Regional Picks: Plants With the Best Fall Colors—Northern Plains

1. White Frost™ Birchleaf Spirea

Name:Spiraea betulifolia‘Tor’

USDA hardiness zones:3 to 8

Size:2 to 3 foot magniloquent and broad

Conditions : Full sun ; moist , well - drained dirt

This endearing spirea has three - season appeal , with snow white flowers in spring and deep blue - immature foliage through summertime ; the birchleaf - shape leaves glow in fall in vivacious red to purple - loss tones . Those of us who hold out in area with a high cervid universe will appreciate the fact that White Frost ™ birchleaf spirea is cervid resistant . The bush blooms on new wood , so expect until after it blooms to give it a illumination pruning to preserve its shape .

2. ‘Viking’ Black Chokeberry

Name:Aronia melanocarpa‘Viking’

Zones:3 to 8

Size:4 to 6 foot magniloquent and 3 pes wide of the mark

Conditions : Full sun ; moist , well - drained soil ; tolerates boggy conditions

Chokeberry , one of the new “ superfruits , ” is an increasingly popular alternative for intense fall color in decorative garden . lily-white flowers in give and glossy greenish leaves in summer are espouse by red fall foliage , punctuated by ½-inch - wide black fruit . ‘ Viking ’ black chokeberry grow more and larger yield than other varieties . The fruit are intensely astringent , earning the name “ chokeberry ” because rust them raw leaves your mouth feel sawdust dry . A light frost and cooking domesticate the fruit , which make excellent juices , jellies , and wine . With almost no insect or disease problems , this cervid - resistant plant is easy to care for : In spring , remove any canes that are large than 1 column inch in diam , cutting them off at ground layer .

3. ‘Wood’s Blue’ New York Aster

Name:Aster novi-belgii‘Wood’s Blue’

Zones:4 to 8

Size:18 inches improbable and 12 to 15 inch wide

Conditions : Full Sunday ; moist , well - drained ground ; tolerates drouth and heavy Henry Clay soils

By fall , many plants have finish blooming and citizenry are bet for continuing garden color . ‘ Wood ’s bluish ’ New York aster vibrantly fits the bill . The plant is short , mound , and covered with bright risque flowers , which are , in turn , cover with bees and fall butterflies . Monarchs are frequent visitant , as are large fuzzy bumblebees . Unlike most New York asters , ‘ Wood ’s Blue ’ does n’t get rangy and pass over . It has fantabulous mildew and rusting opposition , and deer do n’t like it . Its tolerance of all types of poor soils makes it a corking alternative for knotty growing condition .

4. ‘Embers’ Amur Maple

Name:Acer ginnala‘Embers’

Zones:3 to 7

Size:15 to 20 metrical unit tall and encompassing

Conditions : Full sunshine to partial shade ; moist , well - drain soil

In the Northern Plains , we do n’t have many choices for undimmed violent fall color in trees . Amur maple provides that vivacious color , grown as either a bush or pruned to a single - bole tree diagram . Small , fragrant , early - summer flowers bring on ejaculate call “ samaras ” ; they are the “ helicopter seeds ” we toy with as children . ‘ Embers ’ Amur maple has one of the most vivacious fall foliage color and has bright red samaras . While ‘ coal ’ is easy to grow , requiring small pruning , it does not endure gamy pH or ill drained soils .

Mary Roduner works for South Dakota State University Extension as a consumer gardening field specializer and state master nurseryman coordinator .

Photos : # 1 , Nancy J. Ondra ; # 2 , # 3 and # 4 , millettephotomedia.com .

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Regional Picks: Plants with the Best Fall Colors - Northeast

Regional Picks: Plants with the Best Fall Colors - Midwest

Regional Picks: Plants with the Best Fall Colors - Southern Plains

Regional Picks: Plants with the Best Fall Colors - Southwest

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