Trees and Shrubs...Oh My!

While many trees provide beautiful spring flowers and all offer relieving shade through the summer, fall color is king at this time of the year.

So how do you decide which tree and which fall color are best for you?

First of all, no tree choice is right no matter how much you might be in love with it if it is inappropriate for the site. You definitely want to plant something that will have a good chance of performing well in your own unique site conditions and always... always make sure you have room for it to grow. You don't want a huge tree overpowering a small space and you definitely don't want your trees getting into power lines. We will ask you questions about your yard and your planting location to try and help steer you towards site appropriate choices.

Now you get to have some fun and start thinking about fall color! Bright golds, vibrant reds, fiery oranges...there is so much to choose from! Here are a few suggestions.

Yellow - Brilliant golds and vibrant yellows really light things up. Think about choices like Honeylocust, Linden and Ginkgo for large shade trees. Other trees like Redbud, Goldenraintree and Riverbirch offer impressive color in a smaller size.

Orange - Colors like the flames of a fire! One of the best is Sugar Maple, but also consider Amur Maple, Serviceberry (orange to burgundy) and Baldcypress (rusty orange). All are very impressive against the rich blue fall sky

Red - It's hard not to love bright red fall color. Maples like Red Maple and Freeman Hybrids (like Autumn Blaze) are some of the most popular, but don't forget about some other amazing trees you can plant. Black Gum has stunning red fall color and there are quite a few oaks that produce great red to red-wine fall color. Think about Shumard Oak, Scarlet Oak, White Oak and Shingle Oak. If you're in the market for something smaller then consider Tartarian or Paperbark Maple.

That's definitely not everything but it is a good start!