As autumn arrives, it’s an excellent opportunity to enhance your landscape by planting new trees. The cooler temperatures and vibrant fall colors create the perfect conditions for tree growth. While many trees thrive when planted in the fall, it’s important to know which varieties will flourish now and which should wait for spring. This guide will help you choose the best trees to plant this season, ensuring your garden bursts with color and life for years to come.
1. Red Maple
The Red Maple is an ideal choice for fall planting, offering vibrant beauty and practical benefits to your landscape. Known for its striking red flowers, fruit, and twigs, this tree also delivers breathtaking red foliage in autumn, making it a standout in any yard. It thrives in various conditions, from full sun to part shade, and adapts to different soil types, especially those that are moist or well-draining. Red Maples even tolerate wet soils, making them perfect for rain gardens. With its hardiness across USDA Zones 3 to 9, this tree is both visually stunning and easy to grow, giving your yard a pop of autumn color while requiring minimal maintenance.
2. Shumard Oak
The Shumard Oak makes an excellent choice for fall planting, especially if you need a strong, fast-growing shade tree. This southern native easily adapts to various conditions, thriving in full sunlight and withstanding challenges like drought, wind, and city pollution, making it well-suited for both urban and suburban environments.
In addition to its toughness, the Shumard Oak plays an important role in supporting local wildlife. It provides food for many butterfly and moth caterpillars, which in turn attract birds. During fall, its stunning burgundy-red leaves enhance the beauty of your yard and often draw migrating songbirds.
3. Arborvitae
Arborvitae is an excellent evergreen to plant in the fall, offering year-round beauty and resilience. Unlike deciduous trees, its needled or scale-like leaves keep your landscape green throughout winter. Fall is the perfect time to plant arborvitae because it allows for a longer period of root establishment, helping the tree thrive through the heat of summer.
Arborvitae prefers well-draining soil with consistent moisture and doesn’t tolerate dry conditions, so planting in the cooler months ensures it has time to adapt. Hardy in USDA zones 2 to 7, this tree adds structure and elegance to your garden, making it a strong candidate for autumn planting.
4. Black Gum
The Black Gum, or Tupelo, is perfect for fall planting, offering striking scarlet foliage in autumn and glossy green leaves in summer. This native shade tree is not only beautiful but also highly resilient, thriving in full sun to part shade and tolerating a range of soils, as long as they’re moist and well-draining. Its deep tap root makes it drought-tolerant once established, although it’s best to plant it in fall to give it a strong start before winter.
Beyond its looks, Black Gum is also a valuable tree for wildlife, attracting native bees, tree frogs, and birds to your garden. If you’re looking for a tree that combines beauty, hardiness, and ecological benefits, the Black Gum is an excellent choice for your autumn planting.
5. Flowering Dogwood
The Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida) is a deciduous tree known for its year-round appeal. In spring, it bursts into bloom with showy flowers, often the highlight of gardens. However, its beauty doesn’t stop there. During fall, the tree transforms, showcasing deep burgundy to purple foliage. Adding to its charm, bright red drupes appear in autumn and persist through October, attracting songbirds to the landscape. This tree thrives in USDA hardiness zones 5 to 9, preferring medium moisture, well-drained soils with an acidic to neutral pH (5.0-7.0). It grows well in full sun or partial shade, making it a versatile choice for multi-season interest.
6. Bald Cypress
The Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum) is a hardy deciduous tree celebrated for its distinctive knobby “knees” and remarkable adaptability. While its unique root formations are eye-catching, the tree also provides a spectacular display in autumn, as its needle-like leaves transform into vibrant shades of cinnamon orange and copper. Suitable for USDA hardiness zones 4 to 9, this tree thrives in full sun to partial shade and can flourish in a range of soil types, from medium to wet, moisture-retentive environments. Although often linked to swampy habitats, it is equally capable of withstanding drier soils and standing water, making it an excellent choice for varied landscapes. Its striking fall color contributes a warm, earthy feel to any garden in the autumn months.
7. Serviceberry
Serviceberries (Amelanchier spp.) are remarkable trees that thrive in a variety of light conditions, ranging from full sun to full shade, making them adaptable to different garden settings. The most commonly available species, Amelanchier x grandiflora, is particularly favored for its aesthetic appeal. In spring, these trees produce beautiful white blooms that attract native bees, fostering a vibrant ecosystem. As the seasons change, they bear small, edible berries that are a favorite among birds, adding life and activity to your garden. In the fall, the foliage transforms into stunning hues of red to red-orange, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere.
8. Redbud (Cercis canadensis)
Redbuds are cherished for their breathtaking springtime display, when clusters of vibrant purple flowers burst forth from bare branches, heralding the arrival of warmer weather. Although their fall show is more subdued, with leaves turning a gentle pale yellow, planting these trees in the autumn is beneficial. This timing allows their roots to establish before the vigorous growth spurt in spring, leading to healthier trees. The unique heart-shaped leaves provide visual interest throughout the growing season, and selecting the brightest specimens during the fall can enhance the overall appeal of your landscape. Redbuds thrive in a range of soil types, making them suitable for various garden settings.
9. Juniper (Juniperus spp.)
Junipers are hardy evergreens that provide year-round structure and beauty in the landscape. Known for their dense growth, they make excellent privacy screens or windbreaks, effectively creating secluded outdoor spaces. These trees excel in dry, drought-prone conditions, making them ideal for areas with limited water resources. Additionally, junipers are resilient against deer and air pollution, making them suitable for urban environments. In winter, their blue-green “berries” attract birds, adding movement and life to the garden during the colder months. With a variety of species available, each offering unique forms and foliage colors—from lush greens to striking silvers—you can easily find the perfect juniper to complement your garden design. Their adaptability and hardiness make them a reliable choice for gardeners seeking low-maintenance options that still provide visual interest.
10. Stewartia (Stewartia pseudocamellia)
Stewartia is a flowering tree that captures attention with its elegant camellia-like blooms. From June to August, the papery white flowers adorned with golden stamens create a breathtaking display, drawing the eye and enhancing the garden’s charm. As autumn approaches, the foliage takes on rich jewel tones, transforming the landscape into a vibrant tapestry of color. One of Stewartia’s standout features is its multicolored exfoliating bark, which reveals layers of gray, orange, and brick red as it peels away. This characteristic not only adds visual interest during the winter months but also creates a unique texture that stands out in any garden setting. Thriving in moist, well-draining soils, Stewartia is a favorite among gardeners in the South, offering beauty throughout the seasons and making it a worthwhile addition to any landscape.