Autumn is a beautiful season that allows us to enjoy many colours that are generally not present throughout the rest of the year. It is also a great time for gardening because the ground is still warm, which plants love, and the air is not as hot, which is more comfortable for us to work in.

Fall colours can vary from plant to plant and from year to year. The pigment that causes the vibrant colours in fall is present throughout the year. We just can’t see it until the chlorophyll (the pigment that makes leaves green) production slows and then stops in the fall.

If you’d like to add some more fall colour to your lawn and garden, here are some suggestions for trees and shrubs to consider:

Shrubs for Fall Color:

Barberry
Rounded plant with arching branches that develop outstanding fall color. This is an ideal shrub to use as an accent plant.

Amur Maple
Fine branched, compact rounded form of Amur Maple for borders, hedges or foundation planting. Great orange/ red fall colour.

Saskatoon
A mounded shrub that varies greatly in size depending on the variety. Fluffy white flowers produce delicious sweet dark fruit. Excellent yellow/ orange to red fall color even in shade.

Burning Bush
Brilliant red fall color with corky bark for winter interest.

Hydrangea
Showy landscape shrub with bunches of flowers which change colour as the weather cools. Flowers up until first frost.

Rhododendron
Brilliant flowers in spring with a dark mahogany fall color.

Sumac
All sumacs display beautiful, red fall colour. The mature size can vary greatly depending on the variety.

Spirea
Wonderful all season long plant with year round interest. Showy flowers, beautiful summer foliage, and crimson fall color.

Cranberry
Most cranberry varieties prefer part sun or shade and moist soils.

Trees for Fall Color:

Maple                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           There are many varieties of Maple that have outstanding fall colours.

Birch
Paper Birch are native to parts of Manitoba. It is always great to add a Manitoba native to your yard.  It has beautiful exfoliating bark and a bright gold fall color.

Dogwood
A great ornamental tree that flowers in the spring and produces berries in the fall that persist through winter. It is a reddish purple colour in the fall.

Honeylocust
Lacy foliage which casts light shade and turns a medium yellow in the fall.

Oak
Pin Oaks are especially good for fall colour. They have pyramidal shaped crowns that have a yellow to copper red color. Leaves may persist on the branches through winter rather than fall off completely.

Linden or Basswood
Bright green heart shaped leaves turn yellow in the fall. Great tree for boulevards and for shade.

To find out what trees and shrubs would work best in your yard, visit our outdoor sales yard today!