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Colorful trees add beauty to fall landscapes
As I teach landscape design, I always emphasize correct plant selection. There is no substitute for having the right plant in the right place.
So what is the right plant for a specific place?
While there might be many plants that fill a certain area, it is essential to ask what any plant is going to do in a given spot. Good landscapes are dynamic, and seasonal changes are important considerations.
Fall and winter color are often neglected parts of landscape. Most plants are purchased in the spring, so landscapes tend to be composed of plants that look their best during that season. While that is not wrong, it excludes many plants that make exciting late- season landscapes.
Over the next few months, we will focus on the plants that make landscapes in the latter half of the year colorful and dynamic. We will consider trees, shrubs, grasses and other plants.
Like many, I love the fall colors in our mountains, so tree selection is a logical place to start.
Two native maples have spectacular fall color. The Bigtooth maple (Acer grandidentatum) is the more common of the two maples and has varying shades of red, orange and yellow.
The tree grows into a large multistem shrub or small tree with a spreading, round crown. It usually grows about 35 feet tall with slightly less spread. It is intolerant of prolonged flooding, so keep it out of lawns and avoid saline or alkaline soils. It is somewhat shade tolerant.
Rocky Mountain maple (Acer glabrum) is a small, delicate tree with a narrow crown that can grow 25 feet high, but it usually grows as a multistemmed shrub 5 to 6.5 feet tall. In the fall it turns from light green to reddish-orange before dropping its leaves. It likes good drainage and slightly basic soil.
There are many other colorful maples that have been introduced into Utah landscapes. Hedge maple (Acer campestre) is a slow growing maple with a yellow fall color. Amur maple (Acer ginnala) is a large shrub or small tree with a striking maroon to red fall color. The familiar Norway maple (Acer platanoides) is a common street tree with excellent bright yellow fall color.
Sugar maple (Acer saccharum), the New England maple, has spectacular red, orange and yellow fall color. Red maple (Acer rubrum) also has colorful scarlet, orange and yellow leaves. Both of these are less tolerant of Utah conditions and need less alkaline soil to grow and color well.
Silver maple (Acer saccharinum) has variable color of yellow, red and orange. Fall color on these is greatly limited by iron chlorosis during the growing season, so trees with yellow foliage have poor fall color.
Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) is another native with good fall color that grows to 40 feet tall. The leaves change from green to bright yellow or yellowish-orange in the fall. The Swedish aspen has better fall color, but aspen leaf-spot disease prevents good fall color. Many other native and introduced poplars and cottonwoods also have good yellow fall color.
Green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica) is a common shade tree here with brilliant yellow fall color. For a showy variation, try the White ash (Fraxinus americana). It has purple or maroon fall color shaded with yellow highlights. Some outstanding cultivars are "Autumn Applause," "Autumn Blaze," "Rosehill" and "Royal Purple."
Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba) is another colorful tree with bright yellow foliage. It has an additional advantage, because all the leaves drop quickly. Selected cultivars include "Autumn Gold," "Fairmont" and "Fastigiata."
One of the most popular trees for fall color is the Callery pear (Pyrus calleryana). Most start with a deep purple color that becomes red. Bradford was the original, but it has been replaced with many improved cultivars. Some of the best include "Aristocrat," "Autumn Blaze," "Capital" and "Chanticleer."
Check with knowledgeable nurseries for other favorites. Stroll local gardens and check neighborhoods for additional types. The color they add will sustain your landscape as summer flowers start to fade and autumn storms roll in.
Larry Sagers is the horticulture specialist at Utah State Extension Thanksgiving Point.
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