Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
Lights up in autumn, white spring lace, for a long late-season show, for clay and loam ground and spreading 10–20 ft.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
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- New Hampshire
- Fall color
New Hampshire · Zones 3–6
Native Plants for Fall Color in New Hampshire
Native trees, shrubs, and grasses that set the autumn garden alight with red, orange, copper, and gold. Every species here is genuinely native to New Hampshire and the wider flora of the Northeast and hardy through zones 3–6 — proven performers for New Hampshire's cool, humid continental climate across White Mountains & northern hardwoods, not a generic list. Local standouts include Serviceberry and Eastern Redbud. 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.
The plants
13 native species for New Hampshire
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 3–6 · see this collection in other states.
Eastern Redbud
Cercis canadensis
Fall color that lasts — rose-magenta, cold-hardy to zone 4 and rose-magenta flowers.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 20–30 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Arrowwood Viburnum
Viburnum dentatum
Lights up in autumn, creamy white, for a long late-season show, creamy white flowers and happy in clay and loam soil.
- Sun to shade
- Average–wet
- 6–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Flowering Dogwood
Cornus florida
Fall color that lasts — white bracts, reaching 15–25 ft and white bracts flowers.
- Part shade
- Average
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Spicebush
Lindera benzoin
Fall color that lasts — chartreuse-gold, chartreuse-gold flowers and hardy in zones 4–9.
- Part shade
- Average–wet
- 6–12 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Virginia Creeper
Parthenocissus quinquefolia
Turns inconspicuous green in fall, long after the flowers are gone; 10–20 ft wide and hardy in zones 3–9.
- Sun to shade
- Dry–average
- 30–50 ft
- Blooms Jun
Fragrant Sumac
Rhus aromatica
Sets the autumn garden alight — yellow catkins — 5–10 ft wide and hardy in zones 3–9.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 2–6 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Ninebark
Physocarpus opulifolius
Lights up in autumn, white to pink, for a long late-season show, white to pink flowers and good through zone 7.
- Full–part sun
- Dry to wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Prairie Dropseed
Sporobolus heterolepis
Fall color that lasts — fine emerald to amber, happy in sand, rocky, and loam soil and 2–3 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Fall color
Switchgrass
Panicum virgatum
Fall color that lasts — airy pink-gold panicles, 2–3 ft wide and for sand, clay, and loam ground.
- Full–part sun
- Dry to wet
- 3–6 ft
- Fall color
Little Bluestem
Schizachyrium scoparium
Sets the autumn garden alight — blue-green to copper — hardy in zones 3–9 and 2–4 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Fall color
Indian Grass
Sorghastrum nutans
Turns bronze-gold plumes in fall, long after the flowers are gone; 4–7 ft tall and 2–3 ft wide.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 4–7 ft
- Fall color
Big Bluestem
Andropogon gerardii
Turns bronze-purple seed heads in fall, long after the flowers are gone; for sand, clay, and loam ground and 2–3 ft wide.
- Full sun
- Dry to wet
- 4–7 ft
- Fall color
Sourcing
Where to find these in New Hampshire
Seeds & live plants on Amazon
Seed packets, plugs, and starter plants for many of these species ship to your door.
Browse on AmazonSome 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.