Fall Color in the Garden
Fall color is at peak in some areas and passed in others. To leaf-peepers at home and on vacation, the fiery red of sugar maples, purples of sweet gums and brilliant yellows of birches is a beautiful mystery. It doesn’t have to be so. Here is an easy primer on fall color.
You Look Lovely in Red
Most of the year, tree leaves are lush and green. That is because the production of chlorophyll exceeds the production of other plant pigments in the leaves. Chlorophyll reflects green light, which is why leaves looks green when chlorophyll production is high. Chlorophyll is part of photosynthesis, which is how plants produce sugar from light, water and carbon dioxide. As the days become shorter, light becomes less intense and the temperature drops, plants slow down their production of chlorophyll and the other pigments become more prominent. Carotenoids, which reflect yellow and orange light, and anthocyanins that reflect red and blue light. These pigments are in the leaves year-round, but only visible in the fall.
Razzle Dazzle Fall Color
Sweet gum trees thrive in many locations of North America. They do not, however, display the same fall color everywhere. Up north, sweet gum trees turn brilliant shades of purple, red and yellow. In the south, their leaves turn brown and fall off. What gives? The cooler the area, the more likely brilliant fall color will paint the hillsides. Cool days and nights above freezing are optimum for breakdown of chlorophyll and persistence of the carotenoids and anthocyanins. Consistently warm temperatures late into the fall ensure that chlorophyll production does not stop until the leaves fall off the trees. That means brown leaves. Blech.
Best Trees for Fall Color in the North
- Sugar Maple
- Amur Maple
- Sweet Gum
- Birch
- Aspen
- Ornamental pear (This is the ONLY thing ornamental pears are good for.)
- Ginkgo (Be sure to plant the males. The fruit from female ginkgo trees smells like rotting vomit.)
Fall Color in the South
The south, except in mountainous regions, is pretty lackluster for fall colors. There are a few plants that perform, even in the heat.
- Red Maple
- Virginia Creeper
- Tupelo
- Bald Cypress
- Flowering Dogwood
- Japanese Maple
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