The autumn landscape can be a most breathtaking scene to behold. Trees change their leaves to shades of crimson, mahogany, bronze, and gold, rolling over hillsides and lighting up the sky. Paired with the cooling temperatures and holiday anticipation, it’s truly an enchanting time to be outdoors enjoying nature.
When it comes to fall color, not all trees are equal. Scientific reactions are responsible for those vivid hues. As the equinox passes and we see fewer daylight hours, the decrease in daylight means less photosynthesis.
The decrease in photosynthesis means that the tree produces less chlorophyll. When you see those brilliant shades of yellow and orange, you see the color of the leaves without chlorophyll. Some leaves are brighter underneath than others, which simply turn brown.
Shades of red and violet appear because of the presence of anthocyanins, which develop when sugars get trapped in the leaves. Maples, oaks, and dogwood trees are likely to produce these colors.
Science aside, autumn leaves are one of my favorite things about the season. Not only are they beautiful to behold, but they are also a harbinger of celebratory times ahead. Here are 15 of my favorite fall trees with the best leaves.
American Beech
The leaves are simple, heavily veined, and slightly toothy.
American beech is a slow grower with smooth, gray bark and a full, dense canopy. The leaves are simple, heavily veined, and slightly toothy. In spring and summer, they are a gorgeous blue-green shade. When autumn starts to creep in, those leaves change to brilliant bronze and gold.
These trees need at least partial exposure and grow quite large over time. They need moist, well-drained soil that is slightly acidic and rich in nutrients. After the first few years, they need little pruning or maintenance and provide a lot of interest in the landscape.
Black Tupelo
In addition to its fall leaves, it has interesting, scaly bark that adds interest in winter.
Famed for the honey produced from its nectar, the Black Tupelo is an easy-going tree with reliably wonderful autumn colors. Its flowers are inconspicuous but are a great food source for bees. In addition to its fall leaves, it has interesting, scaly bark that adds interest in winter.
The foliage lights up in shades of red, orange, yellow, and purple, with small bluish-black berries that attract birds. It has an oval growth habit and matures to between 30 ‘and 70’ tall. It’s not picky about exposure or soil as long as it doesn’t have wet feet.
Ginkgo
They have beautiful and unique fan-shaped foliage that is a lovely bluish-green in summer.
Ginkgos are amazingly long-lived and fascinating trees. The oldest specimen in the world is more than 3,000 years old! These truly get better and more beautiful with age. They have beautiful and unique fan-shaped foliage that is a lovely bluish-green in summer. For as lovely as they are throughout the year, ginkgos are a glorious golden spectacle in fall.
Plant your ginkgo in a place where it gets a lot of light. They are drought tolerant and prefer sandy, well-drained soil. Make sure to loosen up and amend your soil if it is clay-heavy or compacts easily. They can live in Zones 3-9 but thrive best in more of a mid-range. Too much heat will decrease a ginkgo’s drought tolerance.
Serviceberry
As the days get shorter, serviceberry’s foliage changes to glowing red, gold, and orange embers.
Serviceberry is a member of the rose family and a more compact tree. At a mature height of 15 to 30 feet, it fits well in more modest spaces, and you can plant it closer to the house without fear of root damage.
First, this tree is known for its spectacular spring floral display. When it blooms, it looks like a fluffy white cloud. As the days get shorter, serviceberry’s foliage changes to glowing red, gold, and orange embers. It glows in any garden space.
In its first year, remember to keep the soil moist. Giving your serviceberry a layer of mulch around the base will help retain moisture in the soil. Trees that get more moisture produce more and better-quality, edible berries.
Sugar Maple
Its attractive rounded crown makes it an ideal shade tree, and the vermilion, orange, and yellow foliage stands out in fall.
You’ll find sugar maple on any list of this kind. It’s simply one of the most flamboyant and reliable sources of autumn foliage around. Its attractive rounded crown makes it an ideal shade tree, and the vermilion, orange, and yellow foliage stands out in fall.
Maple trees are generally well-loved for this reason. Sugar maple has the highest concentration of sugar of any species, which adds a lot of red tones. Sugar maples like well-drained, acidic soil, but they prefer it not to be too wet or dry. Give your sugar maple space from footpaths or driveways. Their roots are a bit sensitive.
Sassafrass
In autumn, they change to shades of orange, yellow, and red, sometimes even a deep burgundy.
Sassafrass is a North American native with a rich history of use among Indigenous people. Female trees produce pretty yellow flowers in the spring, and the resulting berries feed birds and other wildlife. The plant also plays host to the spicebush swallowtail butterfly.
The foliage is an interesting part of sassafras. The leaves aren’t all the same shape—some are ovoid—but the ends of branches hold interesting, tri-lobed leaves. When young, they have a citrus aroma. In autumn, they change to shades of orange, yellow, and red, sometimes even a deep burgundy.
Eastern Redbud
The heart-shaped leaves change from bright green to various warm colors, and the ‘Heart of Gold’ cultivar turns bright yellow.
This member of the legume family is a double threat, with stunning spring flowers and incredible autumn foliage. It’s a compact tree with peeling bark that also provides winter interest. The heart-shaped leaves change from bright green to various warm colors, and the ‘Heart of Gold’ cultivar turns bright yellow.
Full sun exposure will make Eastern redbud produce the most flowers. The rounded crown is a product of many horizontally tiered branches. Moist, well-drained soil is ideal, and it needs a winter chill to set buds.
Ohio Buckeye
The fall color can span the spectrum from red to gold, with orange being the most common.
Ohio buckeye is another mid-sized tree that blends well in most landscapes. It has a broad crown that is often slightly pointed on top. This is a bloomer, but the flowers are not highly visible among the leaves. They are, however, attractive to pollinators. The resulting fruit is poisonous.
The fall color can span the spectrum from red to gold, with orange being the most common. Ohio buckeye makes a lovely shade tree. It prefers well-drained soil and is otherwise unfussy about composition and pH. It likes moderate moisture.
Japanese Stewartia
Before it loses its leaves, they turn bright red and orange.
It’s sad that I live in Zone 9, just out of range of this wonderful tree. It is often called deciduous camellia because of their physical similarities. The white blossoms are similar to those of Camellia sinensis, the green tea plant.
Where camellias are evergreen, Japanese Stewartia is deciduous. Before it loses its leaves, they turn bright red and orange. Its attractive peeling bark gives this tree year-round appeal. It’s fairly compact and fits well in most landscapes. It’s a winner of the Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society.
Coral Bark Japanese Maple
With foliage that changes from neon yellow to green to scarlet over the course of the year, this is a wonderful focal point.
Another Award of Garden Merit winner, coral bark maple is a stunner. With foliage that changes from neon yellow to green to scarlet over the course of the year, this is a wonderful focal point in any landscape. In winter, it’s no less stunning. After the leaves fall, the brilliant coral bark adds beauty to the colder months.
Coral bark maple is a slow grower and small at maturity, making it versatile. It likes rich, moist, acidic soil and is otherwise easy to grow. Just be sure to keep the soil moist, as this tree can dry out easily, leading to leaf scorch.
Fullmoon Maple
Rather than the typical maple shape, the leaves on this species are circular with toothy, pointed edges.
Fullmoon maple is a delicate and beautiful specimen tree with uniquely beautiful foliage. Rather than the typical maple shape, the leaves on this species are circular with toothy, pointed edges. It is slow-growing, with a wide, spreading crown and smooth gray bark.
This maple prefers cool weather and won’t tolerate hot summers. In autumn, its leaves turn shades of red and bronze. The ‘Aconitifolium’ variety is an Award winner with fernlike leaves that turn scarlet. Varieties can range widely in size, from medium-sized shrubs to small trees.
American Smoke Tree
In autumn, the foliage shifts to orange, purple, and red shades.
This is an incredibly interesting tree from a visual standpoint. American Smoke Tree is the way to go if you’re looking for something that will stand out. The leaves are pink in spring, and large plumes of small, fluffy flowers appear and stay into the summer months. They look like clouds of smoke surrounding the crown.
In autumn, the foliage shifts to orange, purple, and red shades. This mid-sized tree is native to the United States and is low maintenance, requiring no regular pruning. Butterflies are attracted to the flowers, and deer typically leave it alone.
Crape Myrtle
As the daylight hours grow shorter, crape myrtle foliage lights up in vivid orange and red with purple accents.
Crape myrtles are well suited for warmer climates. Their magnificent floral displays in summer and attractive, peeling bark make them year-round beauties. As the daylight hours grow shorter, crape myrtle foliage lights up in vivid orange and red with purple accents here and there.
As the tree ages, the exfoliating bark will become more prominent, adding beauty to the winter landscape. Pruning this tree is an ongoing task until it matures. Just don’t commit crape murder. Lopping your tree off at the top can shorten its lifespan.
Quaking Aspen
This is a distinctive tree with incredible, gleaming, golden autumn leaves.
If you have a significant space to fill and you want a fast grower, consider a quaking aspen. This is a distinctive tree with incredible, gleaming, golden autumn leaves. The smooth white bark is striking in winter, as well.
Quaking Aspen is a large, vigorous grower that tolerates very cold temperatures. It’s the only tree on our list that you can grow in Zone 1! The name comes from the sound its foliage makes when the slightest breeze blows through.
Kousa Dogwood
They produce a lot of anthocyanins, so their autumn foliage is mostly red and purple.
Kousa Dogwood is a chameleon. It grows slowly, changing from an upright juvenile to becoming more conical as it matures before finally spreading out. It’s very decorative, with white flowers in early summer that give way to red berries in late summer. Its lightly peeling bark makes it interesting in winter.
Dogwoods have wonderful fall colors. They produce a lot of anthocyanins, so their autumn foliage is mostly red and purple, though some orange may appear as well. This color lasts three to five weeks, and the red berries stick around longer for the birds to enjoy.
