciduous conifer, which is unusual. The tree is over a 100 feet tall.
It is hardy to zone 2. The plant bears cones that are an inch in length. When mature, this is a pyramidal shaped tree with very wide spreading branches. The long, narrow needle-like leaves, an inch long, turn yellow in the fall.
Korean Stewartia
This tree grows to 20 to 30 feet in height and is hardy to zone 5. Flowering from July into August, the very large blossoms with white petals are up to 4 inches wide. Emerging in the axils of the lower leaves, these are quite showy.
The foliage becomes red-orange to orange in the fall. The peeling bark adds interest to the winter landscape.
This tree is a fine ornamental because it provides interest for at least three seasons of the year. The brown bark is flaky.
Linden Viburnum
Linden viburnum is a dense, 6 to 10 feet tall shrub. An introduced species, this is hardy to zone 5. This has large crops of showy red fruits. In some varieties, the fruits can be yellow. The plant is a source of reddish-russet fall foliage.
The leaves are hairy on both surface. The fruits last for much of the winter.
Linden viburnum has the showiest fall color of all the viburnums. The flowers appear in large clusters, up to 5 inches wide, in My and June.
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