Trees with Red Leaves: 12 Stunning Species for Year-Round and Seasonal Color

Red leaves stop people in their tracks. Whether it’s a Japanese maple holding its burgundy color all summer or a sugar maple setting the whole street on fire in October, trees with red foliage make a property memorable.

But “red leaves” means different things depending on the tree. Some hold red or purple foliage from spring through fall. Others are green all summer and save their color for a two-week show in autumn. A few flash red when new leaves emerge in spring, then turn green. Knowing which type you want saves you from planting the wrong tree and wondering why it’s green all summer.

Trees with red or purple leaves all season

These trees push out red, purple, or burgundy foliage in spring and hold it through summer and fall. The color comes from anthocyanin pigments that override the green chlorophyll.

Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum)

The king of red-leaf trees for residential yards. Japanese maples are available in hundreds of cultivars, from 6-foot weeping mounds to 25-foot upright trees.

Best red-leaf cultivars:

• ‘Bloodgood’: The standard. Deep burgundy-red leaves from spring through fall. Upright form, 15-20 feet tall. Zones 5-8. The most reliable red Japanese maple and the one I’d pick if you only plant one.
• ‘Emperor I’: Slightly more cold-hardy than ‘Bloodgood’ (zones 4-8). Leafs out later in spring, avoiding late frost damage. Same deep red color.
• ‘Crimson Queen’: Weeping form, 8-10 feet tall. Deeply dissected (lacy) leaves in deep crimson. Zones 5-8. Gorgeous as a focal point near a patio.
• ‘Inaba-shidare’: Another weeping dissectum type, holding its purple-red color better in summer heat than most laceleaf varieties. 8-10 feet tall.

Japanese maples prefer afternoon shade in zones 7+. Full sun bleaches the red to an unpleasant bronze-green. Morning sun with afternoon shade gives the best color. If your Japanese maple develops brown edges or wilting branches, our Japanese maple disease guide helps distinguish environmental stress from actual infections. See our guide to small yard trees for more compact cultivar options.

Purple Leaf Plum (Prunus cerasifera)

The most common red-leaf tree in suburban landscapes. ‘Thundercloud’ and ‘Krauter Vesuvius’ hold dark purple foliage all season and produce small pink flowers in early spring.

• Zones: 5-8
• Mature size: 15-25 feet tall and wide
• Growth rate: 12-18 inches per year
• Lifespan: Short (15-25 years). Plan for replacement.

Purple Leaf Plum is cheap, widely available, and instantly adds color. The downside: it’s short-lived, susceptible to bacterial canker and borers, and produces small messy fruits. Treat it as a 15-year tree and have a replacement plan.

Crimson King Norway Maple (Acer platanoides ‘Crimson King’)

Deep maroon-purple leaves that hold color all summer. This tree gets big (35-45 feet) and creates dense shade. Zones 3-7.

A word of caution: Norway maple is considered invasive in many northeastern and midwestern states. Check your local regulations before planting. The dense shade and shallow roots also make it nearly impossible to grow grass underneath.

Copper Beech (Fagus sylvatica ‘Purpurea’)

The aristocrat of purple-leaf trees. Copper beech grows slowly to 50-60 feet with a massive, rounded crown of deep purple leaves. Zones 4-7.

This tree needs space, time, and patience. It won’t make an impact for 10-15 years. But a mature copper beech is one of the most impressive trees on any residential property in the country. ‘Riversii’ is the cultivar with the darkest, most persistent purple color.

Smokebush (Cotinus coggygria)

Not technically a tree, but at 10-15 feet it functions like a small tree in the landscape. ‘Royal Purple’ has deep wine-purple leaves all season plus wispy pink flower plumes in summer that look like puffs of smoke.

• Zones: 4-8
• Mature size: 10-15 feet
• Best for: Compact yards, mixed borders, container growing

Prune hard in late winter (cut back to 12-18 inches) for the largest, most colorful leaves. Unpruned plants get leggier and flowers better but with smaller leaves.

Trees with spectacular red fall color

These trees are green all summer and save their show for autumn. The best fall color occurs after warm days and cool (but not freezing) nights in October and November.

Red Maple (Acer rubrum)

The name says it all. Red Maple consistently produces brilliant red fall color across a huge range (zones 3-9). Red flowers in early spring, red seeds in late spring, and red leaves in fall.

Best fall color cultivars:

• ‘October Glory’: Brilliant orange-red to red. Holds its leaves longer than other cultivars.
• ‘Red Sunset’: The earliest and most reliably red cultivar. Colors up 2-3 weeks before ‘October Glory’.
• ‘Autumn Blaze’ (technically a Red/Silver maple hybrid): Fast-growing, orange-red fall color. Zones 3-8. The most widely planted fall color tree in the US.

Red maple grows 40-60 feet tall and tolerates wet soil better than most maples. It’s an excellent shade tree that happens to have brilliant fall color.

Scarlet Oak (Quercus coccinea)

The reddest oak. While most oaks turn russet-brown, scarlet oak produces glossy, deep red fall color that rivals any maple. The leaves often persist into early winter, extending the show.

• Zones: 4-9
• Mature size: 50-70 feet tall, 40-50 feet wide
• Growth rate: 12-24 inches per year
• Best for: Large properties where you want an oak with actual fall color

Scarlet oak needs acidic, well-drained soil. It won’t perform in alkaline clay.

Sourwood (Oxydendrum arboreum)

Sourwood is an underrated gem. White, lily-of-the-valley-like flower clusters in midsummer (when few other trees bloom), followed by the deepest crimson-red fall color of any American tree. The flowers are also a premium honey source.

• Zones: 5-9
• Mature size: 25-35 feet tall, 15-20 feet wide
• Best for: Small to medium yards, understory tree, four-season interest

Sourwood is finicky about soil: it needs acidic, well-drained conditions and struggles in heavy clay or alkaline soil. But if you have the right spot, nothing matches its fall color.

Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua)

Sweetgum turns purple, red, orange, and yellow, often all on the same tree. The fall display rivals any maple. The catch: spiky seed balls that will make you curse your tree from November through March.

The fruitless cultivar ‘Rotundiloba’ gives you the color without the balls. Zones 5-9, growing 60-80 feet tall. Worth seeking out from specialty nurseries.

For more trees that put on fall shows, check our guide to best trees for fall colors.

Blackgum / Tupelo (Nyssa sylvatica)

One of the earliest trees to color up in fall, starting in late September. Glossy leaves turn brilliant scarlet, sometimes with orange and purple mixed in. Native throughout the eastern US and tolerant of both wet and dry conditions.

• Zones: 3-9
• Mature size: 30-50 feet tall, 20-30 feet wide
• Best for: Reliable early fall color, wet sites, wildlife (berries feed 30+ bird species)

Trees with red spring foliage

A few trees produce red or bronze-red new growth in spring that gradually transitions to green.

Red oak (Quercus rubra) pushes out pinkish-red new leaves in spring that darken to green within 2-3 weeks.

Photinia (Photinia x fraseri) is technically a shrub/small tree popular in zones 7-9. New growth is bright red, aging to dark green. The red-tipped “Red Robin” variety is widely planted as a hedge.

Sango-kaku Japanese Maple (‘Coral Bark’): While the leaves are more green with red edges, the real show is the coral-red bark that glows in winter. Zones 5-8, 20-25 feet tall.

How to get the best red color from your trees

Fall color intensity depends on several factors you can partly control:

Weather: Warm days (60-70F) followed by cool nights (40-50F) produce the most vivid reds. This is why New England and the upper Midwest get legendary fall color.

Sun exposure: Trees in full sun produce more anthocyanins and deeper reds than shaded trees. A Japanese maple in full morning sun will be darker red than one in deep shade.

Soil pH: Acidic soil (pH 5.5-6.5) tends to produce redder fall color than alkaline soil. This is particularly true for red maples and oaks.

Watering: Moderate water stress in late summer (August-September) can intensify fall color. Don’t irrigate established trees in September if your climate gets natural rainfall.

Fertilizer: Too much nitrogen pushes green growth at the expense of fall color. Ease off fertilizer after July. Our tree fertilizer guide covers seasonal timing.

Picking the right red tree for your yard

Small yards (under 5,000 sq ft): Japanese maple (10-20 ft), smokebush (10-15 ft), sourwood (25-35 ft)

Medium yards: Purple leaf plum (15-25 ft), red maple (40-60 ft), blackgum (30-50 ft)

Large properties: Scarlet oak (50-70 ft), sweetgum (60-80 ft), copper beech (50-60 ft)

Year-round red: Japanese maple ‘Bloodgood’, copper beech, purple leaf plum

Best fall red only: ‘Red Sunset’ maple, scarlet oak, sourwood

Both: Red maple ‘Autumn Blaze’ gives red-tinged spring growth and outstanding fall color

Plant one. Just one well-placed red-leaf tree in your front yard transforms the entire property. Check out our front yard landscaping ideas for placement tips, and visit mklibrary.com’s seasonal yard guide for maintaining your landscape through fall color season.