I love this time of year. The nights are cooling off and fall is just around the corner with all of its wonderful opportunities to sample the colorful showcase of our many large and small trees.

Fall color on our leaf-dropping (deciduous) trees can range from bright yellow to scarlet to deep oranges and reds. Why not plant some of these beautiful trees in your yard to enjoy for years to come?

Felder Rushing, a gardening guru and enthusiast, says "that the color pigments in the tree's leaves are always present. They are just masked by the dominant green of chlorophyll in the warmer months."

But once photosynthesis stops, the colors start to seep through  all of those beautiful reds, golds, yellows, purples and scarlets.

There are a number of trees for autumn color and interest for the Southeast landscape. Some of the taller specimen trees that you can select and plant in your garden are black gum, ginkgo, red maple and sugar maple. Of course, there are others available. Check with us at the extension office for a complete list of these colorful winners.

Black gum is a good shade tree with vibrant color that starts as yellow, changes to intense scarlet and matures to a deep purple-red. Use varieties such as Miss Scarlet or Forum. Make sure you have ample room because this stunning tree can grow up to 70 feet high.

The ginkgo tree is one of my favorites. Its leaves display a beautiful buttery yellow and it holds its color late in the fall when all of the others trees have lost their show. Buy a male tree from a reputable nursery, as the female tree produces a smelly odor. As the tree loses its leaves, it will also produce a wonderful gold "carpet" on the ground. A good variety to plant is Autumn Gold.

The fiery red color of the red maple makes this specimen tree a stunner! It is a quick grower and it needs a lot of space. Its dense shade is perfect for blocking the sun and it can grow up to 60 feet tall and 50 feet wide.

Plant the maple away from driveways and patios, because of its close surface roots. Good varieties are Red Sunset and October Glory.

The sugar maple is also a spectacular tree that has color ranging from yellow to yellow orange to scarlet. This tree also needs space and can grow up to 60 feet tall. Varieties include Arrowhead or Bonfire.

If room is a problem, some of the more colorful smaller trees include Yellowwood, Japanese Stewartia, Japanese Maple, Kousa Dogwood and Downy Serviceberry.

The yellowwood pleases the eye with a soft gold color. Plant in full sun and buy the variety Rosea.

Japanese stewartia resembles a camellia with white flowers that bloom in early summer and then the leaves turn an eye-catching bright orange red in the fall. It is not drought-tolerant so watering is needed with this tree in dry summer months.

Everyone loves the Japanese maple with all its many forms. Depending on the variety, this maple can grow from 2 to 20 feet with a spread of 4 to 20 feet in width. This tree makes a good accent or specimen tree and is used quite often in water and rock gardens. Colors range from scarlet to orange to yellow. Bloodgood is a good variety to plant.

The Kousa dogwood is always eye-catching in the fall with its purple-red to scarlet-colored leaves and is a great tree to plant around a larger group of woodland understory trees.

Downy serviceberry is a small native tree that is overlooked in the garden. It is a perfect tree for a smaller garden. It performs all season long with white blooms in the spring, red purple berries in the summer and vivid yellow and red leaves in the fall. It also has a nice aroma.

The tree is a good alternative to the overused Bradford pear. Varieties include Autumn Brilliance and Ballerina.
Rushing also explains, "A tree's color depend on several factors, including overall health, available moisture and soil conditions."

A tree grown on the lean side generally has better fall color. Its nutrients  the ones used in its leaves  get used up as leaves begin to shut down for the fall and winter. Being too nice to a tree by providing amended soil and lots of water may be detrimental to its fall color display."

Our fall coloring trees used alone or in groups can brighten the garden with their many different hues. Used correctly, they can add beauty and utility to a home garden and enhance the homeowner's outdoor living for years to come. A burst of color either in town or around the countryside is a sight to behold.

Wanda Cannon is a Master Gardener trained through the Hall County program and also serves as Master Gardener coordinator and horticulture assistant for the Hall County Extension office. Phone: 770-535-8293.