Shrubs with Great Fall Color

Fall planting season is coming into full swing and plants with autumn color are about to put on their glorious show. So, not surprisingly, it's a perfect time to plan and plant new landscaping, and at the top of the list are plants with great fall color. Here are a few of the most spectacular shrubs to look for:

Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii) generally grows 4 to 6 feet tall and equally as wide. The small leaves, which in some varieties are purplish or red during the growing season, turn yellow, orange and red before dropping in fall. Bright red berries add to the autumn show. Japanese barberry is a durable foundation shrub and can also be clipped as a hedge.

Cotoneasters (Cotoneaster sp.) are a diverse group of plants, most of which have showy spring flowers followed by colorful berries. The deciduous species also have glowing orange to red fall color. Many are taller shrubs, but among the most useful deciduous species are types that can be used as ground covers, such as rock cotoneaster (C. horizontalis). It grows just 2 to 3 feet high but spreads up to 15 feet wide.

Witch hazels (Hamamelis sp.) are well known for their small, fragrant, yellow to red flowers that appear on bare branches in early spring. They also have excellent yellow to orange or red fall color. There are several species to choose from, most of which are taller shrubs that reach 10 to 15 feet high.

Spiraeas (Spriaea sp.) are another large group of flowering shrubs, many with excellent fall color. Some of the best known include varieties of the Japanese spiraea (S. japonica) like 'Bumalda', which grows 3 feet high, has pink summer flowers and orange-red fall color. Vanhouttei spiraea (V. x vanhouttei) bears large clusters of white, spring flowers on an arching 6-foot high plant. Leaves turn purplish in fall.

The deciduous viburnums (Viburnum sp.) offer many useful shrubs with large clusters of spring to summer flowers (often followed by colorful berries) as well as good fall color. Ones to look for include the European cranberry bush (V. opulus), Japanese snowbell (V. plicatum) and cranberry bush (V. trilobum). All are larger shrubs that can grow up to 12 to 15 feet high and have yellow to purplish red fall color.

Check with your local nurseryman to see how these shrubs perform in your area. And to get them off to a strong start, use Bayer Advanced™ Tree & Shrub Insect Control Concentrate. One application provides up to 12 months protection.

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