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 Flora :: Bushes :. Shrub, Bush and Vine for Fall Colors

Injecting fall colors into the landscape is about more than just planting maples and other trees that display vivid fall colors with their colorful leaves. As the Shrub, Bush & Vine Top 10 List will show, there are many shrubs and vines which put on fine fall colors as well. Some bear colorful berries, others colorful autumn leaves; and some exhibit both.

 

Shrub, Bush & Vine Top 10 for Fall Colors

  1. 'Rudy Haag' Burning Bush
  2. Sumac
  3. Fothergilla
  4. 'Tor' Spirea
  5. Blackhaw Viburnum
  6. Bittersweet
  7. Oakleaf Hydrangea
  8. Virginia Creeper
  9. Red Chokeberry
  10. Viking Black Chokeberry   

5 Best Shrubs for Colorful Leaves

The winner, burning bush (Euonymus alatus) comes in many varieties, but all provide foliage outstanding in fall colors. The consensus at landscape nurseries seems to be that the 'Rudy Haag' variety is the top of the line. They like the fact that this burning bush variety is a true dwarf, making it easy to maintain. The 'compactus' variety of burning bush has been extremely popular for years, but its name is more wishful thinking than reality - it does not maintain a "compact" form as successfully as does 'Rudy Haag.' 'Rudy Haag' achieves a height of 3-5'and a spread 3-5'.

Plant burning bush on a patch of your landscape where the soil is well-drained. Except for this one requirement, this shrub is not a fussy plant to grow. In fact, as the University of Connecticut Extension reports, burning bush is so successful that it is considered invasive by The Nature Conservancy. Consequently, the plant's first-place showing on this list is not so much a recommendation to grow it, as it is a simple nod to its unquestionable beauty. If you do grow burning bush, be sure to keep it in check.

Although not particular about being planted in a sunny or shady location on your landscape, burning bush puts on a better show of fall colors when grown in sunny locations. Likewise, burning bush tolerates drought - to the extent that the plant won't readily die when deprived of optimal irrigation. However, insufficient watering hinders the development of the colorful leaves that are their trademark.

Sumac is one of the most underrated bushes for providing fall colors on the landscape (see picture above). This is probably due to the fact that once a plant is identified as "sumac," homeowners often jump to the conclusion that the plant is "poison sumac." In reality, poison sumac would hardly ever be found in a front yard, unless your front yard is a swamp - which is poison sumac's habitat. The other sumacs are not poisonous, and the colorful leaves of many varieties provide fall colors ranging from red or maroon to gold. Two such varieties are staghorn and smooth sumac. The widespread staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina) is a relatively tall variety (reaches 18 feet to 35 feet). The smooth sumac (Rhus glabra) is another common variety; this bush attains a height of about 10 feet.

Fothergilla (Fothergilla major) is a spherical multi-stemmed shrub with white flowers in spring that carry a fragrant aroma. In fall the dark green foliage of summer changes to colors of yellow, orange and scarlet. Reaching 6-10' high, the shrub spreads 5-9'. Fothergilla should be planted in a sunny or partially-sunny location on your landscape.

The shrub 'Tor' spirea (Spiraea betulifolia 'Tor') reaches a height of 2-3' and spreads out 2-3'. It requires full sun. The shrub's foliage is dark green in summer, but its fall color is red. In May the plant bears small, white flowers in clusters.

Blackhaw viburnum (Viburnum prunifolium) is similar to the shrub Hawthorn in the way that it grows except it has no thorns. The shrub yields white flowers in May, which become an edible fruit at harvest time. Fall color is offered not only by these bluish-black berries but also by colorful leaves. Dark green foliage morphs to purple to reddish-bronze to a crimson in fall. It achieves a height of 12-15' and a spread 8-12'.

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