But being gardeners, we don't have to settle for that. Why not add vivid splashes of red, or even purple, to your garden? Here are my picks for shrubs that produce the most vibrant red or purple leaves for fall.
You may not think of them as a fall foliage plant, but many types of blueberries have leaves that turn a gorgeous scarlet in the fall. So you can add fall colour to your yard and eat it too, so to speak. I have a whole bed of these, as we love blueberries, and they give a splendid display once their leaves turn. Vaccinium corymbosum, the Highbush Blueberry, for example grows 6-12 feet tall; here's a picture of its fall leaves (from Landscape Plants: Images, Identification, and Information; (Volume 3); Oregon State University, 1999).
Another common perennial which you may not have thought of as a provider of brilliant fall color is the hydrangea. Most hydrangeas turn some shade of red in fall, but the best for fall colour is Hydrangea quercifolia, the Oakleaf Hydrangea, which turns a beautiful burgandy-red if grown in full sun (although its fall foliage will be mixed shades of burgandy and green if its grown in a shady spot). You can see the fall colour of this hydrangea's oak-leaf shaped leaves and flowers in this picture (from Landscape Plants: Images, Identification, and Information; (Volume 1); Oregon State University, 1999). This shrub, which should be grown in fertile, moist, well-drained soil, reaches 4-6 feet at maturity, and can be grown in sun or partial shade. It produces large white flower clusters in early and mid-summer, which turn brown and persist. For more information on caring for hydrangeas, see "Hydrangeas for the Home Landscape".
And if you love true, flaming scarlet, you'll have to have a Burning Bush (Euonymus alatus). While the species form is a slow-growing shrub reaching 15 feet tall by 15 feet wide at maturity, the cultivars are smaller, about 10 feet by 10 feet, or less, making them ideal for city-sized yards. They're also incredibly tolerant, adapting to poor soils, drought, and pollution. Although they prefer a moist, well-drained, slightly acidic soil in full sun, you can grow them in partial shade. The shadier the spot, however, the more faded the color will be. Left unpruned, Euonymus alatus has an upright, vase-shaped growt habit when it's young, turning into a spreading, rounded bush as it ages. True to its tolerant nature, though, the Burning Bush responds well to pruning, and is sometimes used as a hedge. If you're shopping for one, you'll probably find Euonymus alatus 'Compacta', which reaches 8' by 8' at maturity, and is only hardy to zone 5. Other cultivars, such as 'Bailey Strain', are hardy to zone 4, but much harder to find.
