Even if you have a typically-sized suburban lot, you can inject some of that luscious fall color that tourists travel miles to see in early autumn. The answer, of course, is to plant trees and shrubs that do double duty by blooming in spring, staying healthy in summer before bursting into enviable orangey-red or golden shades. Just be sure to fertilize!

Paperbark maple

One of my favorites is paperbark maple, or Acer griseum. It’s a slow-growing tree, reaching about 30 feet in nearly as many years. Its leaves unfurl as slowly as a teenager on spring break, apparently cautious about late frosts. They start out about the size of a quarter. Eventually, they stretch to their full, tri-segmented form, giving the tree a lacy look from a distance. Paperbark maple makes a great tree for any suburban situation. However, it’s best situated where it can be admired for its year-round beauty. Around mid-October, its leaves turn golden, orange, and/or red. This makes it one of the best for fall color. This maple gets its common name because of its bark. It looks like thick paper that has been singed and peeled just enough to create a beautiful pattern the length of the trunk.

It’s become quite rare in its native China. Representative explorers from Morton Arboretum in Chicago, Arnold Arboretum at Harvard University, the Morris Arboretum at the University of Pennsylvania, and the Beijing Botanic Garden took part in a 2,237-mile journey across six provinces and one municipality, finding just nine populations of Acer griseum. According to Missouri Botanical Garden, propagation of paperbark maple is difficult via seed or cuttings.

For such an easily-grown and year-round ornamental tree, it’s surprising it isn’t grown more. Hardy to USDA Zone 5.

Enkianthus

If you have good luck with Rhododendrons, give Enkianthus a try. This delicate-looking beauty is hardy to Zone 5. It enjoys full sun to partial shade and gives a great performance in both spring and fall.

Enkianthus can be rangy. Its leaves and flowers grow only at the tips of its branches, which is where the amount of sun comes into play. This large shrub or small tree can be finicky if not grown in just the right spot. Ideally, the edge of a woodland area, where it gets sun part of the day is good. This is true especially if the soil is on the acidic side. It can get up to six feet tall and more, so keep that in mind when choosing a site.

The show in both spring and fall are well worth the extra trouble. In late May, yellow flowers with red markings flowers hang like little earrings off the end of delicate stems. From early to mid-October (or until frost), leaves blaze a bright red-orange. Enkianthus makes a great companion for broadleaf evergreens in the Rhododendron family, its delicate demeanor contrasting with the bold leaves. Hardy to USDA Zone 6.

Ginkgo  

You can easily find this ancient Chinese tree at nurseries. Many U.S. cities plant it as a street tree. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, wild populations of Ginkgo are apparently confined to a mountainous area in the Zhejiang Province of China. It is long-living and has an ancient geological record, appearing in the Jurassic.

When you think about how long this tree has been around, it becomes obvious there is something very sturdy and adaptable about Ginkgo, or maidenhair tree. It’s unattractive to most insects. Additionally, it’s able to survive in adverse environments that include road salt and compacted roots. Ginkgo biloba is so much more than a magic memory drug. It’s a very slow-growing tree, so there is little problem fitting one in any landscape. If you like things to stay really small, there are dwarf varieties available. Just one of the most recent is Ginkgo b. ‘Troll’ (Chris’s Dwarf), with tightly-packed half-sized leaves and a height of less than three feet in 10 years. It is hardy to USDA zone 4.

Witch hazel

Unassuming in summer when other plants are busy putting on a show, witch hazels gear up for a time when little else is blooming, sometimes as early as February. Ozark witch hazel (Hamamelis vernalis), a native to North America, is incredibly easy to grow, and very carefree if you have the space for this potentially 20-foot shrub. Its flowers are hard to spot but easy to catch scent of, especially with snow on the ground. A feast for the eyes in fall, Ozark witch hazel’s leaves turn a not-to-be-ignored golden yellow.

The hybrid witch hazel ‘Diane’ has early flowers that aren’t as fragrant as the Ozark type, but they are slightly larger and deep red, making them much more visually noticeable. Its leaves are the same golden yellow in fall, sometimes crossing the line into russet.

The only drawback to these varieties is the fact that their dried leaves don’t drop, making it harder to spot the flowers and arguably detracting from the early spring show. Hardy to USDA Zone 5.

Hydrangeas: Oakleaf and Panicle

Oakleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia) is known for its colorful, oak-like leaves in fall. They are proceeded by huge heads of white flowers that gradually change to rose. Unfortunately, it’s also known for its lanky size and possible loss of flower buds in late spring frosts. It can be ungainly and disheveled-looking in the winter landscape. However, internationally recognized Hydrangea expert Michael Dirr says any drawbacks are as easily forgiven as for the puppy who chewed the slippers because there is so much to love.

Varieties of this American native range from as small as just four feet tall to eight feet with nearly as broad a spread. There are several that will fit into the home garden, including ‘Munchkin’ (3 feet tall by 4.5 feet wide), and ‘Ruby Slippers’ (3.5 feet tall by 5 feet wide), two recent introductions developed by the National Arboretum’s worksite located in McMinnville, TN. Hardy to USDA Zone 5.

While most panicle Hydrangeas are known for their late summer-early fall flower display, two step up to the plate with colorful fall leaves. Hydrangea paniculata ‘Quickfire’ and its diminutive cousin, ‘Little Quickfire’ not only bloom a bit earlier than many other panicle hydrangeas, but their leaves turn a nice bronzy color in late fall. You can prune Panicle Hydrangeas  in the spring for blooms later in summer. This is especially good in climates that can experience late spring frosts. Hardy to USDA Zone 4.

Itea

June comes through with color in all corners of the garden. But there is one shrub that has beautiful flowers in June and exciting color in October through November. Virginia sweetspire (Itea virginica) is a native shrub that should be much more widely planted. At around five feet tall and nearly as wide, this three-season stunner adapts to sun or partial shade. It can be pruned after blooming to keep it compact, and effortlessly colors up the garden in late fall.

An old variety that is more compact than the species is Itea v. ‘Henry’s Garnet’, growing to around four feet tall. A newer, even more compact variety is ‘Little Henry’, which will make itself at home in even the smallest gardens. Hardy to USDA Zone 5.

If you don’t get around to planting any of these six this fall, put them on your “To Plant” list for next spring.