By Stephen Brueggerhoff, CEA – Horticulture, Brazos County AgriLife Extension; published 11/18/2024

Our fall season has finally arrived, with the ebb and flow of ambient temperature typical of Central Texas to the Upper Gulf Coast Bend. Around late October to early November I look to nature for clues of seasonal change so that I can fully embrace our seasonal cycle. You may notice a patina and full-on copper color of the feathery leaves of Bald cypress (Taxodium distichum), a stately deciduous conifer naturally distributed along streams in Central and East Texas but also planted for its drought tolerance in the urban landscape. Perhaps you are anxiously waiting for the show of bright red leaves on Shumard oak (Quercus shumardii), a native shade tree that can be grown successfully in the home landscape. Below is a short list of native trees that we can use ornamentally to bring fall color to our home:

Mexican plum (Prunus mexicana) is a small stature tree that produces a broad canopy and grows to an estimated 25-feet tall. The elliptical-shaped leaves are slightly coarse to the touch and distinctively curl as they mature. Cooler weather initiates a rusty to yellow leaf color, a complimentary shade of color that adds to our fall palette. This member of the Rose Plant Family (Rosaceae) offers pure white, open-faced flowers prior to leaf emergence in late winter. The flowers are very fragrant, are produced in clusters on branches and are a great seasonal resource to pollinators. After pollination, small rounded plum fruits are produced that ripen at summer’s end.

I have a fondness for Mexican buckeye (Ungnadia speciosa), a multi-trunked deciduous tree that can reach up to 30-feet tall. The overall canopy shape resembles an umbrella as it matures. The draw of color occurs when the pink, peach-like flowers express in spring as the foliage emerges, and again when 5-inch-long compound leaves turn golden in the fall. Once established, Mexican buckeye is drought tolerant and is adaptable to our local soil profile. The plant receives its common name from a three-lobed capsule that resembles its namesake; however, the plant is not a true buckeye and the seed is poisonous.

Shumard oak is a large tree and has the potential to reach 70-feet in the home landscape. This species offers a wide canopy at maturity, making it a potential shade tree candidate. The leaves are simple 6 to 8-inch long with bristle-tipped lobes and deep sinuses, a shape typical of most oaks lumped in with red oak species. An interesting leaf characteristic are small pubescent tufts presented on the underside of the leaves and located where the veins connect. As mentioned earlier, Shumard oak does not disappoint with a display of bright red leaves offered in our fall season.

I always look to plants for seasonal cues, bringing a subtle nudge to acknowledge natural rhythms and my connection to nature. I encourage you to celebrate this fall season by finding your favorite hiking trail in a natural area or public park and observing the subtle and brilliant changes, gaining ideas to increase your plant palette and bringing a bit of nature home. Don’t forget that fall is an ideal time to plant new trees, with soil temperatures moderating after a challenging end to summer and allowing root systems to develop and become established. Texas A&M Forest Service offers an outstanding resource Texas Tree Planting Guide from website: texastreeplanting.tamu.edu. The service offers a tree selector search engine, as well as guides for tree planting and care. Season’s greetings to you and your family, and I look forward to serving you with outstanding horticulture programs in the new year. Keep up with next year’s garden-related events from our Brazos County Master Gardener website: txmg.org/brazos, and I’ll see you in the garden.