Landscaping With Woody Plants & Shrubs

As you examine various home landscapes, the most common woody plants are shrubs.

In fact, many landscapes have more shrubs than trees, so paying attention to how shrubs look in each of the four seasons is important to keeping your landscapes attractive.

Shrubs that are good for fall color are a diverse group. Some are large and treelike, while others are small accent plants that soften and enhance your home. Used correctly, they are stunning additions to your garden.

Like trees, the fall colors of these plants range from yellows to oranges to reds and even purples. Some have long-lasting color while others are more fleeting.

Near the top of the list is the winged burning bush or Euonymus alatus. It's hard to find a shrub with brighter fall color. The red leaves are a striking contrast to the golden autumn hues from the other garden plants.

Select the size you need. The species form can grow to 18 feet with a similar spread. The compacta forms are smaller and usually more readily available.

Bailey Select is a cultivar that grows to 8 feet tall with good winter hardiness. Monstrosus, Nordine and Synnestvedt are also in that size range. October Glory is a compact, rounded cultivar, and Select or Fire Ball is an improved compact type with better wintering characteristics.

Sumac or the Rhus also has showy fall color and comes in tree and shrub forms. Both types are spreading, suckering plants and are excellent choices on sites with poor soils. There are a couple of cultivars, including Cismontana, that is a more drought tolerant, western ecotype. Laciniata has finely divided leaves.

Fragrant Sumac or Rhus aromatica is a good native that grows 2 to 6 feet high with a 6- to 10-foot spread. It is also adapted to a wide range of soil conditions. Most garden centers carry the Gro-Low cultivar, which grows to 2 feet high and spreads 6 to 8 feet

The native dogwood or Cornus cericea is another plant that has overlooked fall color. It is a cold-hardy plant that grows along streams, so it will tolerate more moisture than many shrubs. Alleman's Compact is a small form that grows to 4 feet, and Kelseyi is a mounding dwarf form that grows to 18 inches. The variegated forms do not produce as good a fall color.

Look for several Viburnum varieties to add fall color to your landscape. Viburnum bodnantense, also known as Bodnant Viburnum, grows about 10 feet tall with a 7-foot spread The red fruits are attractive in late autumn to early winter, and the leaves turn dark scarlet in the fall.

Nannyberry — or Viburnum lentago — is a large shrub or small tree with purplish red fall color. European cranberry bush — or Viburnum opulus — has several cultivars available that get various shades of red, orange and maroon. Viburnum trilobum — or cranberry bush — is another good landscape plant that turns similar shades in the fall.

Cotoneaster dammeri — or bearberry cotoneaster — grows to 2 feet high with an 8-foot spread. The foliage turns purplish in the winter. Cultivars include Coral Beauty, with maroon fall foliage, and Eichholz, with gold to orange-red fall color.

Cotoneaster acutifolius — or Peking cotoneaster — grows 8 feet tall and has a similar spread. The black fruit contrasts with the orange-red leaves in the fall. Cranberry cotoneaster — or Cotoneaster apiculatus — grows 3 feet tall with a 5-foot spread. The plant gets its name from its abundant red fruits that persist into the winter. The small, dark green leaves turn brilliant red in the fall.

Amelanchier — or serviceberry — is another tree or shrub group that has outstanding fall color. The Japanese barberry — or Berberis thunbergii — has good fall color as its leaves turn from yellow to orange to red.