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Big Red
Fall Color
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t’s the time of year when
landscapes around Wyobraska begin to show their fall
color. Bright, vivid fall colors are one of the
highlights of the landscape year. In recent years a
new species with a range of fall colors has been
showing up in Wyobraska landscapes—I’m referring, of
course, to the species ‘Footballus flagicus’. It
has a slender, often maple-colored, trunk with a
single giant rectangular leaf measuring about two
feet wide by three feet long. The single giant leaf
turns various colors in the fall depending upon the
particular cultivar that the homeowner has planted.
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Surprisingly, a few homeowners
are not fans of the ‘Footballus’ species. For some
reason these homeowners tend to congregate at
shopping malls on Saturday afternoons. These
homeowners must rely on other species to get fall
color into their landscapes. Following are a number
of other species that will bring dependable big red
fall color to Wyobraska landscapes. |
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Previous Articles
Fractions March 15
Yardner March 8
Urban
Legends of Trees March 22
Que
Serra, Serra March 29
Grocery Store or Garbage Dumpster Plants April 5
Planning Your Landscape Project April 12
Planting
Cool Trees April 19
Keeping
Trees Alive April 26
Thrillers, Chillers, Spillers May 03
Will
You Still Love Them May 10
Ornamental Grasses May 17
In
Memory of Cedar Trees May 24
Gardening is not Childs Play
Versatile
Viburnums June 6
Yardner Plants
June 13
2007
Garden Walk and
Blue Spruce Decline
The Birds
& Bees of Butterfly Gardening June 28
Summer
Landscaping July 5
Cutting Your Lawn Down to Size July 12
Some Like it
Hot!! July 19
When a Tree
Falls on 5th Ave
July 26
Green
Landscaping August 2
American Idol-Landscape Aug 9
Fall is
for Planting Aug 16
Is your Landscape Neat or Messy? Aug 23
The
Seeds of a good Landscape Aug 29
2006 Articles |
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Some of the more widely planted
of this new species are:
‘Footballus flagicus’—hookum
hornicus This species is more widely planted in the
southern plains, but a few risk-taking homeowners
have attempted to plant it in Wyobraska. It is
readily identified by its distinct burnt orange
color often with whitish-colored markings in the
center.
‘Footballus flagicus’—boomerus
soonerus The bright red color of this cultivar is
often indistinguishable from more native cultivars
of the species. For several years the color of this
cultivar tended to fade by mid-October, but it has
proven more persistent in recent years.
‘Footballus flagicus’—spartanicus
californicus This cultivar has a unique maroon
color with gold-colored streaks in the center. It
has been reported to be in full color in eastern
Nebraska already this fall, but experts predict that
its fall color will not last much longer than
September 15th this year.
‘Footballus flagicus’—buffus
punius The predominantly gold color of this
cultivar rarely rewards its owner with anything
other than disappointment. The center often
contains an amoeba-shaped black blob that gives the
plant a dark and brooding appearance. Homeowners
often cut this plant back by early October so as not
to embarrass themselves or offend their neighbors.
‘Footballus flagicus’—cornhuskerus
numberus unus The big red fall color of this
cultivar has made it the most widely planted of the
footballus flagicus cultivars—and for good reason.
Its bright red color is the truest red of the
species, and historically it has held its color well
through December. The recent drought has somewhat
reduced its numbers, but, Luckily, there are
encouraging signs that the drought is over and I
expect a prolonged resurgence of ‘cornhuskerus
numberus unus’ in Wyobraska landscapes this year.
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Autumn Brilliance Serviceberry—
For long lasting fall color
it’s hard to beat the native serviceberries. They
can be developed either as a small tree or a large
shrub. Their fall color often comes on one branch
at a time and so lasts for 4 to six weeks. Their
mostly orange and red leaves also stay on the
branches even in a strong wind. White spring
flowers and attractive summer foliage make this a
very useful landscape plant.
Burning Bush—
The traditional red fall color
plant, it works in most Wyobraska landscapes. Its
fall color is outstanding and is fairly
long-lasting, but it is a non-descript plant the
rest of the year. I suggest using it as a landscape
“filler” in locations where fall color will add
interest.
Red Oak—
Perhaps the most dependable red
fall color in a tree that will grow in Wyobraska.
The red oak is a diverse oak species, so it is
possible to plant one that struggles to grow in
Wyobraska, but there are growing in large enough
numbers around Wyobraska for me to recommend them
for well-maintained and irrigated residential and
commercial landscapes.
Black Chokeberry—
In many respects this is the
small shrub version of the serviceberry. I find it
a very useful shrub for mixing with evergreens,
ornamental grasses, and perennials because it adds
great landscape interest in spring and fall. Its
fall color is bright orange to red. Its glossy
green foliage is no slouch in the summertime,
either.
Yellow-Flowering Currant—
Perhaps the best fall color in
a “grow anywhere” Wyobraska shrub. This 5-6 foot
tall shrub has bright red fall color. It is a true
xeriscape shrub that will grow with no supplemental
irrigation when established.
Pawnee Buttes Sandcherry—
This groundcover shrub is
another great new xeriscape plant, and it has
excellent red fall color. In addition, an early
spring white bloom makes this another very useful
plant for Wyobraska landscapes, where spring
interest is always an added bonus. Light green
summer foliage.
Viburnums—
Not all viburnums have good
fall color, but many do. And their outstanding
diversity of spring flowering, summer foliage and
fruit, and Wyobraska adaptability make this a group
of shrubs worthy of much wider use in Wyobraska
landscapes.
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