Looking for the best leaf-peeping spots at the Arboretum this fall? To see the widest range of autumn color and seasonal texture, the Arboretum’s Curatorial team encourages visitors to start their search below the tree canopy.
Read on to find profiles of the team’s picks for unexpected fall color favorites — including a perennial, shrub and tree — and where to find them at the Arboretum this season.
Find weekly updates from the Curatorial team on showstopping plants to see on your next visit on the Garden Highlights page.
Schizachyrium scoparium ‘Ha Ha Tonka’; photo by Natalia Ungashick
Nick Kreevich — Curatorial Manager
Autumn is celebrated for the kaleidoscopic colors that blanket the landscape. While we are typically awed by the vibrant hues of the tree canopy, similar seasonal shows occur at ground level within the herbaceous layer, specifically among ornamental grasses.
Little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), native to North America, is both an ecological and horticultural masterpiece. Adapted to harsh conditions, it thrives in droughts and variable soils. It serves as a vital habitat for nesting and roosting, provides seeds for wildlife and is a host plant for the endangered Dakota skipper (Hesperia dacotae).
In 2016, the cultivar ‘Ha Ha Tonka’ was introduced by landscape designers Cassian Schmidt and Piet Oudolf. Discovered in Germany from seeds originally collected at Ha Ha Tonka State Park in Missouri, this plant stands out for its unique aesthetic qualities. What makes ‘Ha Ha Tonka’ exceptional is its densely pubescent, or hairy, foliage. These fine hairs trap dew and catch the sunlight, creating a soft, radiant glow in the autumn garden. As the season progresses, the stems and nodes develop vibrant shades of green and red, producing a striking botanical candy-cane effect. With an upright, stiff habit and sparse foliage that creates a “window” to neighboring plants, ‘Ha Ha Tonka’ provides structure without crowding the landscape.
To see this specimen during its fall show, visit the Ornamental Grass Collection, Elizabeth Carr Slade Perennial Garden or the Ankeny-Lang Rose Walk from October to November.
In the fall, blueberry plants undergo a transformation as their foliage takes on brilliant shades of red or orange. Photo courtesy of CFANS/University of Minnesota
Natalia Ungashick — Plant Recorder
Not only do blueberries produce abundant bell-shaped, light pink to white flowers and eye-catching fruit, their leaves also put on a colorful show in the fall. Their foliage changes from green to different shades of brilliant red or orange before the season ends. These shrubs expand the vibrant highlights of fall by providing a much-needed pop of color in the lower landscape.
Blueberries are classified within the genus Vaccinium, which encompasses more than 450 species, including blueberry relatives such as huckleberry and cranberry. While not all blueberries are native to the United States, the blueberries typically used in commercial production are. Vaccinium corymbosum, or highbush blueberry, is native to the eastern U.S., and Vaccinium angustifolium, or lowbush blueberry, is native to the northeast, including Minnesota! Many blueberry cultivars on the market are crosses of these two species, specifically blueberries developed by the University of Minnesota’s breeding program. These hybrids were created to be cold hardy and provide prolific yields of large berries.
The first cultivars released by the University include ‘Northblue’, ‘Northsky’ and ‘Northcountry’. These were followed by the slightly taller, chest-height ‘St. Cloud’, ‘Chippewa’ and ‘Polaris’ in the ‘90s. While many blueberry cultivars are technically self-fertile, meaning they do not need another plant to produce fruit, they may produce very small quantities if planted on their own. To ensure your blueberries have a bountiful harvest, research a compatible cultivar to plant nearby.
In the fall months of October and November, blueberries can hold onto their brilliant red foliage for multiple weeks. Their dependability and beautiful, contrasting green and red leaves during their initial color change make this plant my favorite shrub to admire in the autumn! Visitors can find University of Minnesota-developed blueberries in the Home Demonstration Gardens across from the Annual Garden.
Black tupelo (Nyssa sylvatica) exhibits brilliant foliage and dark blue fruits on female trees in early to mid-October.
Brandon Miller — Curator of Plant Collections
In Minnesota, maples renowned for their yellow, orange and red fall displays are often celebrated as the harbingers of autumn. But in the Arboretum’s collections, trees less frequently encountered in the everyday landscape can often steal the show. On a crisp fall day, with a clear blue sky as a backdrop, our three Nyssa sylvatica, or black tupelo trees, in the Pillsbury Shade Tree Exhibit are bound to inspire every passerby.
Native to the eastern United States, black tupelo is a deciduous tree that is typically less than 50 feet tall and 30 feet wide at maturity. In the wild, black tupelo occurs in woodlands anywhere from wet bottomland locations to dry upland sites. In fact, sylvatica means “of the woods.” This species sports glossy leaves that keep a deep green color during the growing season. As it ages, black tupelo develops an attractive furrowed bark and strong horizontal branching, creating a formal appearance.
Black tupelo is a tough plant, known in the eastern U.S. for its tolerance to drought, flooding, heat, wind, ice and salt spray. But its true “claim to fame” is its awe-inspiring autumnal display. Ablaze with a fire-engine-red color, our black tupelo trees burst forth from the collections as a truly magnificent trio! Upon close inspection, two of the three trees exhibit dark blue fruits that contrast beautifully with the colorful canopy.
On your next early to mid-October visit to the Arboretum, stop by the Pillsbury Shade Tree Exhibit to view our uniquely cold-hardy specimens of this true fall showstopper.
Cover photo of Vaccinium ‘North Blue’ by Natalia Ungashick
This story was originally published in the Arboretum Magazine, a quarterly magazine for members of the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum.