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The West’s Best Trees for Fall Leaves

Take advantage of fall’s beautiful colors by adding these trees to your garden or using their leaves for home decorations

Sunset
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Autumn joy

When trees are freshly painted in their burnished fall colors, take advantage of the splendor with easy decorating projects at home.

Gather beautiful individual leaves during a walk in the country or neighborhood. If you grow trees with beautiful fall color, you can clip small leaf-filled branches for easy arrangements, wreaths, swags, or window boxes.

Click ahead for some of the West’s best trees for fall color ― and easy decorating ideas.

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Chinese pistache

A garden-scale tree with a rounded canopy; narrow leaflets give it a lacy appearance.

In fall, foliage turns luminous shades of orange and red to gold. Sunset climate zones 4–16, 18–23.

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Pin oak (Quercus palustris)

An open, rounded tree. In brisk fall weather, the glossy leaves turn yellow, red, and finally russet brown. Zones 2–10, 14–24.

More: Pin oak in the Sunset Plant Finder

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Japanese maple (Acer palmatum)

The most airy and delicate of all maples. Varieties with colorful leaves include ‘Atropurpureum’ (bronzy green); ‘Bloodgood’ (scarlet); ‘Bonfire’ (orange-pink); ‘Ever Red’ (crimson).

Best in zones A3, 2–10, 12, 14–24 (find your climate zone).

More: Japanese maple in the Sunset Plant Finder

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Japanese persimmon (Diospyros kaki)

In fall, leaves turn vivid yellow, orange, or red; after they drop, brilliant orange fruits hang on well into winter.

Best in zones 6–9, 14–16, 18–24, H1.

More: Japanese persimmon in the Sunset Plant Finder

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Liquidambar

Maple-like leaves give this stout-trunked tree a lacy effect. Fall color varies by variety.

L. styraciflua ‘Palo Alto’ has orange-red to bright red leaves.

L. styraciflua ‘Festival’ turns yellow, peach, pink, orange, and red. Zones 3–9, 14–24.

More: Liquidambar in the Sunset Plant Finder

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Maidenhair tree (Ginkgo biloba)

A graceful tree with fan-shaped leaves that turn buttery yellow in fall; they drop all at once to create a golden carpet on lawns or paving. Zones A3, 1–10, 12, 14–24 (find your climate zone).

More about growing gingkos