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Native Plants for Fall Color

Native trees, shrubs, and grasses that set the autumn garden alight with red, orange, copper, and gold.

Tip: open your state below for the version of this list filtered to plants native to your region and hardy in your zone.
The plants

15 native species in this collection.

The natives behind New England's famous foliage will do the same work in your yard, and the show lasts far longer than the flowers did. Sugars trapped in the leaves on cool, sunny fall days drive the brightest color, so plant these in full sun for the most intense display. Pair fiery shrubs with the copper and amber of warm-season grasses for a season finale that rivals any flower bed.

Small tree

Eastern Redbud

Cercis canadensis

Lights up in autumn, rose-magenta, for a long late-season show, hardy in zones 4–9 and rose-magenta flowers.

  • Full–part sun
  • Dry–average
  • 20–30 ft
  • Blooms Mar–Apr
Small tree

Flowering Dogwood

Cornus florida

Lights up in autumn, white bracts, for a long late-season show, white bracts flowers and 15–25 ft wide.

  • Part shade
  • Average
  • 15–25 ft
  • Blooms Apr–May
Small tree

Serviceberry

Amelanchier canadensis

Turns white spring lace in fall, long after the flowers are gone; reaching 15–25 ft and for clay and loam ground.

  • Full–part sun
  • Average–wet
  • 15–25 ft
  • Blooms Apr–May
Shrub

Arrowwood Viburnum

Viburnum dentatum

Sets the autumn garden alight — creamy white — hardy in zones 3–8 and 6–10 ft tall.

  • Sun to shade
  • Average–wet
  • 6–10 ft
  • Blooms May–Jun
Shrub

Oakleaf Hydrangea

Hydrangea quercifolia

Turns white cones in fall, long after the flowers are gone; white cones flowers and hardy in zones 5–9.

  • Part shade
  • Average
  • 4–8 ft
  • Blooms May–Jul
Ornamental grass

Pink Muhly Grass

Muhlenbergia capillaris

Sets the autumn garden alight — cotton-candy pink — happy in sand, rocky, and loam soil and spreading 2–3 ft.

  • Full sun
  • Dry–average
  • 2–3 ft
  • Blooms Sep–Oct
Shrub

Fragrant Sumac

Rhus aromatica

Lights up in autumn, yellow catkins, for a long late-season show, for sand, clay, rocky, and loam ground and yellow catkins flowers.

  • Full–part sun
  • Dry
  • 2–6 ft
  • Blooms Mar–Apr
Shrub

Spicebush

Lindera benzoin

Turns chartreuse-gold in fall, long after the flowers are gone; reaching 6–12 ft and chartreuse-gold flowers.

  • Part shade
  • Average–wet
  • 6–12 ft
  • Blooms Mar–Apr
Shrub

Ninebark

Physocarpus opulifolius

Fall color that lasts — white to pink, happy in clay, rocky, and loam soil and white to pink flowers.

  • Full–part sun
  • Dry to wet
  • 5–10 ft
  • Blooms May–Jun
Vine

Virginia Creeper

Parthenocissus quinquefolia

Sets the autumn garden alight — inconspicuous green — inconspicuous green flowers and for clay, rocky, and loam ground.

  • Sun to shade
  • Dry–average
  • 30–50 ft
  • Blooms Jun
Ornamental grass

Big Bluestem

Andropogon gerardii

Lights up in autumn, bronze-purple seed heads, for a long late-season show, reaching 4–7 ft and spreading 2–3 ft.

  • Full sun
  • Dry to wet
  • 4–7 ft
  • Fall color
Ornamental grass

Indian Grass

Sorghastrum nutans

Lights up in autumn, bronze-gold plumes, for a long late-season show, happy in sand, clay, and loam soil and hardy in zones 4–9.

  • Full sun
  • Dry–average
  • 4–7 ft
  • Fall color
Ornamental grass

Little Bluestem

Schizachyrium scoparium

Fall color that lasts — blue-green to copper, 1.5–2 ft wide and cold-hardy to zone 3.

  • Full sun
  • Dry–average
  • 2–4 ft
  • Fall color
Ornamental grass

Prairie Dropseed

Sporobolus heterolepis

Sets the autumn garden alight — fine emerald to amber — happy in sand, rocky, and loam soil and 2–3 ft wide.

  • Full sun
  • Dry–average
  • 2–3 ft
  • Fall color
Ornamental grass

Switchgrass

Panicum virgatum

Sets the autumn garden alight — airy pink-gold panicles — for sand, clay, and loam ground and good through zone 9.

  • Full–part sun
  • Dry to wet
  • 3–6 ft
  • Fall color
Browse by state

Fall color, near you.

Native ranges differ across the country — open your state for the list that actually applies to your yard.

AlabamaALArkansasARColoradoCOConnecticutCTDelawareDEFloridaFLGeorgiaGAIllinoisILIndianaINIowaIAKansasKSKentuckyKYLouisianaLAMaineMEMarylandMDMassachusettsMAMichiganMIMinnesotaMNMississippiMSMissouriMOMontanaMTNebraskaNENew HampshireNHNew JerseyNJNew MexicoNMNew YorkNYNorth CarolinaNCNorth DakotaNDOhioOHOklahomaOKPennsylvaniaPARhode IslandRISouth CarolinaSCSouth DakotaSDTennesseeTNTexasTXVermontVTVirginiaVAWashington, D.C.DCWest VirginiaWVWisconsinWIWyomingWY
Sourcing

Where to find fall color plants

Seeds & live plants on Amazon

Seed packets, plugs, and starter plants for many of these species ship to your door.

Browse on Amazon

Some links here are affiliate links — we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. The surest source of locally-adapted stock is a native-plant nursery or a native plant society sale in your area.