Gardening Trees, Shrubs & Vines Trees The 19 Best Fall Trees and Shrubs for a Burst of Fiery Color By Jennifer Aldrich Jennifer Aldrich Instagram Website Jennifer Aldrich is an experienced editor who has worked at the two largest magazine publishers in the United States. She shares her knowledge of social media to millions of users through the Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter accounts for Better Homes & Gardens. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Updated on September 20, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Carson Downing The gorgeous warm colors of fall foliage are a bright spot to look forward to each year as the temperatures start to dip. Fill your yard in an explosion of fiery hues with our list of the best trees and shrubs for fall color. 01 of 19 Sugar Maple John Williams This extra-reliable tree that's native to North America makes a stunning statement in fall. Sugar maple offers gorgeous red, orange, or yellow end-of-season leaves. Name: Acer saccharum Growing Conditions: Sun to shade and moist, well-drained soil Size: To 70 feet tall Zones: 4–8 Buy It: Sugar Maple Tree Bare Root ($35, The Home Depot) 02 of 19 Dogwood Matthew Benson Beautiful just about any time of year, dogwoods are usually planted for their white or pink springtime flowers. But don't overlook the gorgeous purple-red tones their leaves will bring to your fall landscape. Some dogwoods are trees and some are shrubs, so you can find the best size to suit your landscape. Name: Cornus Growing Conditions: Sun to shade and moist, well-drained soil Size: To 25 feet tall Zones: 5–8 Buy It: Flowering Dogwood Tree ($35, Lowe's) 03 of 19 Chokeberry Marty Baldwin A native shrub that shines in several seasons, in spring, chokeberry offers white flowers that look like apple blossoms, rich red fruits in late summer and autumn, and brilliant orange-red fall foliage. Name: Aronia arbutifolia Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and moist, but well-drained soil Size: To 10 feet tall and 6 feet wide Zones: 4–9 04 of 19 Stewartia Laurie Black This top-notch small tree looks beautiful throughout the year. Its dark green leaves make a nice foil for its late-summer, white camellia-shape flowers. In fall, stewartia's leaves turn pretty shades of orange, yellow, and red. Name: Stewartia pseudocamellia Growing Conditions: Full sun and moist, well-drained soil Size: To 40 feet tall Zones: 5–8 Buy It: Stewartia Pseudocamellia Seeds ($4, Etsy) 05 of 19 Ginkgo Erica Dines Slow-growing ginkgo adds grace and valuable shade to any landscape. Its fan-shape leaves are among the most elegant of any tree. In autumn, they show breathtaking shades of luminous golden yellow. This species is one of the few deciduous trees that will drop all its leaves, literally overnight, instead of over several weeks. Name: Ginkgo biloba Growing Conditions: Sun to shade and moist, well-drained soil Size: To 100 feet tall Zones: 4–9 Buy It: Ginkgo Tree ($45, Etsy) 06 of 19 Amur Maple Doug Stremel Another maple that takes on brilliant fall color, Amur maple is a small tree or large shrub (depending on how you prune it) that bears bright red leaves in fall. It can become a bit weedy, as it produces hundreds of seeds each year, so plant it where you can control the seedlings that pop up. Name: Acer ginnala Growing Conditions: Sun and moist, well-drained soil Size: To 25 feet tall Zones: 3–7 Buy It: Amur Maple Tree ($35, Etsy) 07 of 19 Sumac Adam Albright An incredibly tough native shrub, sumac provides some of the brightest red color you'll see in autumn. One note, though. While extra-tough and beautiful, sumac is a fast spreader, so it's best to plant it where it has plenty of space. Name: Rhus typhina Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil Size: To 15 feet tall Zones: 3–8 Buy It: Smooth Sumac Tree ($22, Etsy) 08 of 19 Viburnum Peter Krumhardt Several members of this big group of shrubs offer bright autumn foliage in warm shades of red. A particularly good viburnum species for fall color is native cranberrybush, named for the eye-catching, edible ruby-red fruits that follow white spring flowers. Name: Viburnum Growing Conditions: Sun to part shade and moist, well-drained soil Size: To 15 feet tall Zones: 2–7 Buy It: Viburnum Shrub ($37, The Home Depot) 09 of 19 Serviceberry Jim Krantz An easy-to-grow small tree or shrub (depending on how you prune it), serviceberry starts the growing season off with a display of small white springtime flowers. Next it produces round, berry-like summer fruits that birds and other wildlife relish. Finally, the show concludes with amazing orange and red fall foliage. Even the silvery bark on this native plant looks pretty in winter. Name: Amelanchier canadensis Growing Conditions: Full sun or part shade and moist, well-drained soil Size: To 20 feet tall Zones: 3–7 Buy It: Serviceberry Plant (from $32, Etsy) 10 of 19 Bald Cypress Peter Krumhardt A "fooled-you" plant when autumn arrives, bald cypress looks like an evergreen conifer. But in fall, this large native tree's needles turn russet-red before dropping, revealing its dramatic architectural shape, which you can enjoy all winter. Name: Taxodium distichum Growing Conditions: Sun and moist or wet soil Size: To 120 feet tall Zones: 5–10 Buy It: Bald Cypress Tree ($44, The Home Depot) 11 of 19 Sweet Gum Ed Gohlich The distinctive star-shape leaves of sweet gum turn a kaleidoscope of fall colors, including red, orange, and burgundy, which gives the landscape a carnival feel at season's end. Just be aware, this native tree also produces scads of spiky, round seedpods that can be messy (and prickly for pets and people to walk on) once they drop to the ground. Name: Liquidambar styraciflua Growing Conditions: Sun to shade and well-drained soil Size: To 80 feet tall Zones: 5–9 Buy It: Sweet Gum Tree (from $3, Etsy) 12 of 19 Fothergilla Kritsada Panichgul A pretty but underused native shade-loving shrub, fothergilla offers blue-green foliage in spring and summer. Its leaves turn warm shades of gold and orange in fall—and fothergilla has honey-scented springtime flowers. Name: Fothergilla major Growing Conditions: Shade and moist, well-drained soil Size: To 6 feet tall Zones: 5–8 Buy It: Fothergilla Shrub ($22, Etsy) 13 of 19 Virginia Sweetspire Rob Cardillo This outstanding native shrub puts on an impressive show for months. In summer, Virginia sweetspire offers fragrant white flowers. Then in autumn, it develops rich purple-red leaf color. Also, it's very easy to grow. Name: Itea virginica Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and moist, well-drained soil Size: To 10 feet tall Zones: 5-9 14 of 19 Oakleaf Hydrangea Jane Milliman An excellent native shrub for shade, oakleaf hydrangea offers beautiful clusters of white blooms in summer, then rich burgundy fall foliage. Name: Hydrangea quericifolia Growing Conditions: Shade and moist, well-drained soil Size: To 6 feet tall Zones: 5–9 Buy It: Gatsby Star Oakleaf Hydrangea ($36, The Home Depot) 15 of 19 Witch Hazel Adam Albright An eye-catching native shrub for the autumn landscape, witch hazel foliage turns a glowing golden-yellow in fall. As the leaves drop, delightful spidery yellow flowers appear. Name: Hamamelis virginiana Growing Conditions: Shade and moist, well-drained soil Size: To 12 feet tall Zones: 3–8 16 of 19 Japanese Maple Carson Downing One of the best plants for adding fall color to shady areas of your yard, Japanese maple turns brilliant shades of red, orange, or yellow at season's end. These small trees even look interesting after the leaves fall, thanks to the architectural shape of their bare branches. Name: Acer palmatum Growing Conditions: Shade to part shade and moist, but well-drained soil Size: To 25 feet tall Zones: 5–8 Buy It: Japanese Bloodgood Red Maple Tree ($50, Home Depot) 17 of 19 Sweet Birch Greg Ryan A graceful native tree in any season, sweet birch features cinnamon-colored, peeling bark and triangular dark green leaves that turn beautiful golden-yellow in fall. Name: Betula lenta Growing Conditions: Sun to shade and moist, well-drained soil Size: To 50 feet tall Zones: 3–7 18 of 19 Burning Bush Adam Albright This tough shrub earned its common name because of its autumn hues: In fall, the foliage turns glowing shades of red and pink. However, burning bush has become invasive in some regions of the country, so before planting, check to see if it's a problem in your area. Name: Euonymus alatus Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil Size: To 20 feet tall Zones: 4-8 19 of 19 Smokebush John Granen Named for its plumes of soft, shimmering flowers, smokebush also offers gorgeous foliage. In summer, this shrub's leaves are purple or gold (depending on variety) and in fall, that already colorful foliage turns bold shades of orange and pink. Name: Cotinus coggygria Growing Conditions: Shade to part shade and moist, but well-drained soil Size: To 15 feet tall and wide Zones: 5–8 Buy It: Smokebush Shrub ($35, The Home Depot) Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit