12 Best Fall Trees for a Beautiful Autumn Display
Here’s what to plant for gorgeous fall color in your yard.
Sunny days, cool nights, and pumpkins everywhere: fall has arrived!
We love the season most for its brilliant fall foliage in flaming shades of wine-red, gold, and bright orange. But if your own yard lacks autumn color, it’s time to plant one of our favorite choices for the best fall trees.
Planting a tree is an investment that provides decades of beauty, privacy, and shade, as well as food and shelter for wildlife.
But do a little homework before buying. The most common mistake? Not considering a tree’s mature height and width so that it becomes a maintenance hassle down the road.
Also, make sure your chosen tree can survive winters in your USDA Hardiness Zone. (Find your zone here.)
There can be great variation in hardiness and size among the different cultivars, or cultivated varieties, of trees. So, read the tag to be sure what you’re buying!
Many flowering trees and dwarf tree cultivars also have been bred in recent years to work in smaller gardens. (Here are the 12 Best Dwarf Trees Under 10 Feet Tall for Your Yard.)
How Do You Plant a Tree?
- Dig a hole 2 to 3 times the size of the root ball.
- Ease it out of its pot, or remove all burlap, wire and string.
- Place in the hole at the same depth it was in the pot. Make sure that the root flare, the tapered area at the base of the trunk, is situated above ground; your tree should not look like a telephone pole!
- Backfill the hole, and tamp down well. Water deeply and regularly during the first two years so it establishes nice, healthy roots.
Ahead, our favorite fall trees for your garden of any size:
Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum)
This tree is the winner for best autumn color, hands down. Sugar maples make stately trees with unparalleled hues of red, orange, and yellow—sometimes all on the same leaf!
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3 to 8
Mature Size: 55 to 75 feet tall and 30 to 50 feet wide
Serviceberry (Amelanchier spp)
Serviceberry is a beautiful, versatile tree or large shrub with spring flowers that become summer fruits that are ideal for making jam. The brilliant fall colors make it even more striking. The cultivar ‘Autumn Brilliance’ has gorgeous orange-red fall color and can be trained as a tree or tall shrub.
USDA Hardiness Zones: 4 to 9
Mature Size: 15 to 25 feet tall and wide
Red Maple (Acer rubrum)
Red maples also boast reliable red fall color. They grow quickly, adding 3 or more feet of height per year. ‘Red Sunset’ and ‘October Glory’ are cultivars especially noted for their stunning red-orange fall colors.
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3 to 9
Mature Size: 40 to 50 feet tall and 25 to 40 feet wide
Gingko (Gingko Biloba)
With fan-shaped leaves and bright gold fall color, gingko is an amazing tree for any landscape. It’s a living fossil, dating to 270 million years ago. However, the female tree is messy with smelly fruit. Opt for a male cultivar, such as ‘Autumn Gold’ or ‘Goldspire,’ which will not bear fruit.
USDA Hardiness Zone: 4 to 9
Mature Size: 14 to 40 feet tall and 6 to 30 feet wide
Redbud (Cercis canadensis)
Redbuds have beautiful clusters of sweet-pea-like lavender-pink flowers in early spring. The blooms appear before foliage. But the heart-shaped leaves are striking, too, and may be green, wine-red, or bronze-y orange. Some of the best cultivars for fall color include ‘Forest Pansy,’ ‘Merlot’ and ‘Flame Thrower.’
USDA Hardiness Zones: 5 to 9
Mature Size: 15 to 30 feet tall and 20 to 35 feet wide
Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum)
With an elegant form and delicate foliage, Japanese maples make striking focal points in the garden. They also stay on the smaller side, so they’re a good choice for more compact gardens.‘Tamukeyama’ has gorgeous red color throughout the entire growing season.
USDA Hardiness Zones: 5 to 8
Mature size: 6 to 20 feet tall and 8 to 15 feet wide
Crape Myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica)
Let this tree grow into its natural tree form instead of pruning it back, and you’ll enjoy its lovely fall color for years. Cultivars that have great autumn color and mildew resistance include ‘Acoma,’ ‘Biloxi’ and ‘Natchez.’
USDA Hardiness Zones: 7 to 10
Mature Size: 10 to 25 feet tall and 10 to 20 feet wide
Paperbark Maple (Acer griseum)
It’s no surprise that yet another maple is on the list because they’re known for fall color; this one also has beautiful peeling bark that reveals a red-orange inner bark layer, so this tree offers year-round beauty and interest. It’s a slow grower, though, so it may take decades to reach its mature size.
USDA Hardiness Zones: 4 to 8
Mature Size: 20 to 30 feet and 15 to 25 feet
Kousa Dogwood (Cornus kousa)
Large, beautiful spring flowers, red fruits, and lovely red-purple fall foliage make dogwoods a great choice for more compact yards. Kousa dogwoods are more disease resistant than other types of dogwoods (C. florida).
USDA Hardiness Zones: 5 to 8
Mature Size: 15 to 25 feet tall and 15 wide
River Birch (Betula nigra)
River birches have pale gold fall color, but their greatest appeal is the gorgeous peeling bark that becomes even more apparent when the tree is bare. They can be a little messy, dropping branches throughout the year, but they’re great choices for soggy areas. ‘DuraHeat’ is a good cultivar for most climates.
USDA Hardiness Zones: 4 to 9
Mature Size: 40 to 50 feet tall and 25 to 40 feet wide
Black Gum (Nyssa sylvatica)
Dark green foliage that turns to orange-red is a reason to plant this beautiful pyramidal-shaped tree. Also called tupelo, black gum is a fast grower that doesn’t mind swampy areas. ‘Green Gables’ has great fall color along with good resistance to leaf spot disease.
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3 to 9
Mature Size: 30 to 60 feet tall and 20 to 40 feet wide
Oakleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia)
Actually a large shrub, this is the only type of hydrangea bush that offers fall color. Its foliage turns a deep rusty-red, while the papery flowers stay intact, offering even more interest. It’s a good choice if you don’t have room for a full-sized tree.
USDA Hardiness Zones: 4 to 9
Mature Size: 5 to 10 feet tall and wide
Arricca Elin SanSone has written about health and lifestyle topics for Prevention, Country Living, Woman's Day, and more. She’s passionate about gardening, baking, reading, and spending time with the people and dogs she loves.
32 Best Fall Flowers to Plant in Your Garden
45 Best Halloween Wreaths to DIY This October
32 Insanely Cute Dog and Owner Halloween Costumes
30 of the Cutest Amazon Fall Fashion Finds
