Plants for Autumn Interest

Central New York autumns have long been awe inspiring for their painter's palette of fiery color. This herald of winter provides a great opportunity for the gardener to get a jump-start on next year's planting. Autumn is the perfect time to plant. Our cooler temperatures and moist earth from fall showers make for ideal conditions for vigorous establishment in the months before the ground freezes for winter; plants do not have any of the typical stresses of extreme heat and drought to overcome as they would have being planted in the summer.

Below is a collection of some of our favorite garden annuals, perennials, shrubs and trees we find to have spectacular interest in the autumn garden for foliage colors, flowers, fruits and showy bark and/or branching habit to carry into the winter. Most plants listed below display a notable autumn foliage change; many are worth planting for that reason alone. Colors displayed in the 'foliage' column indicate the general color range of fall foliage for particular varieties. The letters 'T', 'S', 'P' and 'A' indicate plant type as tree, shrub, perennial, or annual respectively. Notes are provided to denote interesting characteristics in relation to autumn interest. We also heartily recommend container gardens with mixes of perennial and annual specimens to replace tired summer pots and extend colorful beauty into the winter.

Common Name	*Botanical Name*	Foliage	Notes	T	S	P	A
Maple, Silver	Acer saccharinum
Maple, Dwarf Amur	Acer ginnala 'flame'
Maple, Paperbark	Acer griseum		birch-like bark
Maple, Japanese Red	Acer palmatum
Maple, Norway	Acer platanoides
Maple, Red	Acer rubrum
Maple, 'Bonfire' Sugar	Acer saccharinum
Ajuga ' Mahogany' Bugle	Ajuga reptans
Serviceberry, 'Autumn Brilliance'	Amelanchier x grandiflora		sparse fruit
Devil's Walking Stick	Aralia elata		black berries w/bark
Brilliant Aronia	Aronia arbutifolia		red berries
Aster 'Purple Dome'	Aster x novae-angliae		fall flowering
Barberry	Berberis thunbergii		varies; persistant foliage
Paper Birch	Betula papyrifera		distinct bark
Birch, "Youngii' Weeping	Betula pendula		distinct bark
Birch, 'Crimson Frost' Wp.	Betula pendula		distinct bark
Peashrub, Siberian Weeping	Caragana arborescens		graceful weeper
Catalpa	Catalpa speciosa		long seed pods
Bittersweet	Celastrus scandens		scarlet berries
Plumbago	Ceratostigma plumbaginoides		flowers into fall
Katsura Tree	Cercidiphyllum japonicum		best color in acidic soil
Redbud	Cercis canadensis
Flowering Quince	Chaenomeles		bronze yellow
Chrysanthemums	Chrysanthemums sp.		fall flowering
Common Name	*Botanical Name*	Foliage	Notes	T	S	P	A
Sweet Autumn Clematis 'Fragrent'	Clematis paniculata		sweet fall blooms
Summersweet Pepperbush	Clethra alnifolia
Lily of the Valley	Convallaria majalis		red berries
Dogwood	Cornus		colorful bark
Harry Lauder's Walking Stick	Corylus avellana 'Contorta'		contorted branches
Smoke Tree 'Royal Purple'	Cotinus coggygria
Cranberry Cotoneaster	Cotoneaster apiculata		red berries
Hawthorn	Crataegus
Burning Bush	Eunoymous alata		vibrant color!
Wintercreeper	Euonymous fortunei
Beech	Fagus		gold/bronze
Forsythia, 'Meadowlark'	Forsythia x
Autumn Purple Ash	Fraxinus americana
Geranium	Geranium sp.
Ginko, 'Autumn Gold'	Ginko biloba
Honey Locust	Gleditsia tricanthos
Grasses, Ornamental	Grasses- asst. varieties		plumes and foliage
Kentucky Coffee Tree	Gymnocladus dioica
Witch Hazel	Hamamelis virginiana		golden yellow
Licorice 'Petite L.'/"Silver''/"Icicles"	Helichrysum petiolare		silver foliage
Daylily, 'Stell D'Oro'	Hemerocallis sp.		flowers into the fall
Coral Bells, 'Purple Palace'	Heuchera americana
Hostas	Hosta sp.
Chameleon	Houttuynia cordata
Polka Dot Plant 'Red Splash Select'	Hypoestes sp.
Winterberry	Ilex verticillata		golden bronze
Flowering Kale	Kale		colorful heads into Jan.
Beautybush	Kolkwitzia amabilis
Lamium 'Golden Anniversary'	Lamium maculatum
Larch	Larix decidua
Honeysuckle	Lonicera sp.
Crabapple 'Brandywine'	Malus sp.
Crabapple 'Centurion'	Malus sp.		red fruit
Crabapple 'Floribunda'	Malus sp.		ylw-orng fruit
Crabapple 'Harvest Gold'	Malus sp.		yellow fruit
Crabapple 'Indian Magic'	Malus sp.		orange-red fruit
Crabapple 'Lancelot'	Malus sp.		br. Yellow fruit
Crabapple 'Naragansett'	Malus sp.		burgundy fruit
Crabapple 'Pink Spire'	Malus sp.		red purple fruit
Crabapple 'Robinson'	Malus sp.		dark red fruit
Common Name	*Botanical Name*	Foliage	Notes	T	S	P	A
Crabapple 'Snowdrift'	Malus sp.		deep orng fruit
Crabapple 'Sutyzam' Sugar Tyme'	Malus sp.		bright red fruit
Crabapple 'Tina'	Malus sp.		red fruit