By Jim Midcap


University of Georgia

Fall has slowly slipped up on us. The nights are suddenly cooler,
the days are shorter and recent rains have refreshed our woods
and landscapes. And the fall leaf season is just around the
corner.

With cool nights, bright days and adequate moisture, the turning
of the leaves could be spectacular. While we’re admiring all the
reds, oranges and yellows, we should be planting our own fall
color.

Fall is the perfect time to plant young trees while you’re
enjoying the spectacular fall leaves. Our nurseries and garden
centers stock up on a variety of trees for fall planting.

Try these selections at home

Here are some trees that offer outstanding fall color. Some are
readily available. Others will be harder to find.

The trident maple is a handsome, tough tree
with an upright, oval
shape. Its leaves are pest-free, lustrous dark green and
three-lobed. The foliage changes in fall to a rich yellow and
red.

The bark is a striking gray to orange-brown that exfoliates.
These plants withstand drought and infertile soils. Reaching 25
to 35 feet tall, they’re hardy throughout the state.

Red maple is a swamp native that grows 40 to
60 feet tall. Young
trees are pyramidal, becoming rounded to irregular at maturity.
The reddish spring flowers are followed by bright red fruit.

The smooth, gray bark is attractive. Fall leaves develop into
glorious yellows and reds. Named selections are widely available,
with “October Glory” and “Autumn Blaze” offering reliable color.

Many native hickories put on a spectacular
show year after year.
They’re seldom available at nurseries because they’re hard to
transplant. You may want to collect seeds and start your own
trees on the edge of the woods.

Hickory leaves turn brilliant yellow to golden in the fall. The
leaves and nuts are a little messy, and the trees grow slowly.
Most grow in deep, moist, well-drained soils as well as on dry,
upland sites.

Spicy fragrance a bonus

The elegant katsura tree is pyramidal to
start with and becomes
an upright oval form with age. The leaves mature to blue-green
and turn a rich yellow to apricot in the fall. As an added bonus,
the falling leaves give off a spicy fragrance.

The brown, shaggy bark provides year-round interest. There are no
serious insect or disease problems. However, the katsura tree
requires moisture during droughts to prevent early leaf drop. The
trees grow 40 to 60 feet tall and are hardy statewide.

American yellowwood is an uncommon native
tree that’s not widely
sold. Trees are low-branching with broad, rounded crowns. The
white spring flowers produce a spectacular show but may bloom
only in alternate years.

The larger branches and trunk are smooth and gray. Yellowwood
makes an excellent medium-sized 30 to 50 feet tall specimen tree.
They’re hardy throughout the state.

Sourwood is one of our best native trees for
fall color. It’s
delicately pyramidal with drooping branches. Young leaves mature
to a lustrous dark green and turn red to maroon in the fall.

The white flowers come in 4- to 10-inch panicles in June and
July. Sourwood is great for naturalizing native sites in sun or
partial shade. The trees reach 25 to 35 feet tall and do best in
northern Georgia.

Don’t buy females

The ginkgo is old, its unique, fan-shaped
leaves embedded in the
fossil record. It’s very slowly becoming established. Young
plants are gaunt and open but become full and dense with age. It
becomes a mature specimen when the bright green leaves turn a
brilliant, clear yellow in the fall.

The leaves suddenly will cascade to the ground in a single day.
Buy male trees when possible. Females produce fruits that develop
a rancid odor as they mature.

These trees and many others can brighten your fall landscape. Be
sure to select trees adapted to your site to ensure the success
of your planting project.