Wednesday, October 21

Brilliant ideas

Five shrubs with great fall foliage

In autumn, the heart-shaped leaves of the weeping katsura turn shades of yellow and orange. The Daily Journal photo illustration

Shrubs can play a starring role in the autumn garden. And, if you choose the right ones, not only will they produce outstanding fall color but many will also go on to add interesting details like exfoliating bark or brightly-colored berries to the winter landscape. I've included five personal favorites on this list, two that I'm on the fence about (I'll give you some pros and cons for each), and two others that — though often recommended by garden catalogs and websites —you'll want to avoid.

Recommended

Weeping katsura tree (Cercidiphyllum japonicum Pendula)
This is the kind of tree I would have loved as a child. As it ages, its graceful, weeping branches often bend to the ground, making fanciful hiding places. In autumn, the blue-green heart-shaped leaves turn shades of yellow and apricot and are especially pretty when backlighted by the afternoon sun. Katsura has a shallow root system and can't tolerate drought. But those roots are strong and can lift a sidewalk or damage a home's foundation, so give it lots of room. Katsura thrives in acidic soil in sun or partial shade. Protect it from harsh winds. At maturity, it will reach 15-25 feet tall and wide.

By mid-October Amelanchier x grandiflora 'Princess Diana' has begun her spectacular show. The Daily Journal/J. Smith

Serviceberry (Amelanchier x grandiflora)
Categorized as a small tree or large shrub, serviceberry is a native plant that offers something for every season, not just fall. It bears small white flowers in April and produces red berries in summer. When the berries ripen to blue they are edible (some say they taste like a blend of grape, blueberry and cranberry), but chances are the birds will beat you to them. I bought the variety called Princess Diana a couple of years ago for her brilliant orange-red fall foliage and I haven't been disappointed. Serviceberry's light gray bark and attractive, graceful branching habit bring some style to the winter landscape, too.

Depending on the variety, these easy-care shrubs can grow 15-25 feet tall and wide. They prefer light shade.

Oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia)
This is one of my favorite shrubs. Its large leaves and cone-shaped flowers add a touch of drama to the spring and summer garden. In the fall, given sun, those same impressive leaves turn shades of scarlet and maroon. Like other hydrangeas, oakleaf prefers consistent moisture but it doesn't like wet feet. It will grow and flower well in considerable shade, but you'll miss the fall color. There are dwarf varieties, but the species grows 4-6 feet tall and a bit wider.

Red-flowering witchhazels produce the best red fall foliage, too. Photo courtesy the Chicago Botanic Garden/Robin Carlson

Witchhazel (Hamamelis x intermedia)
I will never forget seeing a witchhazel blooming in a fellow gardener's yard in January! (The fragrant flowers look like tiny crepe paper streamers.) Little did I know that this remarkable shrub also offered glorious fall foliage. Leaves can be yellow, orange, red or a streaked combination of all three. (I'm told that the red flowering types also have the best red fall leaf colors.)

A slow grower, this is another large shrub that can eventually reach 15-20 feet tall or more depending on the cultivar. It does well in sun or part shade, adapts well to clay soils, and has the added benefit of being deer resistant.

Not seen in enough local gardens, dwarf fothergilla glows scarlet in fall. Photo courtesy the Chicago Botanic Garden/Robin Carlson

Dwarf fothergilla (Fothergilla gardenii)
Water, water, water. That's the most important thing I can tell you about this gorgeous little shrub. I know: I've killed two of them with my laissez faire garden attitude. Sweet-smelling, stubby little bottlebrush flowers in spring are replaced by blue-green leaves that turn bright orange, red and yellow in autumn. Dwarf fothergilla grows 3 feet high and wide and, while it does well in shade, it will only color up with direct sun.

Did I mention that you must keep it consistently moist?

On the fence

Red chokeberry (Aronia arbutifolia)
Not a gorgeous shrub in its own right, red chokeberry can be tall and thin and leggy once it matures. But a hedge of these plants is a beautiful sight in the fall when their leaves go crimson and then again in winter when red berries glow against a backdrop of snow or evergreens. A very tolerant shrub, chokeberry will grow in sun or shade and wet or dry conditions, but if you want fall color it too needs at least a half day of sun. Seven-10 feet tall and 3-4 feet wide. (To cover up those bare lower stems you can underplant with smaller shrubs or perennials.)

Sumac Tiger Eyes (Rhus typhina 'Bailtiger')
This shrub was introduced with a lot of fanfare in 2004 and gardeners bought it in droves. It was supposed to be a dwarf, non-suckering alternative to standard staghorn sumac but with the same brilliant fall coloring. Well, it does sucker and many specimens planted four years ago are now more than 8 feet tall and wide. It is also a deer magnet. If you can live with those drawbacks, you will be treated to deeply cut, almost lacy yellow leaves in summer and golden-orange foliage in fall.

Can't recommend

Purple beautyberry (Callicarpa dichotoma)
This is not a bad shrub. It's tolerant of a variety of growing conditions and is insect and pest-free. But those are really its only assets. Pink springtime flowers are miniscule, the foliage nondescript, and the berries it is known for — while a very vibrant purple - are so small that they don't make any impact in the garden. In my opinion, callicarpa is a waste of valuable real estate.

Burning bush (Euonymus alatus)
This is the most consistently brilliant-red shrub in the fall landscape - easy care, reliable, and gorgeous - but also highly invasive. Birds eat, and then spread, seeds to natural areas where this tough bush out-competes our native plants. It's on the Invasive Plant List for Illinois and has become a particular problem in Will County.

As editor of Ornamentals & Edibles, Mary Ellen Smith combines 17 years of journalism experience with a life-long love of gardening.