Falling for Gold in Autumn

October 2008

“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.” So wrote French philosopher Albert Camus, hinting at the design possibilities of vibrant fall foliage in the garden.

Autumn color change is nature’s way of preparing plants for winter. As temperatures cool and daylight decreases, trees and shrubs adapt by ceasing to manufacture food through photosynthesis. Thus chlorophyll, the green leaf pigment used to capture sunlight, is no longer needed and breaks down exposing underlying yellow and orange pigments called carotenoids. Trees like paper birch and ginkgo have large concentrations of these leaf pigments, resulting in luminous yellow fall color.

In a well-designed garden, gold and yellow fall leaves can provide a fleeting but spectacular display, especially when combined with other shrubs and trees that turn orange or red. They can also be effectively paired or with late-season perennials.

Here are some excellent shrubs, trees and perennials to dust your garden in autumn gold. Though many tolerate partial shade, a sunny site always produces the best fall color.

1. Arkansas Blue Star – Amsonia hubrechtii

The light-blue June flowers of Arkansas blue star are rather understated but in fall this native perennial turns on the fireworks as its needle-like foliage turns brilliant apricot-gold. Pair it with dwarf burning bush (Euonymus alata ‘Compactus’) for an eye-catching combo.

Height: 60-90 cm (2-3 ft)

Spread: 60 cm (2 ft)

Cultivation: Moist, well-drained soil in full sun

Zone: 5 (Canada)

2. Paper Birch – Betula papyrifera

One of the loveliest sights of autumn is the shimmering white trunk and fluttering yellow leaves of native paper birch, framed against a clear blue sky. To evoke the northern forest, consider planting a ‘Red Sunset’ red maple (Acer rubrum) nearby.

Height: To 18 m (60 ft)

Spread: 12 m (40 ft)

Cultivation: Moist, well-drained, slightly acidic soil in full sun.

Zone: 2 (Canada)

3. Bittersweet Vine – Celastrus spp.

Bittersweet turns lemon-yellow in fall, a fetching contrast to the small orange fruit borne at the same time. (Female vines produce fruit and must be fertilized by a nearby male plant.) For a spectacular show, grow bittersweet near Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) which turns vivid red in fall.

Height: 4 m (13 ft)

Spread: 2 m (6.5 ft)

Cultivation: Moist, well-drained soil, not too rich, full sun

Zone: 3b (Canada)

4. Katsura – Cercidiphyllum japonicum

With its graceful, heart-shaped leaves, multiple trunks and elegant branching, the katsura is a handsome, mid-to-large shade tree that is relatively slow-growing but worth the wait to enjoy a mature specimen. As the leaves turn yellow and apricot in autumn, they develop an enticing cotton-candy fragrance.

Height: 6 – 18 m (20 – 60 ft)

Spread: 9 m (30 ft)

Cultivation: Moist, well-drained soil in full sun.

Zone: 4 (Canada)

5. Eastern Redbud – Cercis canadensis

This small, native tree is a delight in spring when tiny pink flowers cloak the dark, low-sweeping branches. The large, heart-shaped leaves open soon after and turn yellow in fall. An excellent choice for a native plant garden, perhaps as a background to fall-coloring native shrubs such as fothergilla and oakleaf hydrangea .

Height: 7.5 m ( 25 ft)

Spread: 6 – 9 m (20 – 30 ft)

Cultivation: Regular garden soil in full sun.

Zone: 5b (Canada)

6. Ginkgo, Maidenhair Tree – Ginkgo biloba

Often called a “living fossil” because its lineage has been traced to the dinosaur age, the ginkgo has unique, fan-shaped leaves that turn butter-yellow in fall. Hardy and pollution-tolerant, it is an excellent large tree for city gardens provided a male variety is planted, as female trees bear fleshy, foul-smelling fruit. For restricted spaces narrowly-upright ‘Princeton Sentry’ is a good choice; ‘Autumn Gold’ has brilliant fall color.

Height: 15 – 18 m (50 – 60 ft)

Spread: 3 – 12 m (10 – 40 ft)

Cultivation: Easy in regular garden soil and full sun; pest-free.

Zone: 4 (Canada)

7. Eastern (Common) Witch Hazel – Hamamelis virginiana

This exquisite multi-stemmed native has the distinction of being the last shrub to flower, in October, with small fringe-like yellow blossoms that are often obscured by the rich yellow of the changing fall leaves.

Height: 3 – 6 m (10 – 20 ft)

Spread: 3 – 6 m (10 – 20 ft)

Cultivation: Moist, well-drained, acidic soil in full sun

Zone: 4 (Canada)

8. Hosta – Hosta sieboldiana ‘Elegans’

Not only do the thick, puckered, blue-green leaves of this large hosta repel hungry slugs, they also turn a stunning gold in autumn, retaining the color for a surprisingly long time. Pair with fall asters and mums.

Height: 60 – 90 cm (2 – 3 ft)

Spread: 90 cm (3 ft)

Cultivation: Humus-rich soil; keep moist when sited in full sun

Zone: 3 (Canada)

9. Ninebark – Physocarpus opulifolius

With its chartreuse spring foliage, spirea-like, white June flowers, peeling bark and wine-red summer seed-heads, native ninebark is a worthy addition to the back of a shrub border. In late autumn, often as the weather turns chilly enough for snow, the leaves turn yellow: not too showy, but attractive – just like this hardy, undemanding shrub.

Height: 2.4 m (8 ft)

Spread: 2.4 m (8 ft)

Cultivation: Regular garden soil; sun

Zone: 2b (Canada)

10. Solomon’s Seal – Polygonatum commutatum

With its elegant, pendant spring flowers and tall arching stems, this native wildflower forms large colonies in time. It also takes on soft, yellow tones in fall – a pretty contrast to the blue flowers of fall monkshood (Aconitum x arendsii).

Height: 60 – 120 cm (2 – 4 ft)

Spread: 60 cm (2 ft)

Cultivation: Moist, humus-rich soil; morning sun

Zone: 3 (Canada)

11. Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ (‘Herbstsfreude’) – Sedum spp.

Many sedums turn yellow in autumn but ‘Autumn Joy’ is one of the most dependable for fall color, with the bronze-red October flowers standing out nicely against the pale-yellow leaves.

Height: 45 – 60 cm (18 – 24 in)

Spread: 45 cm (18 in)

Cultivation: Regular garden soil; full sun

Zone: 2 (Canada)

14 More Shrubs & Trees to Dust your Fall Garden with Gold: