Autumn
In Arkansas
Trees
For The Fall Landscape
Large trees -
50 feet or larger
Sweetgum
(Liquidambar styraciflua) provides several variations of fall
color in red, yellow, purple and orange. The fruit is a prickly ball
and can be a litter problem. Gold finches, purple finches, mourning
doves, cardinals, and squirrels eat the seed. There is a fruitless
cultivar available called "Rotundiloba". The leaves are
different in that the lobes are rounded instead of pointed.
Blackgum (Nyssa
sylvatica ) has the most brilliant red leaves and is one of the
first to change colors in the fall. Squirrels, deer, bear, small
mammals and many bird species including bluebirds and flickers eat
the berries.
Sugar Maple (Acer
saccharum ) is always the favorite for the orange and yellow
colors of fall. To insure a specific fall color cultivars such as
"October Glory" must be used. Sugar Maple suffers from
extended heat and should be located away from stressful sites such
as pavement.
Red Maple (Acer
rubrum ) colors vary from yellow to blazing red foliage in the
fall. The tree naturally grows in low wet sites but will live almost
anywhere.
Sycamore
(Platanus occidentalis) leaves turn orange or yellow but what
is more significant in the fall garden is the interesting bark that
provides a wonderful contrast. Purple finch, chickadee and juncos
eat the seed.
Pignut Hickory (Carya
cordiformis) has outstanding yellow fall foliage and is an
excellent urban tree for those tight places where height is
desirable but space is limited. Numerous small mammals enjoy the
nuts.
Sugarberry (Celtis
laevigata ) is often confused with hackberry. It withstands
urban conditions very well and has nice yellow foliage in the fall.
Robins, mockingbirds, and cedar waxwings eat the small black berries
in the fall and winter.
Willow Oak (Quercus
phellos) has small willow shaped leaves that turn colors of red
or yellow. Willow Oak is an excellent tree for the residential lawn.
The acorns are a source of food for deer, squirrel, and birds.
Riverbirch
(Betula nigra) often drops its leaves by fall if the
summer is dry but the beautiful peeling bark is the attraction in
the landscape.
Red Oak (Quercus
rubra) named for obvious reasons has brilliant red leaves in the
fall. The growth habit is excellent in the urban garden with its
upright branching habit. This allows for the movement of people and
vehicles beneath the canopy.
Loblolly (Pinus
taeda) works well in the fall landscape by providing a
dark green back ground for the many shapes and colors of deciduous
trees. They also provide seed and nesting sites for birds.
Shortleaf Pine (Pinus
echinata) like the loblolly is a good evergreen tree for
providing year-round color. The needles are shorter and have less
chance of ice damage.
Medium trees 30
feet – 50 feet
Sassafras
(Sassafras albidum ) has a very exotic branching habit and
beautiful fall colors of orange and yellow. They make good buffers
with their multilevel branches. Over 20 song and game birds eat the
fruit.
Yellowwood (Cladrastis
lutea) leaves turn a brilliant yellow in the fall. The
multi-branching provides good nesting cover.
Persimmon
(Diospyros virginiana) leaves turn yellow to reddish
purple in the fall. The fruit is edible and is used in breads,
cakes, and cookies. Birds and furbearers enjoy the fruit too.
Eastern Redcedar
(Juniperus virginiana) is not often thought of as a
fall tree but it can provide a good backdrop for other plants. It
also has beautiful blue fruit, which provides even more contrast.
They make a great buffer for screening and wind breaks. Cedar
provides excellent coverage and nesting sites for birds. The fruit
is eaten by over 50 species of birds.
American Holly
(Ilex opaca) is another great evergreen for the fall
landscape. They provide all the many benefits of the cedar and in
addition they have bright red berries and can be used as specimen
trees in the landscape.
Smaller trees
– less than 30 feet
Paw-paw (Asimina
triloba) is a great under-story tree. In the native landscape
you will find them in small groves under larger trees such as oak.
The leaves can be very large and they turn yellow in the fall. The
leaves are exclusive host to the zebra swallowtail butterfly. The
fruit in the fall is like a mango and is edible. Animals relish the
fruit.
Fringetree
(Chionanthus virginicus ) or Old Man’s Beard turns yellow
in the fall. It is very tolerant of pollution. It works well as a
specimen or in borders. The birds relish the blue hanging fruit.
Serviceberry (Amelanchier
arborea) makes a great under-story tree, as it prefers partial
shade. The leaves can turn into brilliant colors of yellow, red, and
orange in the fall. The fruit is quickly eaten by more than 20
species of birds.
Blackhaw (Viburnum
rufidulum) is a wonderful small tree with deep red foliage in
the fall along with clusters of blue berries that are eaten by a
variety of wildlife.
Flowering Dogwood (Cornus
florida) is a great tree for the home landscape with beautiful
dark red leaves and berries in the fall. The dogwood prefers light
shade and moisture with good drainage. Fruit-eating birds such as
robin, brown thrasher and bluebird, to mention a few, eat the small
red berries.
Carolina Buckthorn (Rhamnus
caroliniana) is a small under-story tree with glossy, persistent
leaves. They make a good backdrop for fall flowering perennials. The
tree has bright red fruit that turns black in the fall. Several
fruit eating birds eat the berries.
Red Chokeberry (Prunus
virginiana) is a small clumped tree that produces brilliant red
leaves and berries in the fall. The tree provides good nesting cover
and the berries are important for quail, cedar waxwing, chickadee
and deer.
Deciduous Holly (Ilex
decidua) or Possumhaw has the same growth habit as
chokeberry with variations of red to yellow berries. The foliage
becomes yellow in fall and the fruit will persist through winter if
not eaten. Multi-trunk trees furnish more interest to the garden.
Yaupon Holly (Ilex
vomitoria) has light gray bark that really shows off its
glass looking red berries. It has the added bonus of being evergreen
and provides color throughout the fall and winter months.
Sumac (Rhus
glabra) in groupings can make quite an impression in the
landscape. The leaves turn a variety of orange, yellow and red in
the fall. The red clusters of fruit are a nice contrast. They take
full sun and little care.
Resources:
Hunter, Carl. Trees, Shrubs, & Vines of Arkansas
Dirr, Michael. Manual of Wood Landscape Plants
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