Looking for shrubs that turn red in fall? While it’s wonderful to have green leaves in spring and summer, nothing beats the beautiful reddish-purple, yellow, orange, and red shrubs for fall color. In this article, Frady Tree Care, your reliable professional for expert shrub care in Charlotte, NC, explains which species to consider.
1. Highbush Blueberries
When it comes to choosing and caring for shrubs, it’s always nice to pick ones that fruit. This species produces delectable berries in spring and summer and then rewards you with beautiful red leaves in fall. Just be sure they have moist but well-drained soil.
If you’re looking for a compact version, stick to the Southern varieties, as these top out at about four feet. The Northern ones can grow three times as high. Both variants bush out to match their height, and they do best in full sunlight but will tolerate partial shade.
2. Black Chokeberry
At between four and six feet tall, the Black Chokeberry is a good choice for moderately-sized spaces. Of all the shrubs that turn red in fall, this is the most interesting due to its seasonal changes.
The white flowers in spring ripen into dark purple berries while the leaves change from light to dark green. Fall is when this shrub shines, as it puts out leaves in several red tones.
3. Brandywine Viburnum
Another fruit-producing shrub, this species grows up to about five or six feet tall. The berries are delicious, whether picked from the bush or used to make jam. However, when the green leaves turn to red in fall, this bush makes for a spectacular show.
4. Crimson Pygmy Barberry
Are you working with limited space? Consider planting a Crimson Pigmy Barberry; it’s one of the best small shrubs that turn red in fall.
It grows to about two feet tall and spreads to approximately three feet. These dimensions make it a great way to add interest, as do the dark crimson leaves in fall. As an ancillary bonus, the berries attract birds.
5. Dwarf Burning Bush Euonymus
You’d think the name “Dwarf” would mean this shrub is small, but you’d be wrong. This shrub grows ten feet tall and spreads out by the same amount. It’s worth the space, though, because of its beautiful red flowers and brilliant red leaves in autumn.
6. Henry’s Garnet
This shrub grows about five feet high and about six feet wide. It has beautiful white bottlebrush blooms in spring and then puts out rich red leaves when the seasons change.
7. Mount Airy Fothergilla
This shrub also produces bottlebrush-like flowers in the spring and a dazzling red display in the fall. It’s ideal for that small nook because it only grows to about five feet tall and spreads out to match.
8. Smooth Sumac
This large shrub needs space to spread out, as it gets about 15 feet tall and grows just as wide. It does produce edible berries as long as you have male and female bushes near each other. The fall colors are a lovely shade of orange-red.
9. Witch Alder
Want a shrub that gives a beautiful display? At ten feet tall, you need space, but the colors are worth it. The leaves turn yellow, orange-red, and purple-red.
Contact Your Professional Tree Care Specialists
Now that you know more about shrubs that turn red in fall, do you have any other questions? Would you like to know more about how to revive dying shrubs? Call Frady Tree Care at (704) 644-2516 for expert advice and the right solutions.
