For beautiful foliage, look to native trees

By JESSICA DAMIANO

If you are looking for new trees, consider native plants. They generally require less maintenance than exotic varieties, require less water, fertilizers and pesticides and often cost less.

Native trees also support our native wildlife, which evolved alongside them, so recognize them as food. The same cannot be said for many introduced trees. And the exotic trees recognized by insects may not have the right flowers for their mouthparts. Others may provide adequate food, but not the nutrients our native animals need.

These are some of my favorite native trees, sorted by autumn color to turn your landscape dreams into a sustainable reality.

FOR RED

Let’s start with oak, considered a North American keystone speciesthey are vital components of the ecosystem. Oak trees are home to hundreds of species of native insects, which feed, lay eggs and shelter on and under their leaves.

Scarlet oak (Quercus coccinea) grows best in full sun, grows to a height of 15 to 20 meters and blooms in autumn with red leaves. horticultural zones 5-9. Red oak (Quercus rubra) has similar properties, while white oak (Quercus alba) can handle cooler temperatures, so is suitable for zones 3-9 and can grow 3 meters taller.

All native blueberries provide beautiful fall color, but Amelanchier x grandiflora ‘Autumn Brilliance’, a hybrid of A. arborea and A. laevis, both natives of the eastern US, really steals the show with striking, brilliant orange-red foliage. Small white flowers bloom in spring, followed in summer by edible purple-black berries. Plant it in full sun to part shade in zones 4-9.

Flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) is a single or multi-trunk tree with white or pink spring blossoms and red fall leaves, reaching 20-40 feet in full to partial sun in zones 2-10.

Also consider: Red maple (Acer rubrum), which keeps its color year-round, with red buds in winter and red blossoms in spring, full to part sun in zones 3-9; and American mountain ash (Sorbus americana) in full sun in zones 3-6.

FOR YELLOW

Tulip tree (Liriodendron Tulipifera), a cousin of the magnolia, is absolutely stunning in the spring when the fragrant, tulip-shaped flowers bloom, and just as beautiful in the fall when the leaves turn bright gold. These fast-growing trees reach heights of 60-80 feet in zones 4-9, but are shallow-rooted and top-heavy, so they may topple if planted in waterlogged soil.