Homegrown: Autumn brings unique color to gardens

Featuring late-season color seems like a natural plan for gardeners, but often it isn't until fall actually arrives that we're struck by the need for more vibrant orange, yellow, red and burgundy around our homes.

In years of normal rainfalls, we might dash out to buy pots of hot pink and purple asters, chrysanthemums in a rainbow of dazzling hues, and flats of nodding pansies.

But this is not a normal year. Without reliable rain, these autumn bloomers need irrigation and whether that's a wise or frivolous use of water is a serious question. Besides, ephemeral flowering plants are a poor cousin to the knock out beauty that comes with repeat annual shows on longer-lived deciduous shrubs and trees.

Because the most riveting shades of red, golden yellow, orange, scarlet and bronze generally appear on a limited number of woody plants, electrifying fall color doesn't just happen the way a flowering border comes together. It must be carefully planned; yet, it takes only a few selected species to transform a garden of summer greens to glowing tones.

Glorious golds

Our native California hazelnut (Corylus cornuta californica) glows in luminous butter yellow as a natural, airy filler in woodland coastal areas between redwoods and bays where fog provides enough moisture in dry summers.

In a garden situation, plant it in a low-lying seep, wherever moisture collects or in filtered shade, and spread mulch beneath its layered canopy to keep roots cool.

In interior valleys where winter frosts occur, pomegranate (Punica granatum) turns to glistening yellows in autumn while its deep maroon fruits create beautiful contrasts.

Kerria japonica, sometimes called Japanese rose, is a graceful, four-season shrub needing only minimal moisture in nearly any soil and microclimate. In fall, its arching, small-toothed and corrugated leaves turn from bright green to a rich, golden yellow. As leaves drop, thin bare stems resembling bamboo create a sculptural focal point.

Oranges & reds

In Eastern climate zones where year-round rainfall is plentiful, maples in home landscapes and rural zones erupt in a blaze of color, ranging dramatically from scarlet to deeper burgundy, often holding onto orange and yellow all the while.

But our Western gardens lack ample water and humidity for maples to thrive, so we must find less thirsty alternatives to emblazon our gardens.

Crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica), adapted to dry conditions but subject to mildew near the coast, is another four-season species. Tinted foliage emerges in spring followed by elongated clusters of summer flowers, vivid fall foliage, and attractive bark exposed in winter. Choose this tree carefully since shade and intensity of fall colors vary with named cultivars.

Chinese pistache (Pistacia chinensis), widely planted throughout North Bay communities as a street tree, turns vivid reddish-yellow and orange in autumn. It flourishes in the hottest microclimates and benefits from occasional summer irrigation.

Drought-tolerant Washington thorn (Crataegus phaenopyrum) is aptly named and must be situated away from walkways, but its autumn splendor makes up for any inconvenience in removing low, thorny branches. Exuberant reds, oranges and purples of small leaves are rivaled only by graceful sprays of white spring blossoms.

Special features

Several sweet gum (Liquidambar) cultivars, such as Festival and Palo Alto, which were developed specifically for California gardens, develop flamboyant canopies. Because these moderately fast-growing trees develop shallow roots, they do best with a layer of mulch spread on the ground under the canopy.

Harvesting fruit brings double delight to the glorious, fiery foliage of the persimmon (Diospyros kaki). Of the two commonly planted cultivars, nonastringent fruits of Kaki are slightly flattened and may be eaten when crisp, whereas those of Hachiya are more heart-shaped, astringent and are fully ripe when soft.

Despite the show that the ornamental Bradford pear (Pyrus calleryana) puts on every autumn, it's a tree to avoid because of its weak branching structure and tendency to break in high winds.

Smaller species

Late summer finds dwarf plumbago (Ceratostigma plumbaginoides) smothered with intense bluish purple blossoms. They become the perfect foil for its spectacular fall foliage in scarlet, bronzy-orange hues, this on foot-high ground cover.

Besides tree size, crape myrtle cultivars also come in a dwarf shrubby form 3 to 6 feet high. Some show yellow fall foliage; others are orange and red.

Barberry shrubs (Berberis) come in a wide range of sizes and, despite their prickly stems, most bring shades of burnished red to the fall garden.