Great Fall Color Plants for the Mountain West
One major reason we love Colorado living is the magnificent autumn firework display our wealth of trees provides… and the best recipe for brilliant fall foliage color combines warm days, cool nights, and plenty of sunshine — sound familiar?
Try these underused but worthwhile trees and shrubs for autumn landscape pop!
Bigtooth or Wasatch maple
Acer grandidentatum- a Colorado-native, medium-sized tree with bold orange-to-red fall color; well adapted to our diverse climate, soils, elevations and temperatures.
flickr: NPS Photo/Jenny Eberlein
“Miss Kim” lilac
Syringa patula ‘Miss Kim’ – Medium-large lilac bush; Full sun to part shade, low to moderate water needs. Hardy, late-blooming lilac with dark green foliage and stellar burgundy fall color. In spring, pale-blue, fragrant flowers.
Serviceberry bush
Amelanchier alnifolia – a great foothills shrub with upright to spreading branches, small rounded leaves; clusters of small white flowers; blue-black fruit attractive to wildlife; mellow pale-golden to red fall color.
Nadiatalent (Own work), Wikimedia Commons
New Mexico Privet
Forestiera neomexicana – stellar for xeriscaping and drought-tolerant. it’s a large shrub to small tree; dense, grayish-green foliage, yellow flowers before leaves, blue-black fruit on females, light tan bark; buttery yellow fall color! And it’s great for screening.
flickr: patrickstandish
Western Chokecherry
Prunus virginiana melanocarpa – hardy in many conditions: irregular, branching shrub with shiny dark green leaves and elongated flower clusters; suckers to form thickets; dark purple fruit excellent for preserves; diverse fall color, from golden to orange to red.
Famartin (Own work), Wikimedia Commons
Smooth sumac
Rhus glabra – native to the plains and drought-hardy, an open, rounded, thicket-forming shrub; bright green leaves; pyramidal clusters of yellow flowers produce fuzzy dark red fruits in fall that persist into winter; outstanding red fall color.
flickr: kpaulus
Three-leaved sumac, or “Skunkbrush”
Rhus trilobata – like its smooth cousin, native to the plains and drought-hardy; arching branches with glossy green three-parted leaves, small yellow flowers before leaves; reddish hairy edible fruits; orange to red fall color.
flickr: USDAGov
Golden Currant shrub
Ribes aureum – tolerant across a wide variety of conditions, preferring well-drained soil; arching growth habit; yellow clove-scented flowers in late spring; bears yellow to black fruit which attracts birds; orange to deep red fall color.
Annelis (Own work), Wikimedia Commons
“Red-twig” / “red-osier” Dogwood
Cornus sericea and Cornus stolonifera – this native medium-sized tree is adaptable to both plains and montane environments. gorgeous red stems in winter; flat, white flower clusters followed by white to blue fruits attractive to birds; yellow to red fall color; shade tolerant.
flickr: zharkikh
flickr: my-other-eye
Want more fall tips? Try our Autumn series here.
More landscaping? Try these articles.
Have a question about your fall or winter landscaping needs? ArborScape is here to help with free on-site assessments, estimates and custom treatment plans!
Contact us via our quick form here or call us at 303-806-TREE now with any questions.
Colorado fall color trees and shrubs
