Shrubs deserve fall praise

Strike up a conversation about the best places to see fall foliage, and no doubt it will be a travelogue of back roads through mountain forests of maple and ash, oak and tamarack. Trees dominate these conversations, yet occasionally we hit the brakes for the blazing reds and oranges of staghorn sumac or the brilliant yellow leaves of an unknown shrub, autumn color at a different level.

We can have striking displays of autumn color in our gardens by growing certain deciduous shrubs. For example, we can grow the same sumac (Rhus typhina) that stops traffic along mountain roads. Native to Maine, it often grows along roadsides and is thus a familiar plant by sight if not by name. Its aggressive colonizing habit makes it ideal for use in large natural areas of the landscape. In the smaller garden, grow it in areas surrounded by paving or mowed lawn. The common name, staghorn sumac, comes from the red-brown, velvetlike pubescence on the branches, giving the shoots an antlerlike appearance. The pinnately compound leaves turn to brilliant shades of yellow, orange and red in the fall. Both the persistent dark-red fruit clusters and the velvety branches make this shrub a dominant feature of the winter garden as well. Staghorn sumac can grow 30 feet tall with an equal spread, although selective pruning can be used to manage height.

Summersweet clethra (Clethra alnifolia), also native to Maine, is named for its summer spikes of sweet-scented, white flowers. Often found growing in large colonies, individual plants grow from 6 to 12 feet high. It bears sharply serrated and lustrous dark-green summer foliage that turns to autumn shades of yellow and gold, each leaf freckled with brown like tarnished brass. Salt-resistant and tolerant of compacted soils and heat, summersweet can be grown in sun or shade, wet or dry soils. I am partial to mass plantings of summersweet along the edge of the garden pond.

Highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum), has dark-green summer leaves that turn red in autumn. It is an excellent substitute for burning bush (Euonymus alatus), a non-native invasive shrub grown for its bright-red fall color. Highbush blueberry has not only excellent fall color but also clusters of white, urn-shaped spring flowers, ornamental (and edible) fruit and reddish bark, attributes lacking in burning bush.

Common witchhazel (Hamamelis virginiana) is a tall-growing (15 to 20 feet high and wide), alternate-leaved shrub that grows well in partial shade or full sun. It grows on dry forest slopes in Maine, blooming in late fall. Each small, yellow flower is composed of four ribbonlike petals. Flowering begins as the leaves turn to a golden yellow and continues past leaf fall, often into December. An interesting feature of witchhazel flowers is the ability of the petals to roll into tightly curled balls during cold periods, thus extending the life of the flower and ensuring pollination during subsequent warm periods.

The fall foliage of these native shrubs is largely hidden from those who navigate mountain roads by car, revealed only to those who walk through the forest understory beyond the side of the road. In our gardens, however, these plants can take center stage. They are among the best of garden shrubs, ending their seasons of flower and fruit in a symphony of color.

Send queries to Gardening Questions, P.O. Box 418, Ellsworth 04605. Include name, address and telephone number.