The Best Native Plants for Fall Foliage
Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida) with a backdrop of Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis).
There are a wide variety of native plants that offer colorful displays of foliage during autumn. From reds to yellows, maroon to purple, if you are looking to add some fall color to your yard, consider adding some of the plants below!
Please note that this article focuses on foliage color and not other attributes such as fruits or flowers. Also, this list is organized by plant type (tree, shrub, etc.) and while being fairly comprehensive, it is not all encompassing. If you feel we missed a species, please let us know!
Canopy Trees
Red Maple (Acer rubrum) - Usually a deep red, but can be red, orange, or yellow.
Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum) - Primarily orange-red but can be red, orange, or yellow.
Sweet Birch (Betula lenta) - Bright yellow, sometimes with some gold.
Pignut Hickory (Carya glabra) - Golden yellow with bronze.
American Beech (Fagus grandifolia) - Bronze and gold with yellow.
Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) - Shades of red, orange, yellow, or purple.
Tulip Poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) - Usually a bright yellow but some years may have more brown.
Black Gum (Nyssa sylvatica) - Bright red with some oranges.
Quaking Aspen (Populous tremuloides) - Bright yellow with some gold.
White Oak (Quercus alba) - Burgundy-Red occasionally with purple.
Scarlet Oak (Quercus coccinea) - Vibrant red that may have small portions of rich brown.
Understory Trees
Pawpaw (Asimina triloba) - Golden yellow.
American Hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana) - Usually orange to bronze with some red and yellow.
Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis) - Yellow with gold and occasionally some brown spots.
Fringetree (Chionanthus virginicus) - Golden yellow similar to Redbud.
Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida) - Burgundy and red with purple.
Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina) - Deep reds with some burgundy and oranges.
Sassafras (Sassafras albidum) - Varying shades of red, orange, yellow, maroon, and purple.
Taller Shrubs
Serviceberry (Amelanchier arborea) - Red, orange, and yellow.
Witch Hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) - Yellow and gold.
Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) - Bright yellow with some gold.
Highbush Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) - Deep red with occasional maroon.
Arrowwood (Viburnum dentatum) - Maroon with red and purple.
Blackhaw (Viburnum prunifolium) - Burgundy and purple with some red.
Shorter Shrubs
Black Chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa) - Bright red with purple and burgundy.
Virginia Sweetspire (Itea virginica) - Purple, burgundy, and some red.
Allegheny Blackberry (Rubus allegheniensis) - Primarily red and orange with some purple.
Mapleleaf Viburnum (Viburnum acerifolium) - Red and burgundy.
Perennials (Including Ferns and Vines)
Threadleaf Bluestar (Amsonia hubrichtii) - Golden yellow.
Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum) - Red and maroon.
False Solomon’s Seal (Maianthemum racemosum) - Bronze with golden hues.
Sundrops (Oenothera fruticosa) - Usually red, but may have burgundy.
Cinnamon Fern (Osmunda cinnamomea) - Golden bronze sometimes with yellow.
Pipevine (Aristolochia macrophylla) - Yellow and gold.
Wild Yam (Dioscorea villosa) - Golden yellow with bronze.
Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) - Bright red.
American Wisteria (Wisteria frutescens) - Yellow and gold.
All photo credits to Robert Severynse of Native Plant Scapes.
Some species not pictured:
Sweetshrub (Calycanthus floridus) - Yellow and gold.
Sweet pepperbush (Clethra alnifolia) - Gold with yellow.
Dwarf Fothergilla (Fothergilla gardenii) - Primarily red and orange but may have some yellow.
Wild Strawberry (Fragaria virginiana) - Red with some maroon.
