Autumn brings renewed vigor to the garden. Trees ignite in fiery hues. Asters and sunflowers erupt with autumn blooms. Even our vegetable gardens regain productivity. The crisp nights and cool days of autumn are perfect growing weather, making fall an ideal time to plant many types of trees in the landscape. Fall planting gives trees plenty of time to lay down roots before the next growing season begins. But not all trees benefit from fall planting. It’s important to know which trees you should plant in the fall, and which benefit from waiting until spring.  

Fall is the best time to plant container grown and balled-and-burlapped shade trees, conifers, and flowering trees. These include maples, pines, dogwoods, and other landscape favorites. Bare-root plants such as fruit trees, and broadleaf evergreen trees like hollies and Southern magnolia perform best when planted in spring. However, many container-grown plants can be planted at any time as long as they receive proper care.  

Autumn is also the best time to select trees for fall color. Foliage color can vary between individual trees, which is why planting–and shopping–in fall is beneficial. Wait until autumn colors arrive to visit the garden center so you can select the most vibrant specimens.

15 Showstopping Annuals To Fill Your Fall Garden With Blooms

Caring for New Trees

Newly planted trees require regular irrigation, even in winter, as they establish roots. Water trees once to twice per month throughout winter to keep the roots and soil moist, but not overly wet. Watch the weather and wet the ground before it freezes, as moist soil holds more heat and helps to insulate roots. Avoid watering when there is snow cover or if the ground has already frozen, as water will not penetrate the soil.

Red Maple

Botanical Name: Acer rubrum

Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade

Soil Type: Medium to moist, well-draining, average to rich

Soil pH: Acidic to neutral (5.0-7.4)

USDA Hardiness Zone: 3 to 9 

Red maples are named for the color of their flowers, fruit, and twigs, but these trees also produce brilliant red autumn foliage. Give this shade tree plenty of room to spread its roots. Plants tolerate wet soil, making them useful in rain gardens.

Black Gum

Botanical Name: Nyssa sylvatica

Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade

Soil Type: Moist, well-draining, average

Soil pH: Acidic (5.5-6.5)

USDA Hardiness Zone: 3 to 9 

Black gum, or tupelo, is an underutilized native shade tree with scarlet fall color and shiny green summer foliage. Plants have a deep tap root, making them drought tolerant though difficult to transplant once established. Black gums have excellent wildlife value, supporting native bees, tree frogs, and birds.

Arborvitae

Botanical Name: Thuja occidentalis

Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade

Soil Type: Medium moisture, well-draining, average

Soil pH: Acidic to Neutral (5.5-7.5)

USDA Hardiness Zone: 2 to 7 

Fall planting is not only for colorful deciduous plants. Needled or scale-leaved evergreens like arborvitae also benefit from the prolonged period of root establishment that fall planting provides. Arborvitae do not tolerate dry soil. Putting these trees in the ground in fall prepares them for the more challenging conditions of summer.

Flowering Dogwood

Botanical Name: Cornus florida

Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade

Soil Type: Medium moisture, well-draining, average

Soil pH: Acidic to Neutral (5.0-7.0)

USDA Hardiness Zone: 5 to 9 

While dogwood’s spring blooms get all the glory, these trees also produce gorgeous burgundy to purple fall foliage. Bright red drupes often remain well into October, accenting the foliage and attracting hungry songbirds to the autumn garden. Dogwoods make lovely specimens with multi-season interest.

Bald Cypress

Botanical Name: Taxodium distichum

Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade

Soil Type: Medium to wet, moisture retentive, average

Soil pH: Acidic (5.5 to 6.8)

USDA Hardiness Zone: 4 to 9 

Known more for its knobby knees than fall foliage, bald cypress makes a great addition to the autumn landscape. The cinnamon orange to copper-colored foliage complements other autumn hues. Despite the tree’s association with ponds, bald cypress tolerates a range of growing conditions, from somewhat dry soils to standing water.

Shumard Oak

Botanical Name: Quercus shumardii

Sun Exposure: Full sun

Soil Type: Dry to medium, well-draining, average

Soil pH: Acidic to neutral (5.5-7.4)

USDA Hardiness Zone: 5 to 9 

This southern native makes a great shade tree or street tree. Shumard oaks are fast growing and incredibly adaptable, tolerating drought, wind, and urban conditions including pollution. Oaks trees support a wide variety of butterfly and moth caterpillars, which in turn feed birds. Watch for migrating songbirds among the burgundy red fall foliage.

Ginkgo

Botanical Name: Ginkgo biloba

Sun Exposure: Full sun

Soil Type: Medium moisture, well-draining, average

Soil pH: Acidic to alkaline (5.0-8.0)

USDA Hardiness Zone: 3 to 8 

Ginkgo trees are remarkable adaptable, perhaps accounting for the longevity of this ancient tree species. Their foliage is unique among trees, with a distinct fan shape and a brilliant gold fall color that ignites the landscape. Look for male trees at garden centers, as females produce foul-smelling fruits.

Pine

Botanical Name: Pinus spp.

Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade

Soil Type: Medium, well-draining, average

Soil pH: Acidic (<6)

USDA Hardiness Zone: 3 to 9 

Pine trees provide food and shelter to a variety of wildlife while bringing lasting color to the winter landscape. Planting pines in autumn allows plants to focus their energy on root development, as the bulk of leaf growth has slowed for the year. Come spring, plants will be ready to put out a flush of new growth.

Serviceberry

Botanical Name: Amelanchier spp.

Sun Exposure: Full sun to full shade

Soil Type: Medium to moist, well-draining, average

Soil pH: Acidic to neutral (5.0 to 7.4)

USDA Hardiness Zone: 3 to 9 

Serviceberries go by many names and several species perform well across the south. The hybrid Amelanchier x grandiflora tends to be the most readily available at garden centers and certainly makes a stunning specimen. All species produce edible fruits and gorgeous red to red-orange fall foliage. Birds flock to the tasty berries, while native bees are a common site on the white spring blooms. 

Redbud

Botanical Name: Cercis canadensis

Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade

Soil Type: Medium, well-draining, average

Soil pH: Acidic to alkaline (5.0-8.0)

USDA Hardiness Zone: 4 to 8 

Redbuds are gorgeous spring bloomers, but they don’t put on much of a show in autumn when the leaves turn pale yellow. Still, fall planting is ideal as it gives plants ample time to establish before spring flowering. The stunning purple blooms more than make up for any autumn shortcomings. Of course, natural variation in fall leaf color exists, so look for the brightest specimens when shopping in autumn.

Juniper

Botanical Name: Juniperus spp.

Sun Exposure: Full sun

Soil Type: Medium, well-draining, average

Soil pH: Acidic to Neutral (5.5-7.0)

USDA Hardiness Zone: 3 to 9 

Junipers make dense screens and stately specimens throughout the landscape. They tolerate drought and dry soil, as well as deer and air pollution. Several species are commercially available, each offering a unique combination of plant form and foliage color. The blue-green “berries” are a magnet for birds in the winter garden.

Stewartia

Botanical Name: Stewartia pseudocamellia

Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade

Soil Type: Moist, well-draining, rich

Soil pH: Acidic to neutral (5.05-7.0)

USDA Hardiness Zone: 5 to 8 

With radiant fall foliage and camellia-like blooms, stewartia is a favorite flowering tree for the Southern landscape. Papery white blooms with golden stamens put on a long-lasting display from June to August, while foliage takes on jewel tones in autumn. Winter exposes the multicolored exfoliating bark, which peels away reveling strips of gray, orange, and brick red.