Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
Lights up in autumn, white spring lace, for a long late-season show, for clay and loam ground and 15–25 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
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- New Jersey
- Fall color
New Jersey · Zones 6–7
Native Plants for Fall Color in New Jersey
Native trees, shrubs, and grasses that set the autumn garden alight with red, orange, copper, and gold. Every species here is genuinely native to New Jersey and the wider flora of the Mid-Atlantic and hardy through zones 6–7 — proven performers for New Jersey's humid, four-season climate across Pine Barrens & Piedmont, not a generic list. Local standouts include Serviceberry and Oakleaf Hydrangea. The natives behind New England's famous foliage will do the same work in your yard, and the show lasts far longer than the flowers did. Sugars trapped in the leaves on cool, sunny fall days drive the brightest color, so plant these in full sun for the most intense display. Pair fiery shrubs with the copper and amber of warm-season grasses for a season finale that rivals any flower bed.
The plants
15 native species for New Jersey
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 6–7 · see this collection in other states.
Oakleaf Hydrangea
Hydrangea quercifolia
Sets the autumn garden alight — white cones — happy in loam soil and reaching 4–8 ft.
- Part shade
- Average
- 4–8 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
Eastern Redbud
Cercis canadensis
Fall color that lasts — rose-magenta, 15–25 ft wide and hardy in zones 4–9.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 20–30 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Flowering Dogwood
Cornus florida
Sets the autumn garden alight — white bracts — 15–25 ft wide and for loam ground.
- Part shade
- Average
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Arrowwood Viburnum
Viburnum dentatum
Turns creamy white in fall, long after the flowers are gone; cold-hardy to zone 3 and for clay and loam ground.
- Sun to shade
- Average–wet
- 6–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Pink Muhly Grass
Muhlenbergia capillaris
Lights up in autumn, cotton-candy pink, for a long late-season show, cotton-candy pink flowers and cold-hardy to zone 6.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Virginia Creeper
Parthenocissus quinquefolia
Fall color that lasts — inconspicuous green, happy in clay, rocky, and loam soil and reaching 30–50 ft.
- Sun to shade
- Dry–average
- 30–50 ft
- Blooms Jun
Ninebark
Physocarpus opulifolius
Lights up in autumn, white to pink, for a long late-season show, spreading 5–10 ft and happy in clay, rocky, and loam soil.
- Full–part sun
- Dry to wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Fragrant Sumac
Rhus aromatica
Lights up in autumn, yellow catkins, for a long late-season show, 2–6 ft tall and yellow catkins flowers.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 2–6 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Spicebush
Lindera benzoin
Sets the autumn garden alight — chartreuse-gold — for clay and loam ground and hardy in zones 4–9.
- Part shade
- Average–wet
- 6–12 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Prairie Dropseed
Sporobolus heterolepis
Lights up in autumn, fine emerald to amber, for a long late-season show, good through zone 8 and spreading 2–3 ft.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Fall color
Little Bluestem
Schizachyrium scoparium
Sets the autumn garden alight — blue-green to copper — cold-hardy to zone 3 and for sand, clay, rocky, and loam ground.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Fall color
Big Bluestem
Andropogon gerardii
Lights up in autumn, bronze-purple seed heads, for a long late-season show, good through zone 9 and for sand, clay, and loam ground.
- Full sun
- Dry to wet
- 4–7 ft
- Fall color
Switchgrass
Panicum virgatum
Turns airy pink-gold panicles in fall, long after the flowers are gone; for sand, clay, and loam ground and hardy in zones 4–9.
- Full–part sun
- Dry to wet
- 3–6 ft
- Fall color
Indian Grass
Sorghastrum nutans
Turns bronze-gold plumes in fall, long after the flowers are gone; reaching 4–7 ft and hardy in zones 4–9.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 4–7 ft
- Fall color
Sourcing
Where to find these in New Jersey
Seeds & live plants on Amazon
Seed packets, plugs, and starter plants for many of these species ship to your door.
Browse on AmazonSome links here are affiliate links — we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. The surest source of locally-adapted stock is a native-plant nursery or a native plant society sale in your area.