Fall is one of the most eye-catching times of the year. If you have the right plant species planted in your landscape, your fall show may be more exciting than others. When selecting plants for your landscape, consider all seasons of the year. Some plants put on a spectacular show in the spring when they bloom, but the rest of the year they don’t have much to offer.
Fall plant selection made easy.
One of the most impressive shrubs found in zone 5 (which covers most of eastern Iowa) is a burning bush. Most of the year this plant is not much to look at. There are no large fragrant flowers to see in the spring or summer. Once this plant leafs out for the year, it does not do much else until fall. Once temperatures get cold enough in the fall, the shrubs leaves turn bright red. This shrub is one of the most gorgeous and vibrant colored plants that we use in local landscapes. Another popular shrub is a PJM Rhodenderon. This shrub has bright pink flowers in the spring and burgundy leaves in the fall. Dwarf fothergilla is a fragrant summer blooming shrub. The foliage of this shrub is dark green in the summer to turning bright yellow or orange in the fall. Any of the above shrubs are great choices when considering fall color for your landscape.
Giving your landscape a variety of plant material will help give your property eye appeal through out the year. Diversity is key in obtaining a year round theme. Evergreens offer consistent color to help manage your year round points of interest.
Maple trees such as Autumn Blaze will also add fall color to your property. Selecting different varieties of maple trees can offer complementing fall color. Different tree varieties can prolong the fall experience by changing colors at different times.