If you’re the type of person that holds on to summer for as long as possible, you might get slapped in the face with these trees (and shrubs) serving up Autumn colors before you’re ready for your first pumpkin spice latte. But that’s not a bad thing! By planting one of these, you assure an autumnal focal point that will give you a colorful nudge to put the flip flops and bathing suits away and get those cozy sweaters out. And even after Autumn passes by and you survive the colder months of winter, these same trees and shrubs will provide great spring and summer interest as well!
Bald Cypress is a deciduous conifer. But what does that mean? It means it produces needles every spring and ends up resembling an Evergreen. However, every Fall the needles turn to gold, russet or bronze before they float like feathers down to the ground.
Blueberry. And yes, you read that right. Blueberry bushes not only provide tasty superfood berries for us to snack on, but they also head into Autumn in a blaze of bright colors. Reds, oranges, and golds are swirled into one useful, tasty bush.
Serviceberry can be a multi-stemmed small tree or a tall bush that features white flowers in Spring, tasty berries in Summer, and stunning gold foliage in Autumn. Partner that with its smooth, gracefully-arching branches and you could say it has appeal in the winter, too.
Ginkgo is bright, sunny, and yellow come Autumn. The fan-shaped leaves have been around since dinosaurs, so you know they are made of tough stuff. Ginkgos are terrific shade trees, just be sure you purchase a non-fruiting male as the fruit that comes from the female is very messy and unpleasant-smelling.
Maple trees are Autumn royalty! Try a Paperbark Maple, they have glowing orange autumnal foliage and a naturally peeling bark that’s interesting in the winter. Coming in at under 25 feet, you won’t need a very big rake to clean up after it like some other maples.
