THE brilliant colours of the season make this a good time to enjoy the numerous beautiful trees growing in gardens, parks and boulevards across the North Shore.
This is also a good time to choose trees for the garden specifically according to their fall colour. So if you are looking to add a tree to your garden here's a list of trees with great fall colour.
Trees with yellow fall colour: Vine maple (Acer circinatum) - A native tree that usually colours yellow in fall and occasionally red in some instances. Grow in part shade or full sun.
- David's maple (Acer davidii) is primarily grown for its colourful bark striations but it does have good yellow fall colour. Grow in the shade.
- Big leaf maple (Acer macrophyllum) is the quintessential native maple tree of western Canada, producing a dark or muddy yellow fall colour. Easy to grow but big.
- Silk tree (Albizia julibrissin) - This delicatelooking tree is for warm gardens only, due to its low frost tolerance. The yellow fall colour is highlighted by some fruit (if produced). Needs full sun and warmth. There is a good specimen of this tree growing by the train tracks near the ocean in Dundarave.
- Katsura tree (Cercidiphylum japonicum) has yellow fall foliage to spare. It's bright, cheerful and desirable for most gardens.
- Maidenhair tree (Gingko biloba) - Of all the yellows, few other trees are as yellow as gingko. The leaves are small, vivid yellow and exquisitely shaped.
- Sunburst honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos 'Sunburst') - Often used as street tree for its drought tolerance and medium size, this tree will produce consistently bright yellow fall colour.
- Golden rain tree (Kolreuteria paniculata) - An excellent small-sized tree that is drought tolerant with yellow fall colour topped with tan seed pods. Good samples of this tree can be seen at Park & Tilford Gardens.
- Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) - Undoubtedly one of the best yellow fall colouring trees. Tough, drought-tolerant and nostalgic for many people.
- Golden locust (Robinia pseudoacacia 'Frisia') is golden yellow all summer turning bright yellow in fall and most excellent.
Trees with red fall colour: - The paperbark maple (Acer griseum) is arguably one of the best small trees with excellent, brilliant red fall colour and red exfoliating bark. Ideal for the residential garden. Plant in full sun to get the best colour but it will tolerate light shade.
- Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) - There are many cultivars available out there and all of species colour bright red through to dark purple-red in fall.
- Red maple (Acer rubrum cultivars) - Normally grown as a street tree, this tree really knows how to color bright red through crimson in the fall. Ideal for larger gardens and several cultivars are sold.
- Forest pansy redbud (Cercis canadensis 'Forest Pansy') turns red through dark purple depending on where it is grown.
Colours can be dramatic and visually interesting. - Chinese dogwood (Cornus kousa 'Chinensis') - The leaves turn bright red or red-purple and last for two or three weeks.
Small growing and highly desirable for residential gardens. - Tupelo tree or sour gum (Nyssa sylvatica) - This tree can be gorgeous in the fall as long as it is grown in full sun. The colour ranges from red to burgundy to purple-red.
- Oaks (Quercus rubra, Quercus coccinea and many others) - Tall, large growing trees with strong wood and excellent red fall colour. Not ideal for small gardens but great for the front yard or boulevard. Regardless of problems with Sudden Oak Death syndrome and leaf skeletonizers, oak trees are still worth planting.
- Staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina): Even though this tree is common, it's an ideal small tree for full sun and dry conditions. Colours range from deep red to purple-red combined with colourful red fall fruit.
- Japanese stewartia (Stewartia pseudocamellia): Every garden should have one of the best fall-coloured trees of all. Small growing and colouring red through crimson in fall combined with colourful exfoliating bark with age, this tree is awesome.
There are many more trees with interesting fall colour than I have mentioned herein, such as the Persian ironwood (Parrotia persica), which has a rounded crown with age, exfoliating bark producing colours of white, green and brown with fall colour ranging from yellow to orange to red. But looking at fall colour in pictures on the Internet or a book is not the same as seeing colour up close and personal.
To evaluate the subtle hues and nuances that a picture cannot show, now is the time to get out in the cool weather and look at the glorious colours of our fall trees so you can visualize their potential to enhance the garden, and nothing is as colourful as looking through your own eyes.
Todd Major is a journeyman horticulturist, garden designer, writer, consultant and organic advocate. For advice contact him at [email protected].
