SEATTLE — Gardening expert Ciscoe Morris loves the livin’ tweedle out of fall color. He says the conditions that create it are warm fall days and cool fall nights that stay above freezing. He’s got 4 plants you can get in the ground right now to get great fall color this autumn.
1 - Sadler’s Oak
Ciscoe says it’s a fairly rare tree but worth looking for at the nursery for its spectacular gold leaves in the fall. It’s native to the Klamath Mountains in Oregon, and Ciscoe has one he grew in his yard from an acorn.
2 - Stewartia Monodelpha
A mid-sized tree with striking leaves and patterned bark. “It's in the camellia family it has big white flowers in the spring, but as far as I'm concerned the most beautiful show is when these leaves turn this beautiful red, and the bark's spectacular too!"
3 - Golden Spirit smoke tree
"Now here's a little cutie you have to have in your garden, in the summer the leaves are a beautiful yellow color, but in the fall, look at how they turn orange, and pink - it almost makes ya cry when you look at it!"
4 - Fireglow Japanese maple
Ciscoe pointed out a sprawling tree across the street from his house that has a display of striking red leaves that contrast with the bright blue sky. “Check out this honker, this beautiful Japanese maple, it's not one of those little ones, I'll tell you that much. I planted this for my neighbor when I moved into this neighborhood in 1986 and look at the spectacular tree it turned into with this fantastic fall color! Why didn't I plant one for me at the same time?"
Ciscoe's message to anyone who wants to enjoy this season's bright leaves without driving out of town: "Get to the nursery and get one of each of these trees and you'll have fall color for the rest of your life!"
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