7 Trees and Shrubs to Plant This Fall for Four-Season Interest
When summer flowers fade and leaves begin to fall, your landscape doesn’t have to become bare and boring. With the right mix of trees and shrubs, your yard can offer beautiful color, texture, structure, and even wildlife interest throughout fall and winter.
And here’s the good news: if you’re looking for trees to plant in the fall, you’re choosing one of the best times of year to add trees and shrubs to your Pittsburgh-area landscape.
Cooler air temperatures put less stress on newly planted trees and shrubs, while the soil remains warm enough for roots to continue establishing. Getting plants in the ground now gives them a head start before next year’s growing season.
If you’re looking around your landscape and wondering what’s missing, consider these seven trees to plant in the fall.
1. Japanese Stewartia
Japanese Stewartia is a beautiful choice if you want a small ornamental tree that earns its place in the landscape during multiple seasons.
In summer, it produces delicate white flowers with yellow centers. As temperatures cool, its foliage transforms into shades of red, orange, and yellow.
But don’t stop watching when the leaves fall. Japanese Stewartia is also known for its attractive exfoliating bark, which reveals a patchwork of colors and provides visual interest during the winter months.
Why we love it for fall and winter:
- Brilliant red, orange, and yellow fall foliage
- Attractive exfoliating bark
- Interesting structure after leaves drop
- Multi-season appeal
It’s an excellent option for homeowners who want a specimen tree that offers something to look at throughout the year.
2. Oakleaf Hydrangea
Hydrangeas may make you think of summer first, but Oakleaf Hydrangea has plenty to offer after its flowers have faded.
Its large, oak-shaped leaves take on rich shades of burgundy, red, and purple in the fall. The dried flower heads can also be left on the plant to provide texture throughout winter.
As the shrub matures, its peeling bark becomes another source of winter interest, especially once the leaves are gone.
Why we love it for fall and winter:
- Deep burgundy and red fall foliage
- Dried flower heads add winter texture
- Peeling bark provides additional interest
- Large leaves make a statement in garden beds
Resist the temptation to tidy up every dried bloom in fall. Leaving some flower heads in place can give your winter landscape much-needed texture and dimension.
3. Kousa Dogwood
If you love dogwoods, Kousa Dogwood is a beautiful addition to a Pittsburgh-area landscape.
This ornamental tree offers white, star-like bracts in late spring to early summer, followed by distinctive red fruits. When fall arrives, its foliage can turn shades of red, scarlet, and purple.
Mature Kousa Dogwoods also develop attractive exfoliating bark, helping them remain visually interesting even after their leaves have fallen.
Why we love it for fall and winter:
- Beautiful red and purple fall color
- Distinctive late-season fruit
- Attractive bark on mature trees
- Graceful branching and form
Kousa Dogwood is a great example of why it’s worth thinking beyond flowers when choosing plants for your landscape.
4. Fothergilla
Looking for a shrub that delivers big fall color without taking over the garden? Fothergilla deserves a spot on your list.
This native shrub is known for its fragrant, bottlebrush-like white flowers in spring, but its fall foliage may be just as impressive. Depending on the plant and conditions, leaves can develop a mixture of yellow, orange, red, and purple.
That range of color can make Fothergilla a standout in mixed borders and foundation plantings during autumn.
Why we love it for fall:
- Exceptional multicolored fall foliage
- Compact options work well in smaller landscapes
- Fragrant spring flowers
- Native to the eastern United States
- Adds seasonal variety to mixed plantings
Pair it with evergreens or plants with strong winter structure to create a landscape that continues to look intentional after Fothergilla drops its leaves.
5. Seven-Son Flower
If Seven-Son Flower isn’t on your property yet, it should be.
This large shrub or small tree is especially valuable because it puts on a show later in the growing season. Fragrant white flowers appear in late summer into early fall, providing a welcome source of color when many other plants are winding down.
After flowering, rosy-red calyces can extend the colorful display. As the plant matures, its exfoliating bark also becomes a beautiful feature during the colder months.
Why we love it for fall and winter:
- Blooms later than many landscape plants
- Rosy-red color follows the white flowers
- Attractive exfoliating bark
- Adds height and structure to the landscape
6. Winterberry Holly
Want color in the landscape after the leaves are gone? Winterberry Holly knows how to put on a winter show.
This deciduous native holly drops its leaves in fall, revealing branches covered in bright berries. Those berries can create a striking display against bare branches and winter snow while also providing a food source for birds.
One important thing to know before planting Winterberry Holly: you’ll generally need a compatible male pollinator nearby for female plants to produce a good crop of berries. Choosing the right combination is key.
Why we love it for fall and winter:
- Bright berries provide outstanding winter color
- Berries attract and feed birds
- Native to eastern North America
- Looks especially beautiful after snowfall
If you’re adding Winterberry to your landscape, ask our Landscape Design team to help you choose compatible plants for successful pollination.
7. Weeping Katsura
For something a little more unexpected, Weeping Katsura brings beautiful form and fall interest to the landscape. Its graceful, cascading branches give this ornamental tree a distinctive shape that adds structure to the garden even after the leaves have fallen. During the growing season, its heart-shaped leaves create a soft, attractive canopy. Come fall, the foliage turns shades of yellow, apricot, and orange.
One of its most memorable fall features isn’t something you see, it’s something you smell. As Katsura leaves change and begin to fall, they can release a sweet fragrance often compared to caramel, cotton candy, or burnt sugar.
Why we love it for fall and winter:
- Beautiful yellow, apricot, and orange fall color
- Unique weeping form provides year-round structure
- Heart-shaped foliage
- Sweet fragrance from the leaves in fall
- Makes an eye-catching specimen tree
A Weeping Katsura is an especially good choice when you want a tree that serves as a focal point rather than simply filling space. Its cascading form can add character to the landscape in every season.
Why Fall Is a Great Time to Plant Trees and Shrubs in Pittsburgh
Spring gets a lot of attention when it comes to gardening, but fall offers some major advantages for planting trees and shrubs.
As air temperatures cool, plants experience less heat stress. Meanwhile, the ground remains warmer than the air, giving roots an opportunity to establish before the soil freezes.
Fall planting can also mean less pressure on you. Cooler temperatures generally reduce the intense watering demands that come with planting during hot summer weather.
For the Pittsburgh area, it’s best not to wait until the ground is frozen or difficult to work. Planting earlier in fall gives your new additions more time to settle in before winter.
Don’t Design Your Landscape for Summer Alone
When choosing plants, it’s easy to focus on what looks beautiful in May, June, or July. But your landscape is outside your window 365 days a year. Think about what happens after the flowers fade.
Fall foliage, colorful berries, exfoliating bark, interesting branching, dried flower heads, and evergreen structure can all help create a landscape that still feels alive and intentional during November, December, January, and February.
A landscape designed for four-season interest gives you something new to appreciate as the year changes.
Ready to Add More Fall and Winter Interest to Your Landscape?
Visit Bedner’s Farm & Greenhouse to explore trees, shrubs, and other plants that can bring more color and interest to your Pittsburgh-area landscape.
Not sure which plants will work best in your yard? Our Landscape Design team can help you choose plants for your specific space, sunlight, existing landscape, and goals. Whether you’re filling a few gaps or planning a larger landscape update, we can help you create a yard you’ll enjoy in every season.
Contact our Landscape Design team to get started.
