Trees are major contributors to a healthy garden ecosystem. They provide shade, add both vertical and horizontal structure, and offer habitat for birds and other wildlife. Trees also provide environmental services, such as producing oxygen and helping to filter groundwater. We can also simply appreciate trees for their beauty.
Whether large or small, trees have highly diverse foliage. We enjoy them as houseplants, compact, container-friendly patio plants, and magnificent, long-lived garden beauties. Every tree type has something unique to offer, and if you look closely at their leaves, you’ll see a huge range of styles.
Trees aren’t just green. Some are surprisingly colorful, not just during the fall foliage season but all year round. While some have amazingly large leaves, others are adorably tiny or have unusual shapes. Some trees have specially-adapted leaves that help them survive drought or other tough conditions. When you next look at a tree, really notice its leaves and enjoy how they are different from all the other species.
Keep reading to learn about 29 beautiful trees and shrubs with unique leaves that will make your yard look better.
Nothing adds more visual interest to a landscape than trees with colorful, multi-hued foliage. Unlike the typical green canopy, these eye-catching specimens display a palette of colors that changes with the seasons. Read on to learn about some of the most popular options and how to incorporate them into your outdoor space.
Japanese Maples
Japanese maples (Acer palmatum) are among the most coveted ornamental trees due to their gracefully cascading branches and richly-colored leaves. Hundreds of cultivars exist, featuring various leaf shapes, growth habits, and hues.
In spring look for baby pink and creamy white new growth. As the season progresses mature foliage emerges in shades of burgundy, purple, red, orange, and chartreuse. The color darkens over summer, then turns a kaleidoscope of reds, oranges, and yellows in fall before falling.
Dwarf varieties like ‘Bloodgood’ and ‘Sango Kaku’ thrive in containers, while larger types make excellent focal points. Japanese maples prefer rich, moist, acidic soil and afternoon shade, especially in hot climates.
Tricolor Beech
The tricolor beech (Fagus sylvatica ‘Roseomarginata’) is prized for its rosy new growth that matures to leaves striped in pink, purple, and cream With its dense, rounded form that reaches 30-60 ft tall and wide, it makes a stunning specimen tree
Young trees need afternoon shade to prevent leaf scorch. Mature trees can handle full sun. Average, well-drained soil and moderate watering are best. Tricolor beech keeps its leaves into winter, providing year-round interest.
Purple Smoke Tree
Smoke trees (Cotinus coggygria) are grown as much for their airy summer blooms as their colorful foliage. The purple smoke tree variety produces rounded leaves emerge deep purple-red, then fade to dark reddish-purple.
In summer, huge plumes of pinkish flowers create a hazy, smoke-like effect. Purple smoke trees grow 15-20 feet tall and wide in an upright-spreading form. They thrive in full sun and nearly any well-drained soil. Prune annually for best color.
Persian Parrotia
Persian parrotia (Parrotia persica) is a small, deciduous tree that provides four seasons of interest. In spring, leaves emerge reddish-purple, then mature to green by summer.
Flowers appear as early as February, with purple stamens extending beyond the petals. In fall, the oval leaves transform into brilliant shades of orange, red, and yellow. The patchwork canopy of color makes a striking statement in the landscape.
Persian parrotia adapts readily to various conditions. It reaches 20-40 feet tall and 15-30 feet wide. ‘Ruby Vase’ is a compact variety well-suited to smaller gardens.
Redbud
Eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis) is a spring standout, bearing a profusion of bright pink-purple flower clusters along its bare branches. After the blooms fade, heart-shaped leaves emerge reddish-purple before darkening to green.
The foliage takes on golden fall tones. Varieties like ‘Forest Pansy’ and ‘Ruby Falls’ have burgundy-purple leaves that hold their color all season. Redbuds grow 20-30 feet tall and wide in an upright, vase-like form. They thrive in full sun to partial shade and adapt to varying soil types.
Tricolor European Beech
With foliage striped in hues of pink, purple, and cream, the tricolor European beech (Fagus sylvatica ‘Roseomarginata’) provides a pop of color and texture. Its branching pattern creates a broad, dense oval crown reaching 50 feet tall and 40 feet wide at maturity.
Young trees need some shade to prevent leaf scorch. Mature trees can tolerate full sun. Average, well-drained soil and moderate watering are ideal. Tricolor beech is one of the few trees that hold most of its leaves through winter.
Katsura Tree
Katsura trees (Cercidiphyllum japonicum) bring amazing fall color, with leaves that emerge reddish-purple before turning blue-green in summer. As autumn approaches, the foliage transforms into a mix of apricot, yellow, and burnt orange.
A katsura’s rounded form and tiered branching habit give it unique ornamental appeal. It thrives in moist, well-drained, acidic soil and grows 40-60 feet tall and wide. For best fall color, plant katsura trees in full sun.
Tricolor Norway Maple
Norway maple ‘Tricolor’ (Acer platanoides ‘Tricolor’) lives up to its name with a beautiful palette of pink, white, and green on every leaf. It keeps its multi-hued foliage from spring to fall, when it turns bright yellow.
This medium-sized tree reaches 30-45 feet tall and 20-30 feet wide. It can scorch in hot, dry climates and prefers afternoon shade. Rich, moist soil encourages the best growth. Use tricolor Norway maple as a focal point or plant it where the variegated leaves can be viewed up close.
Copper Beech
Copper beeches (Fagus sylvatica f. purpurea) are prized for their deep purple-bronze foliage that retains its color all season long. New growth emerges an even richer reddish tone. The lush canopy provides contrast and depth when planted among greener trees.
Copper beeches become large landscape specimens, maturing at 50-60 feet tall and 35-45 feet wide. They grow well in full sun to partial shade and adapt to various soil types. For the boldest color impact, situate them where the sunlight shines through the leaves.
Purple Fountain European Beech
Unlike most beeches, the purple fountain European beech (Fagus sylvatica ‘Purple Fountain’) boasts a gracefully weeping form. Its branches cascade in a fountain-like effect, displaying deep purple foliage.
Leaves emerge bright red, then mature to reddish-purple. The weeping habit gives this tree unique ornamental appeal as a focal point in the landscape. It grows 10-15 feet tall and up to 20 feet wide. Full sun is best to develop rich coloration.
The stunning colors and forms of multi-hued trees make them ideal choices for adding visual excitement to both large-scale landscapes and smaller home gardens. With proper selection and care, they will enhance their surroundings with their spectacular foliage for many years to come.
Eastern Redbud ‘Rising Sun’
Delight in vibrant foliage that catches sunlight.
| botanical name Cercis canadensis ‘JN2’ THE RISING SUN |
| sun requirements Full sun to partial shade |
| height 8 – 12 feet |
| hardiness zones 4 – 8 |
‘Rising Sun’ is another beautiful redbud cultivar that’s worthy of some attention. This showy redbud has unique leaves that change color from emergence to maturity. Fresh, young leaves emerge as a showy red-orange color, reminiscent of the rising (or setting) sun. As they mature, they shift to yellow-orange, then yellow, and finally to deep green. All of these colors show up at the same time on “Rising Sun” during its busiest growing season, making for a very pretty show.
‘Rising Sun’ redbuds are fairly small trees, more shrub-like in appearance than the standard redbud species. Use this tree as a seasonal privacy hedge or in any wildlife-friendly landscape. The pink flowers that bloom in the spring attract pollinators, birds, and small mammals. The dense, leafy branches give birds a place to hide, hunt, and build nests.
It adds exotic charm with its cascading green fronds.
| botanical name Beaucarnea recurvata |
| sun requirements Full sun |
| height 6 – 8 feet |
| hardiness zones 10 – 11 |
This broadleaf evergreen tree is native to southern Mexico and the northern part of Central America. It is also called the ponytail palm. This plant is often kept as a houseplant because it grows slowly and does well in pots. Elephant foot tree is drought tolerant and requires well-drained soil.
The elephant foot tree is a shrub or small tree. It can grow up to 30 feet tall and form a huge, round base where it lives, but as a houseplant, it will stay much smaller. Each plant has a large, bulbous base, from which rises a single trunk-like stem. These plants have a leafy cluster at the top of the stem made up of very long, thin leaves that curve and spiral down. Each leaf can be several feet long in mature plants. The older ones near the base turn yellow and die, while new leaves slowly grow from the top cluster in the middle.
Enhance your garden with feathery foliage and delicate flowers.
| botanical name Lysiloma watsonii |
| sun requirements Full sun |
| height 11 – 15 feet |
| hardiness zones 9 – 11 |
The feather bush is a small tree or shrub that grows well in hot places and can handle drought. It is native to southern Arizona and the Mexican desert. Feather bush has leaves that fall off in the winter, which helps the plant save water during long droughts. It does best in well-drained soil and is a great choice for your xeriscape, but only if you live in a warm, dry desert.
Feather bush has very attractive feathery foliage. Each leaf is symmetrical and divided into dozens of tiny leaflets. Fluffy round white flowers bloom in the spring, resembling little snowballs adorning the trees. Pollinators come to the flowers to eat the nectar, and birds use the trees to rest, hunt for food, and build nests.
Elevate indoor spaces with large, glossy violin-shaped leaves.
| botanical name Ficus lyrata |
| sun requirements Partial shade |
| height 2 – 10 feet |
| hardiness zones 10 – 12 |
The fiddle leaf fig is a popular, easy-to-grow houseplant known for its attractive foliage. In the tropical western and central Africa where it comes from, it can grow up to 100 feet tall. But as a houseplant, it rarely gets taller than 10 feet. Give your fiddle leaf fig a warm location with bright, indirect light and moist, well-drained soil.
Fiddle leaf fig has large, showy leaves. Each leaf can grow up to a foot long and six inches wide. They have a tough and leathery surface with prominent veins on the underside. Some have a shape that resembles a fiddle or lyre, hence the common name. If you grow this plant indoors, keep in mind that it has a milky white sap that is poisonous if eaten. Keep this plant away from curious cats, dogs, and children. The sap can also cause skin irritation when handled.
This unique tree impresses with fan-shaped leaves that turn golden-yellow in fall.
| botanical name Ginkgo biloba |
| sun requirements Full sun |
| height 50 – 80 feet |
| hardiness zones 3 – 9 |
The ginkgo is an easy-to-grow ornamental tree from southern China. Ginkgos grow slowly, but if they are given enough time, they can grow to be 80 feet tall and make great shade trees in a larger, more open space. These trees perform best in full sun with medium-moisture, well-drained soil.
Ginkgos are fascinating ancient trees that are well-represented in the fossil record. Ginkgo leaves are distinctly unique, unlike most other living trees. They are fan-shaped and often display two separate lobes, hence the species name, “biloba. ” Mature trees develop an appealing pyramidal shape and become lovely shade trees. In the autumn, the foliage turns from bright green to golden yellow, before dropping for the winter months.
Eastern Redbud ‘Forest Pansy’
Revel in heart-shaped leaves that shimmer in purple hues.
| botanical name Cercis canadensis ‘Forest Pansy’ |
| sun requirements Full sun to partial shade |
| height 20 – 30 feet |
| hardiness zones 5 – 9 |
There are quite a few showy redbud cultivars, some with highly ornamental leaves. If you’re looking for some unique foliage, ‘Forest Pansy’ won’t disappoint. This redbud variety has the typical heart-shaped foliage and masses of spring-blooming, bright pink, pea-like flowers. The leaves are a purple-green color during the growing season. In the fall, they turn different shades of magenta and orange.
Eastern redbuds are native to central and eastern North America. They are common understory trees and have a high tolerance for partially shaded sites. Grow it in average-quality, moist, well-drained soil. “Forest Pansy” is a great small tree to put somewhere noticeable to make your home look better from the street.
Top 5 Trees You Need for Fall Color | NatureHills.com
FAQ
What tree has multi-colored leaves?
What tree has the most colorful leaves?
What is the disadvantage of variegated leaves?
What tree has multiple shaped leaves?
Do trees have red leaves?
Colorful leaves are one of the delights of autumn—particularly red leaves. Though yellow or orange leaves are lovely, they don’t stand out like bright-red or deep-crimson foliage. Trees with red leaves may have red foliage for only some or all of the fall, or their leaves may be red during the whole growing season.
Do red maple trees have red leaves?
This vibrant maple boasts crimson fall leaves, reddish seed pods in early spring, small red flowers from March to May, and reddish stems during the winter. Not all red maple trees have red leaves in the fall, so buy a nursery plant in the fall to be certain.
What trees have a brilliant fall color?
Common trees with brilliant fall color include: Flowering Dogwood tree is prized for its attractive spring blooms and growing habits.This attractive species features a short trunk, low, horizontally growing branches and a rounded or more upright canopy.
What do Maple flowers look like?
Maple flowers are green, yellow, orange or red. Though individually small, the effect of an entire tree in flower can be striking in several species. Most maples are shade-tolerant when young and are often riparian, understory, or pioneer species rather than climax overstory trees.
What is a three flowered maple?
Three Flowered Maple (Acer triflorum) Acer triflorum also referred to as the three-flowered maple is a small deciduous tree that typically grows 20 to 30 feet in height with a comparable spread. Trees are upright and spreading with a dense, delicately branched crown. The leaves are trifoliate, meaning comprised of three leaflets, and opposite.
What color is a magnolia tree?
Color varieties: Magnolia trees aren’t as obviously bright as many trees on the list, but their beautifully contrasting colors make them especially eye-catching. Magnolia trees have broad, glossy green leaves with brownish undersides. The leaves look especially striking against the tree’s large, cream-colored flowers.